On Sept. 29, Michael Cohen, a Queens College alum, returned to educate students on careers in the sports broadcasting field.
Cohen grew up in Kew Gardens, N.Y. and attended Hillcrest High School before attending QC. While attending high school, he took part in an internship with NBC in their news division. It was there that he accumulated more experience in news media. He graduated from QC in 1983.
Cohen is currently the president and executive producer of Bizzy Signals Entertainment. Founded in 1990, the firm primarily works with sports networks to promote soccer matches through Major League Soccer or even the World Cup.
The company notes it “specializes in features and live events, which capture the real human drama of life, storytelling and creating star personalities.”
Moreover, Cohen is an executive producer and producer for some of the world’s biggest sports events such as the World Series, the Super Bowl and the X Games. CBS, ESPN and NBC are some of the networks Cohen has worked with in the past.
Cohen is also an award winning producer. He has won eight National Emmy Awards and has been nominated for 15.
The Presidents’ Lounge was filled with students wanting to learn how Cohen became so successful along with any information they could use to help jumpstart their careers.
Among the crowd was junior Joanna Mordente, a media studies major, who looked for advice on how to begin in sports media.
“I am interested in a career in sports media and want to ask questions on how to get involved in it. I want to learn where he started,” Mordente said.
During his talk, Cohen provided advice that he gained after taking a film class at QC.
“Something I learned is don’t be close-minded,” Cohen said.
Students were allowed to ask questions and interact with Cohen during a question and answer session. They left with a better understanding of how sports production works.
Senior Christina Reme came to the event not just for advice, but for an example of how a QC student can be a successful media studies major.
“I am looking to be inspired. I want to know what steps he took and how he met the right people. This is a learning experience where the more knowledge you know, the better,” Reme said.
Cohen advised students to begin promptly if they wished to enter the field of sports media.
“Students should take advantage of living in the number one market in the world,” Cohen said.
