A Mercer University alumnus will soon be the proud owner of an Emmy.
Kyle Mullins was part of the “MLB Tonight” team that won for outstanding daily studio show at the 41st Sports Emmy Awards in August.
Mullins graduated from Mercer in 2018 with degrees in journalism and French and did independent consulting work before accepting a job with the MLB Network in May 2019.
He didn’t initially plan to pursue a job in sports media, but he was referred to the MLB Network by a family friend who knew of his family’s baseball history. Mullins played baseball when he was younger, and his older brother, Cedric Mullins, plays professional baseball for the Baltimore Orioles.
“I was in an entry-level position called a broadcast associate. We’re the ones who are in charge of editing together the content that will be aired on the network,” Kyle Mullins said. “I’ve really enjoyed being out working and getting a lot of experience under my belt.”
Mullins said Mercer’s journalism program prepared him well for the job, especially when it came to his video editing skills. At the MLB Network office in Secaucus, New Jersey, he worked on multiple shows including “High Heat,” “Intentional Talk” and “MLB Tonight.”
Mullins appreciated that “MLB Tonight” encouraged its team members to take creative liberties and pursue side projects. For instance, he volunteered to work on videos for the network’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues, a project to which he felt very attached.
“You were never really confined into one space for too long. You always had the ability to move around, work on different shows, get a feel for what kind of shows you liked best,” he said.
Mullins hasn’t received his Emmy statue yet but will be proud to display it and list it on his resume.
“Working there, we were always trying to come up with new ideas, introduce new projects that can be implemented and broadcast,” he said. “Even though there is a large staff of us, they gave the credit to every single one of us in that win. It’s really nice to know that the work you’re putting into a company is appreciated.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a pause on Mullins’ work at the MLB Network, but he’s been tackling projects in music production in the meantime and keeping his eyes open for future opportunities.
