Being a Generalist at ESPN

Episode 162: Adnan Virk - ESPN Broadcaster: Why You Should Always Say Yes

Adnan Virk works for ESPN. He is the first Muslim Sports anchor to be hired by ESPN. Adnan is one of the most versatile talents in all of ESPN. He is one of three main anchors for Baseball Tonight. In the baseball off-season, he has hosted SportsCenter and Outside the Lines. He is known as someone who will always say "yes" when a leader calls and asks him to fill in. He has filled in for Keith Olbermann, Mike and Mike, SVP & Russilo, and many others. He is a "cinephile." Adnan has an immense love for film, regularly picks the Oscars, and does movie reviews on radio and TV. Recently, he started his own podcast titled, "Cinephile - The Adnan Virk Movie Podcast." He interviews actors and reviews movies. Some of his guests have been: Robert DeNiro (that story is discussed in depth on this episode), Viggo Mortensen, Denis Leary, Will Arnett, and more. His love (and knowledge) of movies is evident during this conversation.

Episode 162: Adnan Virk - ESPN Broadcaster: Why You Should Always Say Yes

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The Learning Leader Show

"You will always have a job if you can do a lot of things. But you REALLY get paid if you can do one thing extremely well." - Mike Greenberg

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• The Top 5 Tom Hanks movies (we respectfully disagree but had fun discussing)
• The reason he became a sportscaster
• How he got his job at ESPN
• Why he chose to study Broadcasting in college
• Where his love of film came from
• Originally wanting to be a director and the moment when he realized he should do something else (and why)
• What he learned writing his first script -- "You have to be economical with your words"
• The impact his movie knowledge had on his co-workers at ESPN -- And opportunities it created for him
• Being a "generalist" -- How and why it's helped him
• Movie Reviews - Big, Top Gun, Rounders, Cast Away
• "You will always have a job if you can do a lot of things. But you really get paid if you can do one thing extremely well."
• His interview preparation process
• A great Robert DeNiro story - Meeting him, interviewing him, and what happened after it was over
• The greatest part about having a podcast
• Understanding the goals you have for each interview -- Having a plan
  • Have to be prepared
  • Research (a lot)
  • Be prepared to go anywhere
• "Whenever there is an opening, always show up. Always be there for your boss. Be known as the person who says yes when your boss calls. Don't tell them about the trouble it takes you to say yes, just do it. Show up."

"Whatever your passion is... You have to find it. And do it. You need new challenges and goals to be entertained."

Continue Learning:

• To Listen to his podcast: Cinephile: The Adnan Virk Movie Podcast
• To Follow Adnan on Twitter: @adnanESPN
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

You may also like these episodes:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 071: Nate Boyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL

Episode 047: David Marquet - "Turn The Ship Around"

Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

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If you enjoyed hearing Adnan Virk on the show, please don't hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me.

Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

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