ESPN NY's Randy Santillo Wearing Multiple Hats

By Tyriq Butler 


SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Although his bio says "Producer Randy Santillo," listeners of the Robin Lundberg show on ESPN NY might know him by something else. "What do you think about that, RJ?" is what you often hear solo host Lundberg ask on his show. 

Santillo, 25, is the producer. His job is to be the facilitator from behind the scenes, which includes creating rundowns, booking guests, and screening callers. But that's not all he does when he sits in the ESPN studio from 4 to 6 a.m. every morning during the week. Santillo is given the opportunity to provide insight on air as well, as he dives into his brain that's filled with extensive sports knowledge.

With the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays set to play an incredibly important three game series this past weekend, Lundberg talked about this very thing on his show and Santillo had the chance to weigh in.

"I think it comes down to... It sounds simple, but can the Yankees hold on to a 4 1/2 game lead?" Santillo asked. 

Santillo says that he's never really focused on being on air and isn't actively pursuing it, but if the opportunity presented itself, he'd consider it.

"While far away it’s not my goal every day to be on air or contribute in that fashion, it’s cool any time I can," Santillo said in a phone interview.
 
Although the journey at the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" began on March 25, 2013, Santillo said the level of success he's now experiencing can be traced back his college days at SUNY Brockport. He says taking advantage of every opportunity, especially that of radio, was vital.

"The most important thing I did aside from going into college and enrolling was joining the radio station," he said. "I joined the TV station as well and I wrote for the student paper. But the radio station was far away the best look at this industry I was going to get."

It obviously worked. Santillo now finds himself producing various shows for ESPN 98.7, along with showing up at the station every day to work with Robin Lundberg. 

Santillo worked for Entercom in his hometown of Rochester before finding his way to greener pastures in the city that never sleeps. At this company, he was versatile, working as a producer, board operator and promotions coordinator. But Santillo said the job at Entercom pales in comparison to the one at ESPN because the limitations at his former job were clearly visible, while those at his current one are essentially nonexistent because of the resources. 

"It’s amazing to really have nothing that’s off the table as far as what you can do on a day-to-day basis," Santillo said. "I have learned to try to do everything and anything."

Interview of Randy Santillo: https://soundcloud.com/tdbsyr/randy-santillo-interview

Transcript: 

Tyriq: When did your realize you wanted to be a part of this industry?

Randy: In high school, I had to do a project my junior year and my junior year English teacher made us do a research project that was half the year on what we felt we wanted to do, and I had no idea and she put me in touch with one of the local sports guys because I’d figured sports isn’t going to last too much longer for me as far as being able to play them, so I wanted to do something I was interested in. So I got in touch with him and I actually ended up interning with him a couple of years later when I was in college, but I guess that was the charge of it when I realized something I was interested in could help become a passion and a career and it all merged together.

Tyriq: What resources did you use in college to propel you to the success you’re achieving right now?

Randy: The most important thing I did aside from going into college and enrolling was joining the radio station. I joined the TV station as well and I wrote for the student paper. But the radio station was far away the best look at this industry I was going to get. We had a lot of tools, a lot of resources and a lot of people to ask questions to -- former people who’ve retired out of the industry and chose to become educators…really leaning on them and just dove in knee deep. I figured if I’m going to do this every day for the rest of my life or close to it I better get a good look at it and anyone and everyone I asked questions to. Like the more I stuck around them, the more intrigued I was.

Tyriq: How does it feel working for the “Worldwide Leader in Sports?”

Randy: It’s pretty cool. I will say that. Anything…the biggest differences with working for ESPN is anything you ever thought possible is possible with them. Where I came from before this…I worked for a different company in Rochester, where I’m from, and I had a lot of fun, I learned a bunch. The only problem was they really were limited in some of the things they could do, mainly just because they didn’t have the revenue, the bodies to do it, the resources, so when I came here to NY and ESPN, anything in your wildest dreams…the resources provided for you, maybe not right away but they’re there, you just got to find them, you just got to tap into the right people. It’s amazing to really have nothing that’s off the table as far as what you can do on a day-to-day basis.

Tyriq: When did you begin working at ESPN?

Randy: The late winter/early spring of 2013. March 25^th, 2013 was my first day.

Tyriq: You do a radio show with Robin Lundberg. You are his producer every morning from 4 to 6 am on ESPN NY. He allows you to actually be a contributor. He allows you to provide some insight on the air, how is that like for you?

Randy: It’s cool. It’s cool and we’ve talked about that and there are days where I’m lucky enough to jump on as you said, and say whatever is on my mind. I try and contribute the best I can as a piece to the puzzle, I guess you would say because it is his show and I understand that. We’ve talked about that. I told him, I was like, “there are days where you should carry it, because people tune in to hear you. This is your platform, I’m just a part of it,” and it’s cool to be able to actually turn on the mic once in a while because that’s what people hear, that’s what people remember. While far away it’s not my goal every day to be on air or contribute in that fashion, it’s cool any time I can.

Tyriq: Do you feel that’s contributed to your growth?

Randy: Yeah, I do because I’m learning to do everything. With that shift, it’s so early or late or depending on what shift you work if you’re coming home from or going to work, and you’re up for whatever reason at 4 a.m., you are running on a shorter…you’re running with fewer people. In most cases you’ll have two, three, four sometimes people, five working on a show, but it’s just him and I, so we each do a little bit of everything. I’m learning to do things I really never thought I would do because when I got here we had mapped out as far as what’s my role to be and the things you can do and on air never really came up. Host or talent, as some people call it, I don’t know if I’ll ever pursue that role definitely, but it’s fun to do something I never really thought I was going to do.

Tyriq: So my last question to you is how are you better today than you were in winter and spring of 2013?

Randy: I have learned to try to do everything and anything and today is a good example. I’m going to help out with an on-location broadcast from the engineering standpoint and I’ve been trying to fool around and mess with and fix and set up equipment just like many of us had over the course of our broadcast careers. I remember when I started, I was broadcasting college games as a freshman and sophomore and you’ve got to set up your own equipment. You bring it with you… if it breaks, you find someone to fix it. You know there are people to reach out to and stuff but…so even today, something I haven’t done before but the opportunity came up, they said, “would you be interested in learning how to do this?” and I said, “sure, why not?” Just because that’s the approach I try and take, whether its production, it’s on air as we talked about, writing daily rundowns, using better terms in how you describe things. Little things like that, I try to take something from everything and put it all together because I never want to have someone come to me and say, “hey, do you know how to do this?” and I just have absolutely no idea.

Tyriq: Thanks so much Randy. Good luck today with the show over at Coney Island and enjoy yourself.

Randy: I appreciate it.