Belle Kim | Nov. 7, 2011
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| Photo by Belle Kim |
| Dallas Mavericks Sarah Melton leads communications for the NBA reigning champions. She spoke to the IU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America Nov. 2. |
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IU alumna Sarah Melton, now in her 13th year in the communications office of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, told students how they can do it, too.
Melton, B.S. ’99 (kinesiology), spoke about her experiences in the sports public relations field and gave advice to about 90 students during a meeting of the IU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America Wednesday.
She encouraged students to use all their resources and take any opportunities they could find.
“If I hadn’t done that, I’d never be here today,” said Melton.
“Here” is leading the communications office for the NBA team, which won the championship last season. Her duties as the Mavs' director of basketball communications include managing all press releases, interviews and other information for the Mavericks and the players.
Melton said she turned her passion for sports into an opportunity. She said her love for IU basketball was one of the reasons she attended the university. However, there was a problem.
“I knew everything there was about basketball, and I had no idea what to do with it,” she said.
Then, she met Kit Klingelhoffer, then with the IU Athletics communications office, who inspired her and showed her what she could do with her knowledge about sports.
“It’s so important to build good relationships with people like that, who can open up opportunities for you,” she said.
Then, she turned the connection into a job when she began working with IU sports information officer Gregg Elkin.
“I never tailgated at IU,” she said. “I worked every football game. I was always running around.”
Her hard work paid off. When Elkin moved on to the Mavericks, he offered Melton an internship in the public relations office.
“I had always seen myself in Indiana, but I packed up all my things and went down to Dallas,” she said. “You just have to go with it. Go where the opportunity is, and you’ll be thankful that you did.”
Melton rose from an intern to coordinator. When Elkin left the organization in 2003, she became director of communications.
“I’m between the team and the media,” she said. “The majority of my job is setting up interviews.”
She is one of the few women working as public relations directors in the NBA.
“I’m constantly aware that I’m the only girl. I’m always the minority,” she said.
This affects her relationship with the people she works with.
“They test you out a little bit to figure out if you’re there for the right reasons, but they recognize that it doesn’t matter what your sex is,” she said. “I’m like their mom. I’m like a mother hen for them.”
Melton said her job is demanding, chaotic and never-ending—but she loves it.
“I’ve gotten to do a lot of press conferences. I’ve been to NBA finals and lots of all-star games,” she said. “I’ve been everywhere, traveling
with the team.”
Last year, the Mavericks won the NBA championship, and Melton's job was even more demanding.
“I had a whole bunch of late night talk shows calling me. It was pretty crazy,” she said.
Melton told students that experience is key to having a job like hers.
“There’s so much competition in sports. And the thing is, GPA doesn’t matter as much as any experiences you have,” she said. “When I look for interns, I want to see some sports internships in their resumes.”
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| Photo by Belle Kim |
| PRSSA students gave Melton, right, an IU sweatshirt in appreciation of her visit to the group. |
“There’s so much here you can experience, so do it. Do it while you can,” she said.
Senior Kristen Ditsch, chapter president of PRSSA, said she enjoyed meeting Melton.
“It was interesting to see how skills you obtain while you’re a student at IU can be translated to specific jobs,” she said.
Junior Kaleigh Bacher, a sports communications major, first met Melton two years ago when she came to speak to Bacher’s journalism class.
“She was really inspiring. I was sitting way at the back, but I remember clambering my way towards the front because I had to be the first one to shake her hand,” she said.
She has been in touch with Melton since.
“I love that she came to speak here,” Bacher said. “I could see students getting inspired the way I had been, and it was great.”
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