Sellers Shy, CBS Sports Lead Golf Producer, Mentors HPU Students about Adapting to Change
Sellers Shy, CBS Sports’ lead golf producer who serves as High Point University’s Network Television Producer in Residence, worked with students in the TV studio at the Nido Qubein School of Communication.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Nov. 25, 2025 – Sellers Shy, CBS Sports’ lead golf producer who serves as High Point University’s Network Television Producer in Residence, mentored students during his recent visit to campus about the importance of preparing for unexpected changes and adapting to them.
Shy spoke to a large group of students in a Q&A session titled “Calm in the Spotlight: Adaptability in Broadcasting” at the Callicutt Life Skills Theater during his Nov. 6 visit. While on campus, he also shared lunch with sports media students in the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication and taught a sports reporting class.
“The game plan doesn’t always go the way you planned,” Shy said. “Expect the unexpected. What breeds confidence is your preparation. Work on the game or tournament well in advance, then you’re ready to pivot.”
Shy shared footage of an NFL game in Buffalo, New York, when a dusting of snow was forecast but an unexpected 2 feet of snow covered the field markings. In another example, he showed graphics that included misspellings of professional athletes’ names, a mistake he said was likely caused by an entry-level broadcast associate. Protestors who spraypainted a putting green during a PGA tournament presented another unexpected challenge for broadcasters.
“You’re live, and you have to be prepared. Live is a big difference than on tape,” Shy said. “You’re immediately accountable, and you’d better be right because it’s going to millions.”
Shy described how TV producers succeed when covering a major golf tournament. He also answered students’ questions about working at The Masters Tournament, one of the PGA’s ultimate externship opportunities where HPU students have gained experience working for the past three years.
“It started with about 20 students, and now you are over 100 in that program,” Shy said. “Those are the captains of industry in that world. If you can do it, it’s good to attach yourself to that world.”
Shy shared how he first started building relationships with professional golfers as a teenager while volunteering at the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic, which was then his hometown’s only professional golf franchise. After working for CBS at that golf tournament for several years, he was invited to cover other major tournaments. Building relationships is just like building your resume, Shy said.
Student moderators for the Q&A were sports media majors Jimmy Rosselli and Griffin Wright, who gained national attention last spring after a video of them calling HPU’s win in the Big South Conference championship game went viral. Both student broadcasters benefited from connecting with Shy.
“I definitely learned the importance of being adaptable, not only being available but being able to adjust your schedule to put work first, as scary as that sounds,” said Rosselli, a junior from Long Island, New York. “With this business, it’s important to put work above all things because there’s millions of dollars in every broadcast and it depends on you being available to be there, bringing a good work ethic and living up to the reputation. I also learned the importance of being able to handle the pressure, to adjust and work with your production crew because you are a team. You’re trying to run the offense together. You’re not by yourself, so it’s important to be on the same page.”
Wright, a senior from Richmond, Virginia, said having a relationship with a mentor like Shy means so much to him.
“Honestly, it’s going to help me to have a connection when I start reaching out and when I have a job in the upcoming months to a year,” Wright said. “I’m going to really apply myself and work hard.”
Akeena Rootes, a senior journalism major from Albany, New York, said Shy’s message about the importance of adaptability resonated with her. He told students that they need to be willing to work their way up instead of hoping to land a prominent job right after graduation.
“Just the idea of being open to new opportunities and maybe starting out low is fine because you can work your way up,” Rootes said. “You have to work for what you eventually will want, and hopefully you’ll be able to get it. That was interesting because he has been in the industry awhile and played many different roles.”
Shy’s advice about staying calm while in the spotlight made sense to Zach Fisher, a freshman sports media major from New York City, New York.
“You can’t be afraid to put yourself out there, and you’ve got to take risks to get somewhere,” Fisher said.
“It reconfirmed you have to be prepared, which I know as a Boy Scout and Eagle Scout,” said Samuel Pate, a freshman sociology and anthropology major from Fayetteville, North Carolina. “It’s something I would love to have at a job, being able to pivot on a dime to keep my brain stimulated.”
In addition to adaptability, the value of trusting and relying on co-workers was a key takeaway for Maria Ramirez, a freshman computer science major.
“If there’s a stressful situation, you’re able to work together with them while also staying calm and making sure you’re making the best of out of the situation and solving it as quickly as possible,” said Ramirez, who is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.