Andrew Fried, a senior majoring in Sports and Adventure Media, just completed the internship of a lifetime – working as an operations runner for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Fried said he first learned of the opportunity with NBCUniversal from Shott Teaching Assistant Professor Chuck Scatterday in the Reed School of Media and Communications. After a lengthy interview process, the network invited him to Paris, where he worked out of the International Broadcast Center.
"My experiences in the past three years as a Sports and Adventure Media student definitely prepared me for this opportunity,” Fried said. “This major connected me to a job with Chris Ostien and the rest of the ESPN+ WVU Athletics crew, which gave me a huge upper hand going into this internship. Professor Scatterday and many other professors' classes helped give me an understanding of this field outside the classroom."
Andrew Fried served as in intern for NBC in Paris.
As an operations runner, Fried was responsible for distributing credentials and other essential items for various events, including track and field, swimming and beach volleyball. He later worked behind the scenes at the closing ceremony, guiding talent to the correct positions and helping the event run smoothly.
"It was an unbelievable experience,” Fried said. “It is hard to pick a standout moment, but being part of the production for the closing ceremony was one for me."
In addition to gaining the invaluable experience of working for the Olympics, Fried made important connections with professionals throughout the broadcast industry. He worked with podcaster Alex Cooper and her co-host, Kaylee Hartung, who is also a sideline reporter with Amazon Prime Football.
"Kaylee was more than happy to answer all my questions about the industry and provided me with great advice,” he said. “It was a part of the internship I'm incredibly grateful for."
Fried was one of only 17 NBC interns from the United States. Though he was nearly 4,000 miles from Morgantown, he found himself working alongside WVU alumni.
"On National Intern Day, I got to rep the gold and blue with a Flying WV shirt, and I surprisingly met some employees who were Mountaineers,” Fried said. “That was an awesome way to meet people!"
Fried wasn’t the only Sports and Adventure Media Mountaineer at the Olympics. Ceili McCabe (BSJ, 2023) earned a place on Team Canada after setting a new Canadian 3000-meter steeplechase record of 9:20.58. In Paris, McCabe placed seventh in the second heat of the event.
Ceili McCabe, Courtesy: WVU Athletics
Ceili McCabe competed in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase.
"As a former Sports and Adventure Media student, I was able to experience celebrating sport from many different angles,” McCabe said. “The program has always been supportive of my athletic career, and it has been a joy to work with all the students, professors and media staff and have their support heading into the Olympics.”
To learn more about the Sports and Adventure Media program, visit https://www.wvu.edu/academics/programs/sports-and-adventure-media-bsj.