Three-time Sports Emmy Winner Keith Robinson shares experiences at Michael Davis Lecture

Keith Robinson spoke at the annual Michael Davis Lecture in the Rust Center for Media at 6 p.m. Feb. 22. It was a hybrid event, with Robinson speaking over Zoom and students watching together in-person or online.

Robinson produces content for Turner Sports, a media company responsible for broadcasting sports, and was awarded three-time Sports Emmys Producer Awards. He is also a part of the sports task force in the National Association of Black Journalists.

At the Michael Davis Lecture, Department of Mass Media Chair Dr. Tamara Zellars Buck, introduced Robinson, her former student.

The event was created three years after the death of Michael Davis, a journalism major and SEMO alum, who was killed in 1994 in an on-campus hazing incident. The lecture has included a variety of speakers throughout the past 26 years.

Advertising student Evan Armstrong and Public Relations student Kennedy Hanner introduced Robinson before he talked about the opportunities he took at SEMO and his journey to where he is now.

In his 10 Years at Turner Sports, he produced content with celebrities including Snoop Dogg, Dwyane Wade, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky and Pedro Martinez.

“No idea is too small; you have to move your ideas from your brain and move them into action,'' Robinson said. “You can have ideas that you enjoy already, and how you are going to put your own spin on it; in this day in age, there is so much content out there and available content to come up with the original ideas.”

Journalism sophomore Kate Haussman said listening to Robinson's speech was inspiring, since he studied in the same major as her 20 years ago.

“He kept saying, ‘Stay ready, so you don't have to get ready.’ This stuck out to me the most, because I agree that if I feel ready for the day, I feel ready to take on anything,” Haussman said.

A student asked Robinson what gets him through the day. He said his two children are his biggest inspiration.

“I wanted to create content to share a story. I used to argue about sports with my dad and grandpa, and now I am creating content for families to share that same connection,” Robinson said. “Journalism is important so that we can share our stories that are unique and honest and a little bit behind-the-scenes.”

Robinson dove deeper into why every idea is important in the career of journalism in his talk.

“Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but don't be afraid to get your ideas out there,” Robinson said. “We want people to share those ideas to see what sticks and if they can be used in the show. If you have a story idea or a podcast idea, just do it.”

Robinson said to jump at opportunities like internships and jobs and encouraged students to be an asset at every job they are a part of.

Approximately 30 minutes into the interview, there was an interruption by Zoom “bombers,” bots that interrupt Zoom meetings with offensive content. The interruptions included screen-shared videos and racial slurs and profanity in Zoom comments. The issue was quickly resolved, and the lecture resumed after the bombers were removed from the Zoom meeting.

Senior advertising student Ashleigh Hatcher said she was inspired by what Robinson said about students pursuing their ideas. She felt inspired to take her personal career goal to the next level and try out her new podcasting idea.

She wants to make a podcast about the encouraging and empowering conversations that go on in ladies’ restrooms at bars.

“I am inspired to push myself to the next level of pursuing my dreams by watching someone else coming from a small community do big things with his life,” Hatcher said.

Keith Robinson can be contacted through his LinkedIn and Twitter.