Kyndall Ellis: Public Relations...It's More Than A Job

Getting the opportunity to intern with the Clemson football team opened Kyndall Ellis' eyes to what a career in sports can be. That program's basis was centered on player development and Ellis recognized how she can help players with skills off the field such as applying to internships, interviewing, and community involvement. 

What a career in public relations looks like wasn't brought to Ellis' attention right away. "My senior year my last semester I took a PR class and I realized, oh I could do this," said Ellis. "I’m good at relationships and good at talking to people." 

Combining her internship experience and tools from her classes, Ellis' aspirations jumped to one day having her own sports public relations firm. But it doesn't stop there. Ellis believes athletes are in a great position to brand themselves. "They're being seen more as influencers and less as athletes and they can do more advocacy," Ellis said.   

Fast forward to now, Ellis is fueled for opportunities. That is what brought her to Newhouse, a chance to hone in on her skills and make herself more applicable to the work force. Football, basketball, you name it, Ellis is ready to get her feet wet and believes this is the best place to start the rest of her life. 

Link to interview here. 

Transcript : 

Bailey : Alright Kyndall so talk to me, what is your dream job like what do you aspire to be?

Kyndall : My biggest dream if I could do anything despite money  or circumstance I will open my own sports PR firm. Because I feel like athletes are in a really good position right now where they can a brand themselves more than they ever have before and they're being seen more as influencers and less them as athletes and they can do more advocacy. Reach out into other brands because of their name.

Bailey : Okay so you went to Clemson, did you know you wanted to do that in Clemson or did you find that out through Clemson?

Kyndall : I found that out through Clemson. Originally I thought I want to do broadcast journalism, I wanted to be the next Samantha Ponder. And then no it didn't work out, we didn’t have a journalism program at Clemson. So I feel like I was running behind the curve and then I went to like a TV station in that way but it was very not what I wanted to do. And to be in that industry you have to be so passionate because there are so many people competing every single day. So then I looked into just communication because sports didn’t really workout, I worked for the football. And then my senior year my last semester I took a PR class and I realized, oh I could do this. I’m good at relationships and good at talking to people.

Bailey : Was it more the teacher or just the whole class in general ?

Kyndall : The whole class, because I never really thought of PR before. So that opened my eyes and then through Clemson football we have a program called journey. Stands for passionate about winning and that’s where I worked for the last three years. Our goal was player development, so we had three tiers of community involvement, personal development, and then stripes kind of like figuring out who you are as a man. So we helped guys with internships and interviews.

Bailey : And you were hands on with players?

Kyndall : I was the first intern they ever had, so I did everything. We take a service trip every summer so I’ve been to Haiti, Costa Rice, and Thailand with the team.

Bailey : So that's probably opened up your eyes to not just you know here, but also around the world and how much you can make a difference.

Kyndall : Especially in college athletics, there's really not a strong player development voice. And if there is a player development sector in a department it’s just for everyone but in Clemson it’s just for Clemson football. So I feel that there is an avenue there that people just don’t think about.

Bailey : No I can see that too and I definitely believe that it has to do with people believing that Athletes are people too they aren’t just college athletes. These people have dreams, aspirations. They can really make a difference. Okay so fast forward to now, what brought you to Newhouse?

Kyndall : I came to Newhouse for opportunities, I knew I wanted to do sports PR but I don't really know how I'm going to get there. So I need to really hone in on my skills so I’m more marketable for the work force. Also make connections, network, figure out where I can begin and who will actually take me as an employee.

Bailey : So are you looking to stay east coast or are you looking to go west coast?

Kyndall : My dream location is Texas actually, I want to go to Houston because I’ve heard it’s amazing for young entrepreneurs and still in the South so I won’t be super cold.

Bailey : So what’s something I guess you really want to tackle while you are at Newhouse, do you want to do football do you want to do basketball?

Kyndall : I want to get into everything. I want to do the ACC Network, I want to work football and I want to try basketball because I’ve never done basketball before. I really just want to get my feet wet and realize what’s the best place for me to start. Because now I feel it’s a really big dream, like yeah I want it to happen, but where do I start.