A William Paterson alum who creates social media videos for the NBA returned to campus recently to encourage students to make connections both on and off campus to land their dream jobs while describing the steps she took to get to the big leagues.
Fatime Sela, who graduated in 2022 with a broadcast journalism degree, reviewed her average work week as a production assistant at the NBA’s Replay Center in Secaucus–where employees scour game footage to turn into video clips for social media and TV networks–during a Sept. 30 discussion sponsored by the William Paterson Society of Professional Journalists.
She told students that networking is “the most important thing you can do.”
“It doesn’t matter how much you’ve perfected your craft,” Sela said. “I encourage you to use everything that William Paterson has provided for you, get involved, meet everyone, attend social events. Someone in this room could be huge in the future and could remember you.”
Sela, who has been a Lakers fan since she was 7, started working two years ago, at age 27, at the Replay Center, which features 20 workstations, including 17 replay operator stations and three replay manager stations.
“I couldn’t believe I was living my dream to work for the NBA,” said Sela, who is now 29.
As a production assistant, Sela identifies all scored baskets in every basketball game assigned to her. She said she writes detailed descriptions of plays as part of a process called logging, which involves navigating between browser tabs of the plays and descriptions. In order to log plays quickly, Sela must know the names of all players, coaches, and broadcasters. Besides working NBA games, Sela also logs plays in the WNBA, Summer League, G League, 2K League, and Basketball Africa League.
She described a time when she was watching game footage and caught an alternative camera angle that showed a young fan in the crowd solving a Rubix cube in only seconds. She cut the clip for social media, and it went viral. “You have to look out for hecklers because other people can post these clips on social media, and we have to make sure that we post it first,” she said.
Sela emphasized the importance of writing professionally to start making connections in media. She said she had been shy as a 27-year-old undergraduate and didn’t take advantage of networking opportunities on campus but did in her social life. Sela said she was at a baby shower for a friend a few years ago when she met someone who worked for NBC Sports. Around the same time, she was helping her friend move into a new apartment and met the landlord, who works for Fox Sports. Then, two days later, she was hanging out with friends and met another William Paterson alum who worked for the NBA. Within a week, she had three job opportunities.
“Say yes to every opportunity because you never know who you’re going to meet and sparking up conversations with anyone who’s willing,” Sela said.
Sela told students that she had sacrificed sleep in order to make connections while networking. She also described the prospect of moving up within the NBA. “After my first year there, my boss sat us all down and asked us what we wanted to do,” she said. “And I really wanted to get into editing for the NBA, which is what I do now. So, my boss said, ‘OK, go to the editing room,’ and I did and I met all the editors. And now I do that. So, it really is up to you in this field.”
