Sports media is a fluid industry. Professionals who carve out lasting careers for themselves find ways to adapt to it and learn the most effective methods for moving forward. Temple University offers professionals ways to do this through its School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, and one sports media pro is using his Temple graduate degree to take his career to the next level.
Sean Hanrahan, senior vice president of sports brand solutions at Disney Advertising Sales, started in advertising sales and marketing at ESPN in 2000. His team works with internal groups such as Production and Programming, as well as league partners like the NFL, to develop and execute marketing programs that drive business for their brand partners.
“Our job is to create value for advertisers within our content to complement their media investment and make it more effective. A great example of this is Gameday Built by the Home Depot,” Hanrahan said.
Hanrahan will graduate from Temple this summer with an Executive Master of Science in Sport Business—a 100% online program designed for professionals with more than five years of experience. He was drawn to the program because of the reputation of Temple and the program included coursework from the online MBA program.
Even with two decades of industry experience, Hanrahan found himself learning new and valuable information in each class. In particular, he gained tremendous value from a class on international marketing strategy and business, and how brands grow globally. This class focused on the difference between an international brand versus a global brand, and understanding the implications for growth and adapting when expanding into a market in a new country.
“That was particularly interesting for me because we work on some programs internally within sales that go international due to the assets that both ESPN and Disney have around the world,” Hanrahan said. “Understanding how a brand has to adapt and play in different international markets has been very helpful to me.”
Hanrahan was able to use his skills and professional focus to complete the coursework and prepare himself for his next wave of challenges within the sport industry. He advises prospective students looking into graduate programs to consider the individual attention as well as the valuable industry insight the Temple faculty provide.
“I was very impressed with how the professors conducted classes online—they really care about the students,” Hanrahan continues. “I loved the structure of the program – learn on your own and then put it to work in class.”
Despite being in the workforce for close to three decades, Hanrahan found value in going back to school and gaining a formal education in the business of sport through the Executive Master of Science in Sport Business. This education will continue to serve him well at one of the world’s top broadcast companies and beyond.
Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management offers two graduate degrees in sport business. The Executive Master of Science in Sport Business is a 100% online program built for experienced professionals and can be completed in as few as 13 months. The Master of Science in Sport Business at Temple’s Philadelphia campus is designed for emerging professionals looking to get hands-on experience within the sport industry. Both programs provide students with one-on-one guided career development and coaching.
Learn more about Temple University’s Master’s Degrees in Sport Business today.
