Alumni Focus: Mike Soltys – ESPN Vice President, Corporate Communications

As a part of a new series, we turn the spotlight on members of the UConn Sport Management Program (SMP) Alumni Community, focusing on the diversity of experience and breadth of knowledge they have gained within the industry. Designed to help current and future SMP students learn to navigate and understand the real-world intricacies of sport management, we thank SMP alumni for their valuable contributions and insight. Today, the focus is on UConn alumnus Mike Soltys (Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, 1981), who now serves as Vice President, Corporate Communications at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, CT.

On Monday, March 31, ESPN Vice President of Communications Mike Soltys came to UConn to speak with the university’s Marketing Club about his job. Soltys, an alumnus of UConn’s communications program, graduated in 1981 and has been working at ESPN for 35 years.

Soltys’ professional career started before he even left UConn. As a student, an ESPN representative came to speak and talk about internships, which led to his first opportunity with the company.

“I am the first and last unpaid intern,” Soltys joked.

Such dedication and tenure to the company has brought Soltys much success throughout his career. In his current position, he is in charge of public relations for television and radio outlets associated with ESPN, along with conducting research on viewer and listener ratings and interests.

However, things have changed a bit since he started. The advent of social media has made the industry even more fast-paced. Because of this, he claimed, handling public relations effectively and efficiently remains a priority. Nowadays, his operation uses Facebook, Twitter, and ESPN’s Media Zone , which was developed strictly for press relations, for branding and public relations purposes.

In all, though, Soltys praised the emergence of Twitter, claiming it is one of the best engines to connect the ESPN brand to a large audience.

“It is extremely important to have good relations with fans,” Soltys said.

Having been a recipient of networking from his days at UConn, Soltys was glad to come back to campus, share his wisdom, and serve as a fellow resource for the Husky community. Did he expect to be in this position 35 years ago? Not at all. But, similar to the sport product, life is certainly unpredictable.

“You have to be ready,” Soltys said.