There’s a video of 8-year-old Dayne Young delivering a sports report (that naturally followed a look at the weather).
Sports is what he and his dad and grandfather talked about, and now he’s helping others learn how to do just that as program coordinator for both the New Media Institute and the Carmical Sports Media Institute in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
“I didn’t know it would take me to academia,” he said. “That’s the part I didn’t anticipate, but I’m so glad that it did because I get all of the cool touchpoints without some of the traditional stressors of deadlines and travel.”
Young’s own interest in sports started early. He appreciates the unity and camaraderie of it — even when it seems like there is nothing else to talk about, sports can often be the common denominator. So, building a career around sports media felt like a natural calling.
Young earned a bachelor’s degree in digital and broadcast journalism from Grady College in 2011. He then worked at WALB-TV in Albany as a news reporter and WRBL-TV in Columbus, where he was sports director.
“Having covered sports events, when you’re in a situation like that and there’s so much stimuli, you’re constantly having to decide what story am I going to tell here, because there is a ton of them,” he said. “You’re not going to tell a bad story if you’re approaching it with the right mindset beforehand.”
Eventually, Young decided he wanted something with more regular hours and taught audio and video production at a high school in Chattahoochee County. After some time there, he and his wife then moved back to Athens, and Young took a position at See.Spark.Go. He came across a public relations specialist position at Grady College and returned to the University of Georgia in 2018.
Young has been in his current role since January 2021 and earned a master’s degree in journalism from Grady College in 2023. His position is unique in that he divides his time between the New Media Institute and the Carmical Sports Media Institute. But those two things together reflect what current students need.
“We are The Sports Media Institute and constantly listen to changes in the sports media industry,” he said. “A lot of the jobs our students are getting and that are being created are on the team side or the communications side.”
For example, Young teaches a class on social media and sports. As part of that course, his students run social media accounts for area high school sports teams, getting experience literally on the field. He guides students as they create everything from game-day content to short videos for Clarke Central High School’s soccer, tennis and track and field teams as well as North Oconee High School’s soccer teams. Young hopes to expand that to flag football teams, too.
That hands-on practice proves to be invaluable for the students.
“Oh, it’s everything,” he said. “There is nothing we could teach them in a classroom that’s better than getting out there and interacting.”
For the New Media Institute, Young handles most of its external relations. He leads student site visits to public relations firms as well as companies like Chick-fil-a, Home Depot, Delta and others across the county. He also started Small Talk 101, where New Media Institute students get to practice soft skills like networking with industry professionals, who provide the students with feedback.
Dayne Young, shown at TEDxUGA 2023: Roots, is the producer of the event. (Photo courtesy of the New Media Institute)
“There is way more crossover than I ever realized because as media, in general, changes, it’s new media. It’s all speaking the same language, and I think the New Media Institute does a really good job of anticipating where that’s going and preparing students for how to do it,” he said.
Additionally, Young serves as chair of the New Media Advisory Council and producer of TEDxUGA, which takes place on March 28 at Morton Theatre.
Young appreciates that no two days really look the same. He might be putting together equipment for his class to use, attending and running various meetings or just spending time with students. He said he’s happiest interacting with people.
Outside of work, Young plays tennis and golf and enjoys traveling and attending concerts. He’s also dipping his toe into standup comedy and has put together more than one audition video for “Survivor.” He spends as much time as he can with his family, which includes three young daughters.
“I have a really cool life because of what this place has allowed me to do, even as an undergraduate. Then to come back and be immersed in that every day, that’s where passion meets gratitude,” he said. “To me, this was a window to the rest of the world from the state of Georgia. I’ve gotten to know the world because UGA opened those doors for me.”
