Chris Girandola
I've literally done every aspect of communications, journalism and writing. I began my journalism career covering high school sports for what was originally known as the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times). While attending journalism school at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, I worked in the summer as an associate reporter for Major League Baseball Advanced Media covering the Mets and Yankees in New York City. After finishing J school, I was hired by MLB.com and covered teams throughout Florida during Spring Training and then visiting teams against the Rays at Tropicana Field, interviewing athletes and coaches like Derek Jeter, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Joe Torre, Joe Maddon, and a plethora of others. After spending a number of years with MLBAM, I was hired as a national correspondent for ESPN. When I became a father, I decided to take on a local job as the senior staff writer with Admiral Farragut Academy, where I wrote articles for the online site and the alumni magazine, developed script for marketing videos, handled press releases for the administration and athletic departments, and created a grant proposal which raised $4 million for a an on campus multipurpose activity center. Over the years, I have also worked as a freelance writer for publications such as FloSports, Tampa Bay Business Journal and JPMorgan Chase. I've also taught business communications, public relations, and journalism courses at the University of Tampa.