OLYMPIC UNIFORM:
1. NORTH FACE JACKET
2. MID-LAYER
3. SHIRT
4. SNOW PANTS GLOVES
Ryan Roe
Senior, TV Production and Media Management ’19
The Co-Op
During the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, I worked as a sports entertainment administrator for the broadcasting team in the Gangneung Curling Centre, site of all of the Olympic curling events. I applied to be a volunteer at the Winter Olympics soon after watching the 2016 Rio Olympics on TV. I felt like this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to not only see, but participate in the Olympic Games. In between curling matches, I did team research and organized scripts for the broadcasters. During the curling matches, I delivered scripts, directed athletes and entertainers through the arena and directed audience games and giveaways. The most exciting moment was watching Team USA win the gold medal in men’s curling on the last day. After three weeks of watching and learning all about the sport and meeting many of the athletes’ families, it was the perfect way for my friends and I to end our time at the Olympics!
The Object
Everyone working at the Olympics, from the guy directing traffic to the executive producer, was given the Olympic uniform. It consists of a North Face jacket, mid-layer, shirt, snow pants and gloves. We were required to wear it on the job to show the spectators who we were and welcome them to ask us questions. It was really neat to see people from all different countries, ethnicities and jobs wearing the same uniform and working together. It symbolized that everyone at the Olympics was one team…and I think this uniform is a great example of the unifying spirit we all felt working there.
The Takeaway
Working with professional directors, producers and broadcasters from all different countries showed me that opportunities to work in TV go way beyond Philadelphia, and even the United States. This job certainly taught me the value of being a good communicator and being flexible and self-motivating. Working with people who had completely different cultures — and even languages — was not easy, but it forced me to be flexible and work well with any team. I also gained a lot of great tips and experience from directors and producers who had been working in the field for decades. They gave me great advice for my future career in television.