Final Article Notes

Travis Kozek
Dan Caterinicchia
Comm 422
Final Article Notes

For my final article I plan on writing a feature story about Ryan Holtmann, the manager of Communications for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is responsible for many different aspects of the communications and public relations of the team. There are many parts of his job that people do not realize go on for a professional sports organization and I think it would be very interesting to make them known to the public. He deals directly with the players very often from setting up appearances for them to arranging tickets for them to other events.

-Ryan Holtmann
Manager of Communications, Columbus Blue Jackets
Phone: 614-246-00288
E-mail: mailto:kdavis@bluejackets.com
-He is from Davenport and graduated from St. Ambrose University in May 2004 with a degree in sports management.
-Ryan began working for the Blue Jackets as the manager of communications in September 2005.
-He is responsible for assisting the department in all media relations activities.
-Spent one year prior to joining the Blue Jackets as a sports reporter/copy editor with the Quad-City Times, a newspaper located in Davenport, Iowa. He was the backup beat writer for the Quad-City Mallards (UHL) and Quad-City Steamwheelers (af2) and also covered high school and college sports.
-While with the Quad-City Times, Holtmann also worked as the football sports information director and assistant basketball coach at St. Ambrose University for five years.
-He spent two seasons with the Quad-City Steamwheelers as the media relations manager and worked as the media services assistant for the af2 championship game, Arena Cup 6, in August 2005.
-Interview questions I plan to ask:
What got you interested in the field you are in?

What did you do in college to prepare you for future career possibilities? Internships? School activities?

What were your jobs did you have leading up to the blue jackets? What did the job’s duties entail?

What have been your most influential experiences in the sports industry?

What are your main responsibilities as manager of communications for the Blue Jackets?

What are your game day responsibilities?

How much time do you spend at the arena on a game day?

Do you travel with the team to away games?

What is your interaction level with the players/ coaches?

What is the best part about your job? Worst part?

-Other people I plan to interview:

-Karen Davis Director of Communications
Phone: 614-246-4310
E-mail: kdavis@bluejackets.com

What kind of worker is Ryan?

What does he bring to the table as the manager of communications?

How did you decide on Ryan when filling the position in 2005?

-One or two Blue Jackets players talking about what role Holtmann plays in their lives as a member of the blue jackets.

What is your interaction with Ryan?

How often do you interact with him?

How do you feel about the things that Ryan does for you?

Does he help make your life easier? If yes, how?

-One or two fans to see if they knew if certain responsibilities existed or if they knew who did them.

My interview with Ryan is on Thursday and I also plan to talk to his boss then as well. I will consult him for other possible people to interview during this time including players.

When searching for social media aspects that I could use for this article I found that Holtmann has a Facebook account, Twitter page, and Linkedin page. On the Facebook account the majority of his posts were in regards to personal things but some gave plugs about a Blue Jackets game that night or events going on with the Blue Jackets. I could used his Linkedin page for background information because it provides previous job information and education history. While his Twitter page had not been updated since October 2009, I was able to find a Blue Jacket player's Twitter account through Holtmann's account. I could use this to try and contact the player and get an interview for my article. I also found the Twitter account for Aaron Portzline, the Columbus Dispatch beat writer for the Blue Jackets, who I could ask Holtmann if he works with him or the Dispatch at all. If so, Portzline could be another potential source.