Today we’d like to introduce you to Seb Kennedy.
Hi Seb, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My love for the NFL — and particularly the Jacksonville Jaguars — began some eight years ago now in 2014 on a family holiday to Florida. Desperate to see some live American sport in action, I begged my dad to drive me up the state from Orlando to Jacksonville to the then-named 67,000-seater stadium EverBank Field.
The Jacksonville Jaguars played preseason host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with rookie quarterback Blake Bortles throwing for 117 yards in a 16-10 win.
I was hooked; I’d fallen in love with this promising franchise and now, eight years later, continue to dream of the Super Bowl run our fanbase deserves after years upon years of heartbreak and disappointment (2017 has been as good as it’s got for Duval so far!).
This interest in American football — coupled with a passion for journalism — sparked my decision to begin my own sports social media network called Seb Talks Sports back in April 2020. In addition to posting video clips across my platforms sharing both my and my guests’ opinions, my sponsored podcast of the same name has seen me interview some of the greatest NFL players of all time: Karl Mecklenburg, Carl Banks, Levon Kirkland, and Jaguars legend Jimmy Smith — just to name a few!
I continue to build my portfolio in the hope of ultimately securing a full-time role in the sports journalism industry.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
While it may appear so on the surface, it’s not always been plain sailing!
With building a portfolio in this industry comes a lot of challenges: Dealing with rejection from potential interviewees, experiencing troughs in growth from time to time, the sheer competition that exists in both sports journalism and podcasts, and the countless hours I’ve dedicated towards researching, editing and producing content.
It’s certainly not for everyone! But my love for the process of it all and the pure fun I have with my guests while interviewing them is like no other — I’m so excited to continue doing what I love for years to come and to carve out a career in the sports journalism industry. Watch this space!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At Seb Talks Sports, I produce high-quality and well-researched sports journalistic content that will add value to my viewers’ and listeners’ lives. As a one-person operation (i.e. everything done at every stage is carried out by myself and myself alone), it makes the process all the more rewarding and enjoyable; having complete creative control allows me to do as I please and promote the stories and interviewees that I feel deserve greater recognition.
I’m best known as “the British guy who loves talking about the NFL with former players” and as I continue to branch out into other areas and sports entirely, Seb Talks Sports as a brand has developed and grown into something that I am incredibly proud of.
Far too often before starting my social media network (and even to this day), I would see lots of lazy, poor-quality journalism doing the rounds and getting clicks — from day one, my brand has set about putting an end to that. Before every interview, I will spend hours researching and preparing to ensure my viewers and listeners receive the content of the highest quality each and every time.
This is also nothing less than my interviewees deserve, given that they have given up their time to be on my show. I strongly believe that this has and continues to set me apart from other podcasters and journalists who aren’t willing to put in the work, and it has ultimately resulted in a better end product.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
While sports journalism is my absolute passion and I am pursuing a career in the industry, it wasn’t what I studied at university!
In fact, I’m a business student — graduating from Coventry University in 2020 with a First-Class BA (Hons) Degree in Business Management, specializing in marketing.
So far, I have been using this experience in my professional life as I currently work full-time for a digital marketing agency, but it is unequivocal that my business background has facilitated the growth of my social media network and portfolio in sports journalism industry.
Contact Info:
- Email: sebtalkssports@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.linktr.ee/SebTalksSports
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sebtalkssports/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SebTalksSports
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SebTalksSports
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPGiRalp_gLIXSc4nPKJmWA
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/seb-talks-sports/id1523913177
Image Credits
Whisper TV and Channel 5
