PHOENIX – From an outside perspective, current Walter Cronkite School of Journalism student Nic Hill may seem aloof. He doesn’t talk much during classes, and his friends describe him as laid-back. As someone aspiring to work in sports media, one might expect that Hill dials up his intensity through his work, but they would be mistaken.
Hill has taken a well-rounded approach to his Cronkite education thus far, dabbling in a multitude of mediums without specializing in any singular thing. He does particularly enjoy podcasting and sports talk radio, but even in those endeavors he keeps himself even keeled.
“I honestly feel like I’m pretty laid back, I just like doing my own thing,” Hill said in an interview on Saturday. “I just do my work and keep to myself.”
Recently, most of Hill’s work has been podcasting. In his last semester at Arizona State, the current junior enrolled in a podcast class where he learned how to create, voice and produce his own podcast show. That class and an extracurricular podcast Hill regularly produced with a friend for ASU’s student radio station, Blaze, has created a particular interest he intends to pursue further and potentially as a career.
This semester, Hill is also participating in an internship locally in Phoenix with the Varsity Sports Show, an online multimedia platform that covers high school sports in the area. Already in his internship, Hill has experimented with many roles like camera operation, digital and audio reporting, interviewing and even color commentary. So far, he has enjoyed it, especially being able to branch out and try aspects of sports media he hasn’t previously.
Being involved with the Varsity Sports Show has been a net positive for Hill’s career to this point, but it has also created conflict this semester. Hill enrolled for a Sports and Culture Commentary class this semester at Cronkite but dropped it after the first day in fear it would conflict with his internship.
Having originally enrolled in the class because its syllabus was the most appealing in a limited category of options to fill a requirement, Hill didn’t seem too upset that he was no longer in Sports and Culture Commentary.
“I honestly don’t like writing, but I feel like I’m good at it so I can have it as a backup option,” Hill said.
Hill’s development as a sports journalist has picked up significant momentum recently with his internship and coursework. However, his recent trajectory contrasts with the first few semesters of his college experience.
The Maryland native’s laid-back nature was prominent as a freshman, when Hill spent more time enjoying hobbies and other interests outside of school. An avid lover of sports, Hill often found himself playing pickup basketball with friends or sports video games like Madden NFL or NBA 2K. Despite his low-key demeanor, Hill’s passion for sports as both career and hobby is evident to anyone he talks to.
“I just like sports honestly, that’s why I feel like I have so much to talk about in football or basketball,” Hill said. “I don’t only know one specific team, I know all of them pretty well.”
The key for Hill will be keeping that passion for sports alive while continuing to build on his skills as a journalist, particularly as a pundit and podcast host. With plenty of time and resources ahead of him at Cronkite, Hill has all the means to find his voice and graduate college ready to break into the sports media industry.
