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Boylan joins hometown Pacers broadcasts
Jon Chelesnik
(October 14, 2014) The dream of many sports broadcasters is to land a job with their favorite childhood team. Less than two years out of college, STAA client Pat Boylan has just netted the dream. Boylan is the new pre-game and halftime show host and sideline reporter for the Indiana Pacers Radio Network.
The new job includes a nice variety of tasks, including post-game locker room reporter for Pacers TV on Fox Sports Indiana, and fill-in radio play-by-play announcer for the WNBA's Indiana Fever.
"It's a dream come true, especially at age 24. I grew up a diehard Pacers fan. When I was five years old I would force my dad to play this cassette tape that had the radio highlights from Mark Boyle and Slick Leonard (who are both still there) of the Pacers 1994-1995 season on repeat," Boylan smiles. Every day on the way to kindergarten. Even as a Pacer fan himself, I'm sure it drove him insane."
The Pacers job was previously handled by two veteran Indianapolis radio and TV broadcasters: Kevin Lee on home games and Michael Grady on road games. The job became available when Lee and Grady both received promotions, with different organizations, within a two-day period. From there, Boylan says he owes his new position to his mentor.
"My closest mentor is Chris Denari, the TV play-by-play voice of the Pacers. I've known him for 15 years. He lives down the street from me. Denari put in a good word and really pushed for me. I owe everything to him."
Boylan is a 2012 STAA All-America honoree and a graduate of Ball State University. He says that one bonus to being a diehard Pacer fan is getting to listen and learn from a great announcer.
"If there's a better NBA radio play-by-play announcer than Mark Boyle I've yet to hear him. Just getting to have him in my ear 90 or so times a year is a huge benefit for an up and coming broadcaster like myself."
Thanks to scoring big so early in his career, Boylan is already recognizing the truth in the old adage, it's not what you know, it's who you know.
"I caught a ton of breaks in the process, but once I caught those it amazed me how important relationships are and how powerful having someone with some pull go to bat for you can be.
"I'm still very much in the learning process, but in my relatively brief time out of school I've seen how powerful the combination of STAA informing you of the doors that are open, and having someone well regarded vouch for you inside of that door."
(Visit Pat's website).
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