Liam O’Mahony, MBA, APR

By Amy Fleishans

Liam O’Mahony, MBA, APR, information specialist for the City of Chandler, spoke to PRSSA members Tuesday evening. With a diverse background in sports PR, Liam gave unique insight into this niche area of PR.

Working in the media relations departments of the Chicago Bulls and later for the Seattle SuperSonics & Storm (WNBA), Liam traveled with the teams during each basketball season, doing PR on the road as well as in the marketing front office, practice facility and home games.

Sports PR is different than agency or government PR because the media coverage is reactive from a communications standpoint, Liam said. He explained how coverage comes naturally and his job sometimes entailed  “turning away the press” (when the volume was too much for certain star players), rather than “hustling for coverage” on behalf of a client as in an agency setting.

When asked who the “client” is in a sports PR setting, Liam explained that the players, coaches and general managers are the clients as well as media outlets. In addition to media training the players, Liam was responsible mediating interviews between reporters and players, drafting collateral (fan yearbooks, team media guides and playoff game guides) and coordinating community appearances.
Liam said working for a team is exciting, especially for someone who loves the game. But, he warned that the hours can be long during the season when there are often 60-hour work weeks, and the job takes up a lot of nights and weekends when traveling with the team.

Tips for students wanting to jump into sports PR include interning—Liam started as an unpaid summer intern for the Chicago Bulls before working another full season in a full-time capacity. He offered other career advice such as  negotiating a budget for association memberships, pursuing graduate school before age 30 and always keeping a jump drive with an electronic copy of your resume and portfolio materials on your keychain. He also suggested volunteering at PR events such as races, fundraisers and galas—that’s where the movers and shakers are, he said.

Thanks to Liam for spending Tuesday evening with ASU PRSSA!