Not to be confused as a relative of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, hockey reporter Katie Florio has made a name of her own on and off the rink.
Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Katie Florio was raised in a hockey family, especially since her father, Perry Florio led a strong hockey and coaching career. Though he started his career with the Knoxville Cherokees for the 1980-1990 season, Perry spent the majority of his athletic career with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL, the East Coast Hockey League. He eventually retired as a player after the 1995 season but took on the role of assistant coach for the Roanoke Express in 1998 before being named head coach and general manager in 2000.
Katie more than followed in her father’s footsteps; she paved her own path. But not long after she began her professional career in the baseball world.
The graduate from Clemson University began her journey in the sports industry with a BA in Sports Communications with a minor in Brand Communications. She spent all four years as a sportswriter for the Clemson Insider, the publication that covered the entirety of Clemson’s Athletic programs. With this opportunity, Katie covered national events including the 2018 ESPN College Football Awards Show, the 2017-2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Games, and even the Carolina Panthers training camp in 2018. Just to name a few of her many accomplishments.
During Katie’s last semester of college, she secured a broadcasting internship with the Minnesota Twins, where she got to work as a production assistant. Here, she wrote and developed segments for the Twins’ radio network, and also conducted and edited interview sound and game highlights. Later during the summer, Katie interned with local news stations WSPA 7 News and WYFF News 4 while also working at the Cape Cod Baseball League. This was only the beginning of her seemingly never-ending list of professional skills.
Katie made the jump to the world of hockey in 2021 when she began working for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. As the communications coordinator and sideline reporter, this was a much larger role that made her responsible for all media and PR efforts. Not only did she get to report from field level in the broadcast booth, but she also brainstormed and created all of the team’s social media content.
Developing a passion for working with social media and PR, the roles that Katie took on after her time with the Blue Wahoos were quite similar. As she became the Digital Reporter and Social Media and Community Coordinator for the Rockford IceHogs, the affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, Katie continued her digital content development. However, she tapped into her writing skills that she developed at Clemson, also writing feature stories, press releases, and game recaps.
Today, Katie is a Rinkside Reporter and Digital Media Manager for the Colorado Eagles, the AHL Affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. You can find her on-the-air for the Eagles, serving as the team’s host and reporter for live game coverage and other features.
If there’s anything one can learn from Katie’s career, it’s that all experience is good experience. Take on roles that scare you. Dabble with skills you don’t yet have and build your resume. And most importantly, figure out what role excites you the most. There’s room for everyone in the sports industry.
Comentarios