For over two decades, Casey Stern is a voice that has become a source of comfort for sports fans.

However, Casey’s story that started with him muting New York Mets games, and imitating their long-time play-by-play voice Bob Murphy, all the way to hosting a radio show for the MLB, and sitting at the TNT ‘Inside the NBA’ table, has been anything but a straight forward journey.

In an exclusive interview with Job Skills’ Compass Magazine, the ‘Unfiltered Podcast’ host tells us how he fell in love with the game of baseball at the age of five years old. Casey said, “While the other kids in school were talking about wanting to be astronauts, I wanted to cover baseball.”

Casey began following his dream and went to school to pursue a career as a broadcaster. Unfortunately, due to events outside of his control, Casey moved back to New York, finished college at a local school, and began a career that wasn’t broadcasting.

Finding himself working on Wall Street, Casey could not have been any further from his dream, and the prospect of covering baseball and pursuing a job as a broadcaster was just a dream, not a reality.

Casey eventually moved to Los Angeles, and while there, he “still had the itch,” Casey said. He continued, “Life isn’t about money, it’s about following your passion.” Casey began buying air time and creating reels and demos. However, Casey eventually moved back to New York and he was no closer to a broadcast career than he was when he left.

In 2003, Casey received a phone call from his friend’s mother, she told Casey that ESPN was holding auditions for a reality show called ‘ESPN Dream Job’, with the winner getting the opportunity to land a job with ESPN. Casey had already decided that he wasn’t going to audition, and instead went to a Monday Night Football game with his friends.

Fortunately for Casey, his friends had a different idea. After the game finished and they were heading home, they pulled up to the studio where ESPN was holding the auditions for the reality show. Casey’s friends told him that he had no choice and that he was going line up and audition.

So, there was Casey at two o’clock in the morning, sixth in line, for an audition that started at 8 a.m. The rest, as they say, is history. Casey beat out 10,000 other people who had auditioned, he finished fifth in the  competition, and in a very short while Casey secured an agent and began a career at mlb.com.

Casey’s pursuit of his dream had the storybook dream that you hoped for. Casey showed a hunger and a drive to keep following his passion. No matter what obstacles were put in front of Casey, he always seemed to find a solution, even when he needed a little nudge from his support network.

The takeaway from Casey’s story is to never stop pursuing your goals. As was in Casey’s case, it’s not always going to be easy, but a little perseverance goes a long way. You can have your storybook ending too, you just have to decide if you are willing to put in the necessary work.

ABOUT JOB SKILLS

For 35 plus years, Job Skills has been delivering solutions to job seekers and moving people into sustainable, meaningful employment. Throughout their long history, Job Skills has recognized that not every job seeker is the same. There is no one size fits all employment program. That’s why the Job Skills vision is building an inclusive society where all people are ensured equitable opportunities to fulfill their career aspirations and participate fully in the community.

Job Skills’ employment specialists are there to answer any of your employment questions. Job Skills‘ staff offer solutions to all job seekers, including youth, newcomers, mature workers, persons with disabilities, and entrepreneurs. Job Skills’ knowledgeable team can help you make educated decisions, set goals, and create a strategy to help you become happier in your career. Job Skills works with local employers creating employment opportunities for Job Skills’ clients.

Thanks to government funding, Job Skills’ programs and services are free to all users. Job Skills have locations across Keswick, Stouffville, Markham, Brampton, and Mississauga. Job Skills also offers virtual services for community members unable to attend one of our offices for in-person activities.

Find your employment solution today. Visit www.jobskills.org