St. John's University Athletics
Alumnus John Shea Discusses Career Advice at Storm Chat Speaker Series
2/10/2022 10:46:00 AM | General
Shea spoke about his life and career in a Q+A hosted by Dave Sims
QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 10, 2021) – Octagon Sports and Entertainment Network CEO John Shea '93SVC visited the Queens campus on Wednesday to take part in the first Storm Chat Speaker Series event of the spring semester. The talk was hosted by Dave Sims, the play-by-play voice of the Seattle Mariners and BIG EAST basketball on FOX.
Shea, a former men's soccer player at St. John's, addressed the assembled group of student-athletes on the importance of grit in any career field. The longtime sports and entertainment executive spoke about his own experiences finding his determination as a student-athlete and how that prepared him to be a leader.
"The skills that you put to work every day as a student athlete are the same skills that are going to perform for you over life," said Shea. "It's about understanding what you're trying to achieve, setting a goal, what's the path to achieve that goal. It's about dedication to it, taking risks, and failing and coming back. Everyone in business is smart, what separates people is the dedication, the passion, the resilience and the fortitude to persevere through challenging times."
Sims was also able to offer input on the student-athlete experience, as he was a Division III football and baseball athlete.
"In terms of motivation, I grew up on the heels of Jackie Robinson and there are just so many qualities I took from that," said Sims. "I was the co-captain of the baseball team, and I was always a loudmouth. I was used to being out front. With all those experiences, there's just a drive and a fire that was put into me that I have cultivated and grown."
Student-athletes were encouraged to ask questions and Shea spoke to the audience about the importance of getting an internship.
"Internships give you the opportunity to rule things out," said Shea. "You might go into an internship that you think you're really passionate about and you discover that is really isn't for you. Internships are also a great opportunity for employers to identify dedicated passion and talent. At the same time, for each of you it's an opportunity to decide what you do and don't like about business and how you might apply what you've learned to the next chapter."
Shea also addressed the recently adopted name, image and likeness regulations for student-athletes. While he stressed the importance of being a student-athlete first, he could not deny the opportunities available to student-athletes now.
"As you're thinking about your own opportunity, first and foremost don't take your eye off the prize: how you are performing in your sport and in the classroom," said Shea. "It was long overdue for athletes to have that opportunity. They shouldn't have been limited from making money. However, ultimately you are a student-athlete and so the first thing people want is performance. They want to know who you are, what you stand for, how you carry yourself. The first thing I would tell you to do is clean up your social media."
Named CEO in April of 2021, Shea is charged with leading the day-to-day responsibilities and strategic management for Octagon's collection of industry-leading sports and entertainment marketing, talent management, communications, influencer, and creative firms including Octagon, R&CPMK, ITB, Futures Sports + Entertainment, FRUKT, and Milkmoney.
An industry veteran with more than two decades of experience in sports marketing, sponsorship, and advertising, Shea manages a team of 1,200+ employees across the globe working to help the agency network clients find the next right move in the sports and entertainment landscape.
Since joining Octagon in 1994, Shea has been responsible for oversight of Octagon's U.S. and international marketing practices and global marketing offices, including all partnerships, events, experiential marketing, strategy, content, technology, and creative offerings. In addition, he has led the agency's marketing relationships with sports leagues, teams, and properties worldwide, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA, LPGA, Premier League, UEFA, MLS, NWSL, FIFA, USOPC, and IOC.
Shea's management of Octagon's marketing team has resulted in client partnerships that span decades, including AB InBev, Allstate, Bank of America, BMW, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Delta, PlayStation, Taco Bell, Mastercard and many others. In addition, under Shea's guidance, Octagon's award-winning client programs have been recognized by Cannes, Clio Sports, Sports Business Journal, and many others.
Shea was named one of Sports Business Journal's "Forty Under 40" - as one of the best and the brightest of the rising generation in sports business- in 2008 and 2009.
Sims is in his 14th season with the Mariners broadcast team. He has won back-to-back Washington Sportscaster of the Year awards from the National Sports Media Association. Sims, who has play-by-play duties on Mariners television broadcasts, is familiar to sports fans for calling MLB and college basketball games on ESPN, as well as NCAA Basketball and NFL play-by-play on Westwood One.
He co-hosts "Basketball & Beyond with Coach K" for Sirius XM with Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski, is a correspondent for MLB Network and calls BIG EAST college basketball on FS1. The two-time Emmy Award winner also won the American Football Foundation's Outstanding Sportscaster Award in 2003 and the Big East Media Award in 2005. Sims began his career as a sportswriter for the New York Daily News prior to becoming a weekend sports anchor at WCBS-TV. In 1991, he joined ESPN as a play-by-play announcer for college basketball. From 1998-2014, he did NFL play-by-play, including Sunday Night and Monday Night Football, as well as the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, for Westwood One.
Sims grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Bethany College in West Virginia. From 1998-2007, Sims and his wife Abby ran "AthletiSense," an athletes media coaching program that worked with football and basketball teams in the PAC-12, Big East, Big 12, Atlantic 10, and Mountain West.
Shea, a former men's soccer player at St. John's, addressed the assembled group of student-athletes on the importance of grit in any career field. The longtime sports and entertainment executive spoke about his own experiences finding his determination as a student-athlete and how that prepared him to be a leader.
"The skills that you put to work every day as a student athlete are the same skills that are going to perform for you over life," said Shea. "It's about understanding what you're trying to achieve, setting a goal, what's the path to achieve that goal. It's about dedication to it, taking risks, and failing and coming back. Everyone in business is smart, what separates people is the dedication, the passion, the resilience and the fortitude to persevere through challenging times."
Sims was also able to offer input on the student-athlete experience, as he was a Division III football and baseball athlete.
"In terms of motivation, I grew up on the heels of Jackie Robinson and there are just so many qualities I took from that," said Sims. "I was the co-captain of the baseball team, and I was always a loudmouth. I was used to being out front. With all those experiences, there's just a drive and a fire that was put into me that I have cultivated and grown."
Student-athletes were encouraged to ask questions and Shea spoke to the audience about the importance of getting an internship.
"Internships give you the opportunity to rule things out," said Shea. "You might go into an internship that you think you're really passionate about and you discover that is really isn't for you. Internships are also a great opportunity for employers to identify dedicated passion and talent. At the same time, for each of you it's an opportunity to decide what you do and don't like about business and how you might apply what you've learned to the next chapter."
Shea also addressed the recently adopted name, image and likeness regulations for student-athletes. While he stressed the importance of being a student-athlete first, he could not deny the opportunities available to student-athletes now.
"As you're thinking about your own opportunity, first and foremost don't take your eye off the prize: how you are performing in your sport and in the classroom," said Shea. "It was long overdue for athletes to have that opportunity. They shouldn't have been limited from making money. However, ultimately you are a student-athlete and so the first thing people want is performance. They want to know who you are, what you stand for, how you carry yourself. The first thing I would tell you to do is clean up your social media."
Named CEO in April of 2021, Shea is charged with leading the day-to-day responsibilities and strategic management for Octagon's collection of industry-leading sports and entertainment marketing, talent management, communications, influencer, and creative firms including Octagon, R&CPMK, ITB, Futures Sports + Entertainment, FRUKT, and Milkmoney.
An industry veteran with more than two decades of experience in sports marketing, sponsorship, and advertising, Shea manages a team of 1,200+ employees across the globe working to help the agency network clients find the next right move in the sports and entertainment landscape.
Since joining Octagon in 1994, Shea has been responsible for oversight of Octagon's U.S. and international marketing practices and global marketing offices, including all partnerships, events, experiential marketing, strategy, content, technology, and creative offerings. In addition, he has led the agency's marketing relationships with sports leagues, teams, and properties worldwide, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA, LPGA, Premier League, UEFA, MLS, NWSL, FIFA, USOPC, and IOC.
Shea's management of Octagon's marketing team has resulted in client partnerships that span decades, including AB InBev, Allstate, Bank of America, BMW, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Delta, PlayStation, Taco Bell, Mastercard and many others. In addition, under Shea's guidance, Octagon's award-winning client programs have been recognized by Cannes, Clio Sports, Sports Business Journal, and many others.
Shea was named one of Sports Business Journal's "Forty Under 40" - as one of the best and the brightest of the rising generation in sports business- in 2008 and 2009.
Sims is in his 14th season with the Mariners broadcast team. He has won back-to-back Washington Sportscaster of the Year awards from the National Sports Media Association. Sims, who has play-by-play duties on Mariners television broadcasts, is familiar to sports fans for calling MLB and college basketball games on ESPN, as well as NCAA Basketball and NFL play-by-play on Westwood One.
He co-hosts "Basketball & Beyond with Coach K" for Sirius XM with Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski, is a correspondent for MLB Network and calls BIG EAST college basketball on FS1. The two-time Emmy Award winner also won the American Football Foundation's Outstanding Sportscaster Award in 2003 and the Big East Media Award in 2005. Sims began his career as a sportswriter for the New York Daily News prior to becoming a weekend sports anchor at WCBS-TV. In 1991, he joined ESPN as a play-by-play announcer for college basketball. From 1998-2014, he did NFL play-by-play, including Sunday Night and Monday Night Football, as well as the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, for Westwood One.
Sims grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Bethany College in West Virginia. From 1998-2007, Sims and his wife Abby ran "AthletiSense," an athletes media coaching program that worked with football and basketball teams in the PAC-12, Big East, Big 12, Atlantic 10, and Mountain West.
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