“When I was making my 3,000th copy on the second day of my first job, I realized the one course they didn’t teach at Vanderbilt was how to fix the copier,” says Mark Loomis. That first job, with ABC Sports, saw Loomis running errands, making lots of copies, and sharing hotel rooms on assignment with other young assistants.
Today, with 20 years’ experience under his belt, he is a coordinating producer with ESPN, a job he started in May after stints with ABC Sports and the NFL Network.
Loomis has produced NFL games, British Opens and basketball. However, he says nothing compares to SEC football.
“When you go to a night game in the SEC, the atmosphere surrounding the game is like no other,” Loomis says. “As a television person, I love being around that.”
During the course of his career, Loomis has met and worked with countless star athletes and announcers. Dion Sanders, Tom Brady and Keith Jackson are among his favorites.
“You have to work hard and accept the fact that you’re not going to make a lot of money at first,” Loomis says when asked about careers in sports broadcasting. “But if you can forget all that and get lost in the fact that you love your job, it’s well worth it.”
—Cindy Thomsen