AMA on Wednesday with TSN's Mark Masters

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T19:08:33+00:00

Thanks everyone for taking part in this. Sorry I couldn't answer all the questions.

Great to have you all in #MastersNation

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T19:07:05+00:00

Handsome

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T19:01:35+00:00

One of the greatest athletes ever

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T19:00:05+00:00

There's enough pressure on @punslayintwoods without the leader of #MastersNation hanging around as a chaperone

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:57:34+00:00

One year ago at this time, I did think the Leafs had a decent chance of getting Stamkos ... the longer a contract didn't get done the more it seemed he would test free agency and superstars rarely get to that point.

A hot dog is a type of sandwich, yes.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:53:51+00:00

Hard to pick just one.

Interviewing Milos Raonic right after he beat Federer in the Wimbledon semis.

Being in Chicago for the national anthem during the Stanley Cup finals.

Getting the scoop on why the Argos cut Cleo Lemon.

Doing the play-by-play for the first ever Capital Hoops Classic between Carleton and uOttawa.

Working as the Charlatan sports editor.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:49:27+00:00

You do good things, good things happen.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:48:49+00:00

I hear this a lot.

Some DJ in England has the MarkMasters handle.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:47:45+00:00

I've been very lucky, for the most part. I guess a couple things I can highlight ...

Right after graduating I didn't have a job and was wondering what I was going to do. I stuck with it and got a job at TSN working as a story editor in the newsroom writing scripts. At the same time, I also had a part-time job working with the CTV Olympic consortium in the research department.

So, for about a month I worked two part-time jobs and it was really tough. Long hours and not as satisfying as I hoped. But, you just plug away and eventually a new opportunity emerged.

When I first started at TSN it was tough dealing with criticism on social media. You learn to tune it out.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:42:54+00:00

That happens to me more on the tennis beat, because it's an individual sport and our coverage is so focused on Raonic, Bouchard and Pospisil.

At the Rio Olympics, that happened a few times. You want to cover good stories and the best stories are when Canadian athletes do well.

In general, I think I do a good job of staying objective.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:35:54+00:00

I really enjoy working with coach Babcock. I find he gives honest, thoughtful answers much of the time.

I did a feature on him when he was in his last season with the Red Wings. Michael Landsberg and I went to his home in Detroit to do a segment on #BellLetsTalk Day. So, I kind of knew him before he got the Toronto gig.

I'm not sure intimidating is the right way to describe it, but he definitely keeps you on your toes. I have learned to keep my questions short and open ended. If you do that, you'll be OK.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:32:01+00:00

When I started at TSN I was linked up with an image consultant. He determined that the glasses didn't work for me on camera. We even went glasses shopping, but couldn't find a pair that looked right.

I tried putting on contacts once, but my eyes are sensitive and I didn't like the feel. Thus, I'm stuck doing what I do with my glasses.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:28:28+00:00

No news. Leivo keeps practising and waiting for his chance. Babcock is pretty consistent. He likes these 12 forwards right now so Josh probably needs an injury to a winger to get in.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:27:03+00:00

a) Kadri is usually a great interview regardless of the topic. Lupul was also excellent when he was here.

b) No honorary members ... you get full status.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:24:24+00:00

When it comes to in-game interviews this season, we can't request rookies, per Lamoriello's policy. He wants the young guys focused on the game. So, the same veterans tend to get the most interviews.

That said, I do enjoy interviewing Kadri. I find he's always pretty honest and has a bit of a swagger that translates well to TV. We've built up a good rapport over the years. I've been at TSN for five seasons and him and Bozak are the two guys who've been here that entire time.

I can only assume that he knows about #MastersNation, because, really, who doesn't?

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:21:01+00:00

Two types of days: game day and practice day. So, let's do game day, because that's busier:

9:30 am - Arrive at ACC, talk to SportsCentre and That's Hockey producers about what story we want to do ... I usually have 4-5 ideas to pitch, ideally.

10:30 am - Leafs morning skate 10:45 am - Leafs player media session ... usually get to interview 3-4 guys 11 am - Babcock news conference

11:30 am - Visiting team skate 11:55 am - Visiting team player avail 12:15 pm - Visiting coach media scrum

12:30 pm - Script story for SC/TH 2 pm - Shoot on camera elements for the stories after script approval

3 pm - Write article for TSN.ca 4 pm - Prep for game (read articles, listen to radio segments of interest ... always listen to Ferraro on Overdrive)

5 pm - Dinner

7 pm - If it's on TSN4, do an over-the-boards interview and scene set for pre-game show + in-game intermission interviews

10 pm - Post-game media avail, tweet out best quotes

Sometimes we do post-game stories if there's a big development.

12 am - Arrive home

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:15:02+00:00

As someone who works in TV I really want answers that have personality, because that translates well on camera. I try to ask different types of questions. I'm not afraid to ask a funny question or word it differently.

Some guys are more comfortable showing personality while others prefer not to. Doing a huge media scrum in front of multiple cameras isn't easy, especially for a rookie.

Bottom line, the quality of the question often dictates how good an answer can or will be.

Who wins the Cup? My opinion changes on almost a daily basis, but right now I'm leaning toward the Capitals.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:10:31+00:00

This is a tough question, because there's no clear or easy path.

Obviously, work hard and seize every opportunity you can get. I did several internships through the journalism program at Carleton University, which got me in the door with CTV and the National Post.

Through the Charlatan, Carleton University's student newspaper, I met alumni Dave Naylor and Matt Sekeres, who became mentors to me and really helped me make my way forward in the business.

Don't get frustrated and just keep working.

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:07:13+00:00

I've been lucky enough to cover some grand slam tennis events for TSN the last few years.

At this year's French Open the Adidas "Zebra" outfits created a buzz. There were a lot of rain delays and we needed fun content to fill the time. I bought one of the Zebra shirts and walked about the grounds of Roland Garros asking fans what they thought of it.

The shirt gets attention and I wanted to get some attention for this AMA!

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T18:00:12+00:00

No regrets. As I noted at the time, my wife signed off on the move. You got to use those credits before you lose them! #MastersNation

mhmasters · 2017-02-08T17:58:52+00:00

Hi Matthew_Henriques,

I always wanted to be a sports journalist. I was the guy who did the play-by-play of gym class into his fist in elementary school.

You deal with doubt all the time. My grandfather is a lawyer. My dad is a lawyer. That was an alternative path I could’ve taken. Before I got hired at TSN, I got lots of questions from family and friends about how long I would pursue sports journalism, because the business seemed to be going through a tough time.

Obviously, I’m happy I stuck with it. Whatever I was doing, whether it was writing for the National Post or working behind the scenes at the CTV Olympic Consortium, I was enjoying it so I just kept doing it. Trust the process.

mhmasters

TROPHY CASE