The Quad Summer Internship Series
Danny Shapiro, ODFCnews.com
Phoenix, Arizona
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Position: Sportswriter
School: Arizona State University Major: Journalism Year: 2015 How did you get the internship?
It’s pretty funny, actually. I signed up for the internship program through the Cronkite School and was all set to interview with organizations until I got a Twitter direct message from my now-boss, Odeen Domingo. I didn’t know Odeen terribly well at the time, but he saw that I had an interest in soccer and offered me the opportunity to intern for his website, odfcnews.com. It came at the perfect time because there was a new professional soccer team that was coming to the Phoenix area and he needed somebody to cover it and it’s been great ever since.
What's A Typical Day For You Like?
There’s a lot of variation and fluidity, which I like. One day I could be out at an Arizona United training session talking to players and coaches and the next day I could be looking back at old game footage in order to rate player performance. It’s a lot of fun.
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What is your favorite part about this opportunity and what is the most challenging part about it?
My favorite part of the internship has been how expansive it’s been. I’ve also been lucky enough to have experiences outside of the team. Through Odeen, I was able to hop on a conference call with U.S. National Team goalie Tim Howard after his record-setting performance against Belgium and got to travel to Tucson to cover a playoff game for another league. Both were great experiences that I wouldn’t have been able to have covering just Arizona United.
What advice would you give to future interns to maximize their experience?
I’d tell future interns to appreciate the experience, first and foremost. You won’t be covering the World Cup-type stuff every day and there’s a lot of reward in that. I think this internship is great because it’s very hands-on so your ability to learn through your experiences can be maximized more so than other internships because you will have that personal help you will need to grow. The connections I’ve made and people I’ve met over the past four months have been great as well and I’ve learned so much from them too.
How will you apply the work you’re doing here to your college experience?
My college experience is almost over (I graduate in December) but I hope I can use my internship experience to take on more responsibility and tasks during my final semester. That’s my number one goal.
Is there anything else you would like to add about what makes your internship unique?
It’s just a fun and different internship than what’s offered through the school. The soccer scene in Arizona and Phoenix isn’t as well-developed as in other places, so there’s a clear way to embed yourself with the best soccer coverage in the state. ODFCnews.com has the tools to make it happen, so if you’re interested in soccer and journalism you should definitely think about interning with Odeen.
If you have any more questions about the position or Danny's experience tweet him @DsShapi
