Intern Profile: Dion Bennett

Dion Bennett is a firm believer in the philosophy, “you only get out what you put in.” This rings true as Anthony is a Bachelor of Marketing student at La Trobe University, but has a strong passion for sports journalism.

Dion is currently interning at Sports Geek, which Anthony describes as a specialised company that focuses on digital media and marketing techniques that help sporting organisations connect with fans.

“It’s an exciting area to be a part of, as the growth of digital media and social networking opening up new areas for sporting organisations to explore and take advantage of to build their brands,” says Dion.

Dion’s dream job is to one day write for Sports Illustrated magazine and says his idol American Football writer Peter King is the person he looks up to and aspires to be.

After seeing a retweet about Sports Geek by someone he followed, Dion looked at the Sports Geek website and got in touch with its creator, Sean Callanan.

“I met Sean and it went pretty much as expected; my head spinning with the frequency at which he was just dropping knowledge bombs,” says Dion.

It seems Dion struck luck after being nocked back from several niche companies for internships. Sean met with Dion and was impressed by his computer and writing skills that he granted Dion an internship position at Sports Geek.

“The first day at Sports Geek was nerve-racking but exciting. On a daily basis, Sean works with sporting pros like they’re old friends. The vast amount of experience [Sean] had made me think…if I can learn half of what he knows, I’ll be well on my way to forging a remarkable career,” says Dion.

On a weekly basis, Dion’s tasks in the Sports Geek office are writing a weekly blog post on news from the sports digital scene, evaluate what Sport Geek’s clients have done in the past week and liaising with clients about new strategies.

Dion also helps with editing news and opinion based articles to be published on Sports Geek, creating or editing integrated marketing communications plans and research and communication with prospective clients.

Dion says he has thoroughly enjoyed his time at Sports Geek and feels like a fan who goes into work and helps create strategies for his favourite sports organizations. He hopes that working with the Sports Geek team will help him stand out to prospective employers.

He also credits Twitter as a helpful tool because without it he wouldn’t have found his internship or been published on AFL Space and NBA Down Under (Dion is the editor and columnist for the Australian based NBA Down Under site) and of course Sports Geek.

Rather than sticking to one profession, Dion says he is now broadening his horizon and will utilize his skills in social media, sport and writing to settle into the right career path for him.

“What I’ve learnt from Sean and the Sports Geek ethos, is that careers can be an organic thing, where they grow and change depending on the social and economical context you work within,” says Dion.

When it comes to interning, Dion says he would love to do work experience with a sports magazine because of his passion for sport journalism. Working at Sports Geek shows Dion that it takes persistence, dedication and passion to break into the industry and start working towards your goals.

“Don’t be shy. Contact as many people and companies you can, but don’t just ask for it. Send them some work and really tell them about your strengths so that they think they need you as a part of the team. There are so many talented students out there that you have to stand out from the crowd,” says Dion.

“Work hard to hone your skills and have a great knowledge and creativity in the area you want to succeed in. Other than that, my advice would be: work hard, show prospective employers you are willing to go the extra mile and, if the first company doesn’t offer you a part-time internship, jump back on the horse and keep looking.”