HPU student Court Rathbun, on left at table, calls statistics and compiles game notes for the WNBA Atlanta Dream courtside during a game.
HIGH POINT, N.C., June 29, 2016 – Three years of hard work on game-day production for High Point University athletic events has paid off for Courtland “Court” Rathbun. The rising senior is spending his summer as an intern for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA.
The Atlanta native assists the Dream’s marketing and communications team with content creation, social media marketing, video production and graphic design. He also participates in various aspects of game-day production, including calling statistics courtside while play is in action. He compiles the game notes shared with media, assists with post-game interviews and works as utility for Fox Sports Southeast.
Rathbun says all of these experiences are adding to the depth and versatility of his skill set so he can be ready for a career at the next level.
“Helping coordinate information between the Atlanta Dream and Fox Sports Southeast has really helped me with connections in the industry,” Rathbun says. “My goal is to one day be a producer, director, or technical director for live events, so this is a great stepping stone toward that goal.”
As an electronic media production major at HPU, Rathbun is grateful for the valuable hands-on learning experiences he’s had, like Sports Link, the student organization that works with HPU Athletics to broadcast home games on the Big South Network.
“HPU has helped me get a handle on the technical skills needed and general knowledge of game-day needs and procedure,” says Rathbun. “Without working hundreds of Big South games with great mentors like Mark LaFrance and Cara D’Andrea these past few years, I wouldn’t have been ready to work for a professional sports team.”