Rocco Gasparro
Louisville
Summary
Results-oriented media professional, well-versed in managing media relations and delivering impactful communication strategies. Proven ability to lead teams and drive successful media campaigns. Reliable and adaptable, with strong strategic thinking and relationship-building skills.
Overview
33
33
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Media Relations
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY
01.2003 - Current
- Serve as the department’s supervisor, overseeing a staff of eight full-time staff and a numbers of students and interns
- Primary media contact for nationally ranked Division I football and golf programs
- Recognized with the school’s first FWAA Super 11 Award for service to the media
- Organized the campaign for the school’s first Heisman Trophy Award winner in 2016
- Helped guide Lamar Jackson to back-to-back Heisman Trophy finalist appearances
- Worked 17 bowl games in 22 seasons
- Successfully promoted and handled the day-to-day operations for two BCS Bowl Championship teams
- Served as the media coordinator for the 2012 NCAA Second and Third Rounds at the KFC Yum! Center and coordinated two NCAA Regionals
- Handled the media relations for four top-10 football teams
- Manage all media requests for a Power 4 football program and worked on numerous national television broadcasts
- Assisted with three College Gameday broadcasts
- Helped evolve content for football program through a variety of mediums, including a daily blog and video interviews
- Distribute video elements to service local media outlets with interviews
- Compose, edited and designed media guides and game programs for football and men’s basketball programs
- Produce extensive game notes and press releases, arranged coach and player interviews, wrote scripts for football highlight videos, assisted in maintaining athletic department website, updated records and conducted weekly press conferences
- Organized Heisman Trophy campaign publicity campaigns for Brian Brohm and Michael Bush in 2006
- Develop theme and tone of campaign and created promotional materials for campaign
- Share responsibility of supervising student staff, game and event preparations and servicing local, regional and national media needs while completing all projects assigned by the athletics director and senior associate athletic director for media relations
Assistant Sports Information Director
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
01.2001 - 01.2003
- Served as primary media contact men’s and women’s soccer teams, women’s basketball teams and other teams as assigned
- Duties included writing, editing, and designing media guides and game programs
- Produced game notes, press releases, arranging coach and player interviews, assist in maintaining athletic department website and updating records
- Assisted with the day-to-day operation of a Division I athletic media relations office
- Shared responsibility of supervising student staff, game and event preparations
- Helped in the design and content for new web site
- Wrote feature stories for game programs and monthly newsletter
Assistant Sports Information Director
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC
01.2000 - 01.2001
- Served as primary media contact for nationally-ranked Division I football and golf programs
- Handled all media requests for football and worked on numerous national television broadcasts
- Duties included writing, editing, and designing media guides and game programs for football programs
- Produced extensive game notes, press releases, arranging coach and player interviews, maintaining athletic department website, updating records and conducting weekly press conferences
- Assisted with the day-to-day operation of a Division I athletic media relations office
Sports Information Director
Youngstown State University
Youngstown, OH
01.1997 - 01.2000
- Directed publicity and promotion for 18 intercollegiate sports
- Supervised staff and was responsible for all the daily office activities
- Designed and edited media guides and game programs
- Coordinated interviews for student-athletes and coaches
- Worked closely with national and regional television outlets
- Worked closely with a major media market (five televisions and two newspapers)
- Facilitated press box management
- Worked two NCAA National Championships
- Developed the school’s web site
Sports Information Director
Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO
01.1996 - 01.1997
- Directed publicity and promotion for 13 intercollegiate sports, including football
- Supervised staff and was responsible for all the daily office activities
- Designed and edited media guides and game programs
- Coordinated interviews for student-athletes and coaches
- Developed the school’s web site
Public Relations Intern
Cleveland Browns
Berea, Ohio
01.1995 - 01.1996
- Facilitated variety of media activities, including writing press releases, fax transmission of game results, coordination of player interviews, research of records and response to inquiries from local and national media outlets
- Assisted in press box set up and management
- Edited media guide and helped prepare GAMEDAY Magazine
Assistant Sports Information Director
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI
01.1994 - 01.1995
- Primary contact for volleyball, women��s basketball and baseball
- Designed and edited media guides
- Coordinated interviews for student-athletes and coaches
- Helped in the editing and designing for new athletics web site
Assistant Sports Information Director
East Stroudsburg University
East Stroudsburg, PA
01.1993 - 01.1994
- Assisted the Sports Information Director in the publicity and promotion of 18 intercollegiate sports
- Designed and edited media guides
- Coordinated interviews for student-athletes and coaches
- Developed the Warrior Weekly Wrap-up, a weekly press release that summarized campus sporting events
- Wrote weekly feature stories on student-athletes
Education
Master of Education - Physical Education with Sports Management Concentration
East Stroudsburg University
East Stroudsburg, Pa.06.1995
Bachelor of Arts - Communications
John Carroll University
Cleveland, Ohio08.1993
Skills
- Strategic communications
- Social media strategy
- Content development
- Creative direction
- Crisis management
- Storytelling techniques
- Internal communications
Timeline
Director of Media Relations
University of Louisville
01.2003 - Current
Assistant Sports Information Director
Dartmouth College
01.2001 - 01.2003
Assistant Sports Information Director
North Carolina State University
01.2000 - 01.2001
Sports Information Director
Youngstown State University
01.1997 - 01.2000
Sports Information Director
Northwest Missouri State University
01.1996 - 01.1997
Public Relations Intern
Cleveland Browns
01.1995 - 01.1996
Assistant Sports Information Director
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
01.1994 - 01.1995
Assistant Sports Information Director
East Stroudsburg University
01.1993 - 01.1994
Bachelor of Arts - Communications
John Carroll University
Master of Education - Physical Education with Sports Management Concentration
East Stroudsburg University