Since graduating in May, Woody Silverstein JMS’26 has wasted no time kickstarting his career in sports production. By August, he had already completed the Big Ten Network Now Program in Chicago and moved on to his new role as a Media Replay Operator I at ESPN.
Silverstein graduated from SC&I with a major in Journalism and Media Studies (and a specialization in Sports Journalism) and a minor in Digital Communication, Information, and Media (DCIM). He was also very involved in RVision, the student-operated live video production department for Rutgers University Athletics.
Silverstein’s work for RVision helped him secure his Summer 2025 Internship at SNY, where he supported the crew as a runner at Citi Field during Mets Games. During that experience, he was able to learn from people who have worked in broadcasting for decades—including some SC&I alums—who have continued to support him as his career develops.
His participation in RVision also made him eligible for the Summer 2026 Big Ten Network Now Program, which hand-picks top talent from across the conference. This prestigious opportunity functions as more than just a standard internship. BTN Now is an intensive training program where interns rotate through different broadcast disciplines (studio production, live event replay, graphics, technical directing, and audio) during the course of five weeks.
“This was a great learning experience,” Silverstein said. “The hands-on training helped me understand much more about how these four disciplines work within a broadcast.”
After that, he moved to Connecticut to begin working for ESPN, where his team handles live event broadcasts. His education at SC&I has been an asset to the work he is doing now.
“SC&I helped me learn how to analyze storylines, and it gave me a broad view of how the media industry works, and how to prepare for a broadcast,” Silverstein said. “Before working games, I need to understand not only the sport that I am covering but also the participating teams and players. SC&I helped me learn how to better research key stats and storylines.”
Silverstein said that classes like Critical Issues in Sports Media and Multimedia Sports Reporting were vital to build these skills, but his experiences outside of the classroom were equally important in helping him secure these highly coveted positions.
“Getting hands-on replay experience at RVision was a huge part of how I secured the job at ESPN. RVision used some of the same equipment ESPN uses, so I entered the role already knowing the equipment.”
SC&I helped me learn how to analyze storylines, it gave me a broad view of how the media industry works, and how to prepare for a broadcast. Before working games, I need to understand not only the sport that I am covering but also the participating teams and players.
Woody Silverstein
This speaks directly to Silverstein’s advice to SC&I students today: “Experience things outside of the classroom!” Silverstein points to Rutgers organizations like RVision and the Rutgers radio station WRSU 88.7 FM as the reasons he had the skills and confidence to pursue his internship and professional roles.
His other piece of advice to students is networking. “You'll most likely get any opportunities outside of school because of the people you meet,” Silverstein said. He continuously networks with his colleagues and peers, but also keeps in touch with a few of his key contacts from Rutgers.
“I've had a lot of great professors at SC&I, but the person who stands out the most is Steve Miller,” Silverstein said. He credited Teaching Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Journalism and Media Studies Professor Miller for being the reason he changed his major to JMS and started working at RVision. “I still stay in touch with him every so often, and he is a great person to have in your corner.”
Although Silverstein has already achieved so much in the few months since he graduated, he has no intentions of slowing down. “As I continue to advance in my career,” he said , “I would like to become a producer or director for the same games I'll get to work on now. Being able to learn from the worldwide leader in sports is a great opportunity for this goal.”
Learn more about the Journalism and Media Studies major, Sports Journalism Specialization, and minor in Digital Communication, Information, and Media (DCIM) at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information.
