Julian McKenzie: From Video Games to Sportscasting

Story and photo by Brianna Adams

SYRACUSE, N.Y.– It all started Christmas morning in 1999 when Julian McKenzie was given the Triple Play series computer game.

“I would just play those games and I, well at the same time while I’m controlling the game I’m doing play-by-play at the exact same time,” McKenzie said about his Christmas gift. “And what I would do after is I would write little game stories about each of the game that I would play.”

McKenzie grew up practicing his commentating while playing video games himself and while his friends played. 

Growing up in Montreal, Canada, McKenzie enjoyed watching Dan Onrait and Daniel O’Toole on TSN, the two would recap sports but the jokes they would make during the cast is what stuck out to McKenzie. Although inspired by these sportscasters, McKenzie plans on keeping his original sound when it comes to doing play-by-play in the future.

“I guess I’m just more obsessed with being as original as possible because no one likes being a copy of a copy.” 

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Listen to the interview here

Q: Okay, and where are you from?

A: I’m from Montreal, Quebec that’s in a country called Canada. We say our “aboots” very funny apparently I don’t say “aboot” I say “about: but yeah I’m from Canada.

Q: Do you speak French?

A: I do speak French. Because I’m in Quebec, uh, a lot of the education there’s a lot of like French immersion schools and French schools and I got put in a French immersion school. so I learned classes in French and English so that’s how I learned French that way.

Q: Do your parents like the fact that you’re going to school in America?

A: Yo, they’re pretty excited. What’s crazy about it is years ago back when I was in high school you know I came across Syracuse University and I looked at it and was like wow that’s a really great U.S. school. That’s a great school for media and journalism even though I’m a television, radio film guy I kind of want to learn stuff from behind the camera. I think I’m destined for a job on air and writing gigs right. You know more journalism based stuff. I always thought the school was cool and then in the fall semester of my final year in my undergrad at Concordia University in Montreal my dad was like oh hey you know for grad school you should look at Syracuse University. My first thought was you know this is crazy do I need grad school I don’t know if I necessarily need it I had all these internships under my belt I’ve had all this experience I don’t know what I’ll be doing in the summer. and I applied for all these internships in the summer and they all kind of fell through so I thought you know what let’s see if Syracuse is willing to have me. And lo and behold I got in and I’m here in America now. So they’re really excited.  My dad is way more excited than I am. I’m excited but my dad—I remember like we would go to the preview events and my dad would be asking all these questions to the profs and looking at my apartment and he’s asking all these questions. He’s genuinely excited about all of this.

Q: Your dad’s the most excited for you?

A: Yes.

Q: What did he do or what does he do?

A: He at Concordia University, he’s in charge of a program for graduate students called MBA CSI. He works at our school’s business school John Molson School of Business and basically that program MBA CSI—CSI stands for Community Service Initiative—it basically gets graduate students from the business school involved with the different community initiatives in Montreal. So he basically organizes internships and people who want to organize small businesses with other community groups in Montreal. So that’s what he does.

Q: Is he slightly upset that you wouldn’t go into more of the business side versus the creative side? 

A: No it has never been like that. I think it’s because all my life I’ve wanted to do journalism stuff and write articles and be on radio and do TV stuff. I guess he recognized what I wanted to be at an early age and you know he always is pushing me to go towards my passions. My mom is the same way as well, my sisters as well I have two younger sisters. They all push me, they realize that this is what I’m good at. Push Julian in that direction, right? There’s no angst or animosity about me not being in business.

Q: What started your passion for journalism then if you said at an early age, how early?

A: I remember being a kid like 6/7 years old I didn’t have game consoles like PS2 or whatever so I would play sports games on my computer an old Windows ’98 computer. I remember one of my first Christmas presents I ever got, my mom bought me this, remember when EA Sports did baseball games, the Triple Play series, Triple Play 99 and Madden 99 in the same box. I would just play those games and I, well at the same time while I’m controlling the game I’m doing play by play at the exact same time. And what I would do after is I would write little game stories about each of the games that I would play. When I got older, one of my friends he would invite me over, you know, to play NHL games on his Playstation and what would end of happening he would spend hours and hours playing video games and I’m right next to him commentating the whole damn time. We would be going at it for six hours and I’d be like “Dude man, I’m tired. Man I’m done I don’t think I want to do anymore.” He’s like, “Dude man, I need you for this next game, I need you to start commentating. I need you to.” It was crazy! So yeah at a very young age, really young, I really got into sports media, sports journalism. I mean I wasn’t sure if I could ever get a career out of it and now that I’m here I think more than ever there’s an opportunity for me. It’s kind of crazy how that works.

Q: That’s a very creative way to get into it because people are like “oh I’ve been watching Bob Costas all my life” or follow a certain team, a certain announcer like that’s a really awesome way.

A: No I mean from where I’m from in Canada. Alright guys I get it in America you have Bob Costas and all these really great legends and stuff but well I guess the Canadian broadcasters I grew up with were guys like Brian Williams, you guys had the NBC guy who lied. Brian Williams is a legend, he’s covered all these Olympics and all these great sporting events. America took away two of our favorites in Jay Onrait and Daniel O’Toole for Fox Sports. Those guys would be on TSN, which is our version of ESPN, and would do Sportscaster updates. You know usually you watch Sportscaster you get a sense of what’s going on in sports, you’re good for the rest of the day right? Jay Onrait and Daniel O’Toole you would get your sports updates and you would get hilarious jokes the whole time. You would watch that whole loop every single hour that would come up. Then when they were taken away by America, thanks so much, we were like “Oh my God. How do you we go on with our lives? They’re hilarious!” So those are some of the people I looked at growing up, there’s a way bigger list and a lot of it, you know, was practice for myself yes. But no I had my own heroes, I didn’t grow up with Stuart Scott or really know Stuart Scott or Bob Costas the same way as well, Al Michaels the same way. I had some of my own Canadian heroes.

Q: And because of that, do you think that they alter your way that you want to do play-by-play or are you going to do it more in a more colorful way versus just saying what’s going on and giving your analysis?

A: With play-by-play, which is one of the main things I would like to do in Sports Journalism, I’m not sure if there’s anyone in that field that I would patent my style around. There’s no one out there that I necessarily want to be. I guess I’m just more obsessed with being as original as possible because no one likes being a copy of a copy. So it’s good to listen to different people in your field and get advice from them and take notes on them. But it shouldn’t be at a point where, you know what, I like Mike Breen I’m going to end up saying “Bang” every time a big shot happens. Right I don’t want to be that guy, I want to say my own thing.

Q: Okay thank you

A: Glad I was able to help with this interview.