From Dawson Hall to Bananaland

Katelyn Scott

Hometown: Dahlonega, Ga.

Major: Consumer Journalism (now social entrepreneurship for consumer well-being), 2021

Tell us about your time at FACS. How did you find us and what stands out the most about your time here?

I was one of those college kids who changed their major every other semester because I just couldn’t decide what interested me most. I’ve always loved learning and I knew I wanted to be in a major that would give me the opportunity to learn as much as I could in as many areas as I could. Of all the areas I had spent time in at UGA (there’s a lot of them), FACS gave me the variety and challenges I craved.

I loved that I was able to combine science, social entrepreneurship, journalism, and yes, even theater, to tailor a major that would serve me for my career goals. My experience at FACS provided me with a unique arsenal of skills that I knew would allow me to explore different career options in the future.

If there’s one thing I’m most grateful for during my time at FACS, it’s the professors I had who pushed me to be better, pushed me to find creative solutions, pushed me to try new ways of doing things. Some of our principles that we live by at the Bananas, like believing that ideas are everything in this industry and that it’s important to be constantly curious - in other words, no one is ever truly done learning anything in any field - are the same principles some of my professors taught me. I owe my entire mindset to how I approach work to them, and even though many of the classes I took aren’t related to the work I do now, I’m forever grateful for what I learned in them and find that the skills I gained still assist me daily.

How did you end up with the Bananas? Did you grow up a baseball fan?

I started as an intern with the Bananas two years ago and have now been full time for one year and some change. I actually had never seen a full baseball game before jumping headfirst into my internship, but I had seen the creativity and fun of the Bananas on socials and knew I had to be a part of it. I had worked many office-y jobs in the past and knew it wasn’t for me. I wanted a chance to create things and run around outside and just have fun. I finally found that experience here and haven’t looked back. 

Tell us a little about what your job entails. Is it as fun as it sounds?

First of all, it definitely is as fun as it sounds, maaaaybe even more fun than it sounds.

Our jobs here are kind of constantly evolving, hence my title creative coordinator and not videographer. I used to play around in a few of our creative areas before finally landing in video. Filming was always the main component of my job but I also used to post content on Party Animals socials and make appearances on our broadcast.

During our season, the bulk of my job is running around on the field capturing and editing some of the cool content we put out on our socials. A typical game day starts with our team checking equipment and joining in rehearsals with the players for some of the bigger things happening on the field that night. Then, gates open and the rest is well-documented history on TikTok.

There’s non-mobile work too, which I have to admit is not as fun as being on my feet. But I think that’s a personal problem and I just need to invest in a walking pad.

Sometimes office work is creative, like joining in idea sessions to plan out fun things for the players to do during games, and sometimes not-so-creative, like logging footage from previous games so we can stay organized. Every member of our video, marketing and entertainment team plays a huge role in our creative process and we always have fun together in every aspect of our jobs, even if we’re sitting in chairs. Our chairs do spin though - gotta give credit where credit’s due.

What is the highlight of your job? Favorite memory of your time there so far?

The biggest highlight of this job is working with people who I consider to be some of my closest friends. Not to mention that every day is something different, so for someone like myself who gets bored easily, I live for the constant change!

Favorite memory of all time? Seeing Alcatraz (from a distance anyway) when we went to California.

Better answer: I used to do sideline interviews with the Party Animals in between innings and one time I got to smash an energy drink can on my head live on ESPN.

Even better answer: I told John Cena he was in my favorite episode of Psych when he came to our game in Tampa this year. Then he told me he had just spoken with James Roday on the phone the day before. Incredible.

Bananaball related answer: Literally any time they let me run across the field while filming a player running to a TikTok trend. I LOVE going fast. #needforspeed

What advice would you give a current student looking to break into the sports industry?

Take the leap! If you don’t come from a sports background or think you’re underqualified, apply anyway. I had never seen a ballgame or held anything more than a point-and-shoot camera before starting my career with the Bananas as a videographer. Show that you’re willing to learn and that you’re passionate about the work and you’ll find people who will see your value and teach you what you need to know. And don’t be too serious - work is so much better when it’s fun.

TLDR: Never stop learning, have fun, drive fast and take chances! (for legal purposes, that last bit is a joke).