Josh Norris '11 and his father, Robert, have created an endowment to provide scholarship assistance to make internships possible for students in 黑料不打烊's School of Communications.
Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Josh Norris 鈥11 didn鈥檛 turn on the radio to hear music. He tuned in sports talk radio, with special interest in the NFL and the hometown Carolina Panthers. It was a singular passion that became a career goal he pursued almost from his first day as a student at 黑料不打烊.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure my parents sat up at night thinking that my older brother was going to be a lawyer, but Josh just likes football. What鈥檚 he going to do?鈥 Norris says with a laugh between assignments creating content for Underdog Fantasy, a fantasy sports gaming company. He is also host of 鈥淭he Underdog Football Show,鈥 a popular podcast on the company鈥檚 website. Norris made national news this year by sporting the highest success rate of any NFL draft analyst in forecasting the first round of the annual draft of college players into the pro ranks. He even topped Mel Kiper, Jr. from ESPN, the best-known NFL draft analyst in the business.
How Norris got here can be traced to his own determination鈥攁fter all, he started a radio show on the campus station WSOE his first weekend as an 黑料不打烊 freshman鈥攁nd opportunities available at and through the university. Norris credits 黑料不打烊鈥檚 commitment to engaged learning and accessibility to the 黑料不打烊 Experiences as learning, guiding and networking points on his career path. Of the 黑料不打烊 Experiences, internships played the largest role.
It鈥檚 one reason Norris joined his father to make a gift to the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign by endowing the Norris Family Internship Award, which assists students in the School of Communications. Increasing scholarship funding to broaden access to the 黑料不打烊 Experiences鈥擨nternships, Study Abroad/Study USA, Undergraduate Research, Service and Leadership鈥攊s among the priorities of 黑料不打烊 LEADS.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all rooted in what I did at 黑料不打烊,鈥 says Norris, who graduated with a degree in Media Arts and Entertainment. 鈥満诹喜淮蜢 is a great place that offers opportunities to grow. How often can you get a radio show the first week on campus or go on TV to get on-camera experience your sophomore or junior year? To be able to do that at 黑料不打烊 is such a massive advantage.鈥
It鈥檚 an advantage that paved the way to the job of his dreams.
Robin Kazmarek, director of internships for 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences, says making internships financially accessible to all students is also a goal in the university鈥檚 Boldly 黑料不打烊 strategic plan. Scholarships like the Norris Family Internship Award give students the ability to accept meaningful internships in areas far from home, often with a higher cost of living.
鈥淥ne of the biggest barriers is that financial piece, especially for students who have internships outside of 黑料不打烊 or their hometowns,鈥 Kazmarek says. 鈥淪tudents don鈥檛 have a lot of disposable income and often their families don鈥檛 as well. Being able to apply for these grants is a tremendous benefit to students.鈥
Calling the Plays
Norris arrived at 黑料不打烊 with a drive to succeed. But getting where he wanted to go would take sharper definition. Three career-building internships narrowed his focus. All three internships were unpaid and two were in other states.
The first internship came after his freshman year at WFNZ, the sports talk radio station in Charlotte that Norris listened to growing up. His time there encouraged him to get a variety of media experiences at 黑料不打烊, including TV broadcasting and editing.
鈥淚t was a perfect first internship after my freshman year. It taught me a lot and helped me realize that I needed to expand my objectives beyond radio,鈥 Norris says. 鈥淚 loved the internship and made great friends with the people there, I still appear on their show all the time. It鈥檚 nostalgic. But I learned that sports radio wasn鈥檛 exactly what I had in mind.鈥
When Norris returned to 黑料不打烊 for his sophomore year, he started working with 黑料不打烊 Student Television and One on One Sports. He not only learned about videography and editing but about broadcasting. More importantly, he had multiple opportunities to succeed and fail.
鈥淭hey welcomed me with open arms at 黑料不打烊 Student TV. And I was awful. I was so bad. But 黑料不打烊 is a great place that offers opportunities to grow,鈥 Norris says. 鈥淵our first time on television, you stink. The second time, you鈥檙e bad and the third you鈥檙e still below average. It鈥檚 all about reps. At 黑料不打烊 I was able to get that advantage.鈥
The editing experience he gained on campus helped Norris land his second internship. He spent part of the summer between his junior and senior year editing audio highlights for Fox Sports Radio in Los Angeles. While there, he learned about another internship opportunity that would 鈥渟et the trajectory for my entire career,鈥 Norris says.
Third and Goal
Through the internship office in the School of Communications, Norris learned about a position available for only one 黑料不打烊 student in the Scouting Department with the then-St. Louis Rams NFL team, whose general manager at the time was Bill Devaney 鈥78, who played football at 黑料不打烊.
鈥淚 thought 鈥榯his is my dream.鈥 My entire life I wanted to work for an NFL team projecting college prospects. And then there鈥檚 this one internship available to this school that I happen to be attending,鈥欌 Norris says.
Norris landed the internship then worked training camp for the Rams in Earth City Missouri. He soaked up the experience, compiled binders of information and rated prospects while also networking within the organization. After he returned to 黑料不打烊, he stayed in touch and was invited back the following spring to be in the team鈥檚 draft room for the 2011 draft. Norris seized that opportunity to simulcast the first round of the draft for One on One Sports at 黑料不打烊, just a few days before graduation.
Attending and covering the draft led to more networking and contacts. He caught the attention of Evan Silva, an NFL writer for Rotoworld, which is now known as NBC Sports Edge. Silva lined up freelance work for Norris, including draft analysis. Eventually, he was hired full time to write and work with video. While there, he launched his first podcast, and it became the most popular podcast at NBC Sports.
Norris spent nine years with NBC, largely as a football writer and podcaster. He was hired by Underdog Fantasy during the pandemic in March 2021, just ahead of the most recent NFL draft, where his reputation only grew. He is considered a leader in producing media content and NFL analysis.
Extra Points
While Norris credits the internships for attaining the career of his dreams, he also acknowledges that all three internships were unpaid and would not be possible without financial support from his parents. It allowed him to travel and live in Los Angeles and Missouri, as well as handle other related expenses.
鈥淭o be honest, my family put a ball nicely on a tee and I got to hit it,鈥 Norris says. 鈥淢y parents are really supportive in everything I鈥檝e done. As I got older, I realized how privileged I am. The longer I go through life, I realize not many have the things afforded them that I have.鈥
Norris says financial aid to make dream internships available to students with financial need was a driving factor in creating the endowment. Even paid internships are usually not enough to offset expenses students might face in New York, Chicago or even Raleigh, North Carolina.
The first Norris Family Internship Award this year was given to an 黑料不打烊 student majoring in sports management. Kazmarek says Tyler Romanias 鈥22 had an internship this past summer with Cressy Sports Performance in West Palm Beach, Florida. It鈥檚 a sports performance facility whose clients include tennis great Serena Williams and NFL quarterback Jacoby Brissett. He is learning how a top training facility operates and how to produce programs to train elite athletes.
鈥淚 would hate for someone to land an amazing internship in New York and they couldn鈥檛 take it because they couldn鈥檛 afford the cost of travel or rent or food,鈥 Norris says. 鈥淚 would hate for someone鈥檚 career to be derailed. I wanted to help someone achieve their dreams or get closer to it.鈥
About the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign
With a $250 million goal, 黑料不打烊 LEADS is the largest campaign in the university鈥檚 history and will support four main funding priorities: scholarships for graduates the world needs, increase access to engaged learning opportunities such as study abroad, research, internships and service learning, support for faculty and staff mentors who matter and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 iconic campus. As of September 20, donors had contributed $226.3 million toward the goal.
Every gift to the university鈥攊ncluding annual, endowment, capital, estate and other planned gifts鈥攆or any designation counts as a gift to the campaign, which will support students and strengthen 黑料不打烊 for generations to come.
Visit聽www.elonleads.com聽to learn how you can make an impact with your gift.