Jackson Sepko’s school journey into social media advertising and marketing started with a Tweet.
“The summer season earlier than my freshman 12 months, I despatched a celebratory tweet after a massive Ole Miss Baseball win that obtained a good variety of likes and retweets,” he stated.
When the mud settled, Sepko noticed he had a message from somebody named Debbie Hall, whose bio stated she taught within the School of Journalism and New Media’s built-in advertising and marketing communications (IMC) program.
“She stated, ‘You have a approach with phrases. Are you by likelihood an IMC main?’ I stated I used to be, and we obtained to satisfy early within the semester.”
Jackson Sepko stands within the Grove in entrance of Farley Hall.
Hall really useful that Sepko pursue a social media internship on the Sanderson Farms Championship, a PGA Tour occasion in Jackson, and with her assist, he turned the primary freshman ever employed there.
“That expertise confirmed me that sports social and digital media was the trail for me,” stated Sepko, who’s simply one of many college’s 2022 graduates who shared his Journey to Commencement.
Following that internship, Hall launched him to Scott Fiene, affiliate professor of built-in advertising and marketing communication, who was instructing a giant introductory IMC class that semester.
“Mr. Fiene helped me get an internship masking sports and doing electronic mail advertising and marketing with HottyToddy.com,” Sepko stated. “That expertise, paired with my earlier social media work, led me to Ole Miss Athletics, the place I’ve been a digital media advertising and marketing assistant for the previous three years. This work serving to to advertise the groups I grew up cheering for has been so rewarding and confirmed that I need to proceed working on this discipline.”
That position with Athletics additionally led Sepko to change into concerned with the School of Journalism and New Media’s social media, with a explicit give attention to Instagram. He stated getting to spotlight the accomplishments of his friends has been thrilling.
In addition to his work with Ole Miss Athletics, Sepko is a member of the Honors College.
“That campus neighborhood has pushed me to be a higher pupil and a extra concerned neighborhood member and has given me a few of my perfect pals,” he stated. “I additionally obtained the chance to conduct my capstone thesis on school sports social media advertising and marketing, which I defended this November.
“Mrs. Hall and Mr. Fiene had been my advisors, and attending to work with two professors who’ve been skilled and private mentors to me since my freshman 12 months was actually gratifying and a type of ‘full-circle’ second. That work uncovered me to completely different approaches throughout 5 completely different athletic departments and 7 team-specific accounts, and I’ve little question it will be a massive assist to me in my subsequent skilled steps.”
Sepko stated he has loved all of his courses, however two stand out. IMC 104, an introductory class, obtained him hooked on IMC.
“I had Mr. Fiene for that class, and I now have him for Honors IMC 455, the campaigns class,” he stated. “Getting to have him once more, work on one massive marketing campaign workforce with pals I’ve had for a very long time, and apply all the IMC data I’ve discovered for this venture for The Alluvian Hotel in Greenwood has been one other cool ‘full-circle’ second.”
In Oxford, Sepko works as an English tutor at Oxford High School, and he’s a member of Pinelake Church.
“The instructing and neighborhood there have stored me and my perspective grounded and jogged my memory that we exist to be a gentle and serve others,” he stated.
Going by COVID in the course of school was a distinctive problem for Sepko and others, however he stated the best way everybody united and returned to high school and work taught him a lot in regards to the significance of resilience and the ability of neighborhood.
Jackson Sepko stands within the Grove in entrance of Farley Hall.
“I’m grateful to all our professors and faculty officers who labored to get us again on campus, and particularly grateful for a comparatively ‘regular’ shut to varsity,” he stated.
Sepko is interviewing for sports jobs in social and digital media proper now.
“Sports jobs rent a little later than most different jobs popping out of college simply because the low season for many sports is the summer season,” he stated. “That’s a little nerve-wracking for positive, however I’ve great bosses and professors who’ve all been big assist to me, and I’m excited to see the place I find yourself.”
Fiene notes Sepko’s ardour and experience is in sports promotion and social media.
“This started in highschool, the place as a freshman, he volunteered to maintain statistics for his highschool soccer workforce,” Fiene stated. “His artistic and intelligent approach of creating the statistics fascinating led him to change into one of many soccer broadcast announcers midway by the season, then he started asserting basketball.
“In his sophomore 12 months, he labored with the varsity administration to improve the broadcasting gear, took the present on the highway and finally assumed duty for the coaches program, which had beforehand been outsourced. Mind you, he was 15-16 years previous on the time, however what this demonstrates is that his journey to excellence started nicely earlier than Ole Miss, and he entered our program with extra expertise than some college students go away with.”
This 12 months, Sepko obtained the varsity’s Excellence in IMC award, however in his junior 12 months, he obtained the Taylor Medal, the University’s highest tutorial honor. Typically, the award is simply given to seniors, and Fiene stated Sepko exemplifies all of the issues that make our prime college students particular: Perfect 4.0 GPA, Honors College, Chancellor’s Honor Roll, Kappa Tau Alpha Honors Society, Phi Kappa Phi, Lambda Sigma, volunteer experiences, and a number of other internships.
“He’s additionally tutored Oxford Middle School college students in Latin literature and Greek-Roman historical past …,” stated Fiene, “however what strikes me as his biggest power is his drive, his ardour, and his skill to use his studying and make a distinction within the media occupation nicely earlier than he finishes his undergraduate research.”
Sepko stated he initially thought he would want to double-major in communications, advertising and marketing or sports administration.
“I then found the IMC program and realized I had been trying to find IMC with out realizing it,” he stated.
His recommendation: “I might inform college students to absorb each second and benefit from each alternative as a result of school goes by rapidly, but it surely’s filled with numerous great alternatives. Don’t be shy about speaking to your professors. That will result in a lot of these alternatives.”
Sepko stated UM journalism and IMC college students are lucky to study from many people who find themselves instructing from their very own private expertise in the kind of jobs college students finally need to land.
“So benefit from their real-world connections and absorb all the skilled expertise you may in your 4 years,” he stated. “Be positive to search out the suitable stability and make numerous good recollections with your pals alongside the best way, too.”
This story was written by LaReeca Rucker.
Tags: finest IMC packages, digital media advertising and marketing, featured, imc, Jackson Sepko, Ole Miss Athletics, social media
https://jnm.olemiss.edu/2022/05/06/it-all-started-with-a-tweet-collierville-native-will-pursue-imc-sports-career-after-graduation/
