CREDIT: FANSHAWE ALUMNI DEPARTMENT
Fanshawe broadcast journalism grad Caroline Cameron, combined her passion of sports and interest in news to become the current co-anchor of Sportsnet Central's late night and early morning show.

Even in high school, Caroline Cameron knew that broadcast journalism was the path she wanted to pursue in life.

As a sports and news fan, Cameron’s interests worked hand-inhand.

As the current co-anchor of Sportsnet Central’s late night and early morning show, Cameron, a Toronto- native and 2012 graduate of Fanshawe and Western University’s joint media theory and production (MTP) program, Cameron said she found the program appealing and “cool” because there was both the academic and technical hands on aspect of the journalism industry and was able to earn both a certificate and degree.

“I actually remember being in the library in grade twelve when I saw that I got accepted to the program, and I think I kind of got choked up and called my mom and I was so excited.”

According to Cameron, Fanshawe gave her the hands on experience she was looking for, which included learning how to write journalistically, preparing and asking good questions, conducting interviews and working on her voice.

“So by the time I graduated, it wasn’t as steep a learning curve as I thought it was going to be,” Cameron said.

Cameron said she doesn’t know where she would be without the “guidance, support and education” from the college.

While Cameron’s rise to her sports journalism career seemed fairly quick, she worked hard to get to the top.

“It’s all about getting the foundation and building blocks so that once you start working and [doing] internships, that you know where to start and you can go from there.”

While at Fanshawe, Cameron’s stream was the broadcast journalism program, which consisted heavily on radio, though she was equipped and prepared for TV and other mediums as well.

“I think what I really loved about it, was we felt like we were working because we were running the radio station and running the news department by our final year, so it was just really fun doing that with some people who are now my best friends,” Cameron said.

Though she didn’t focused on TV while at Fanshawe, she learned the basics of radio, which helped her become better at writing and co-relates with her TV career.

Wanting to learn even more to “add to the individual” aspect of storytelling Cameron volunteered at London’s Rogers TV, which helped her get the background she needed for the career today.

For Cameron, the one professor who really stuck out to her throughout her program is Fanshawe’s broadcast journalism program co-ordinator Jim Van Horne, who she is still in contact with on an ongoing basis.

“He was so involved, not in a way where he was looking over our shoulders, but it was like a co-worker, so he was always looking out for us in our best interest and even the things he taught me about writing, I still think of when I’m at work writing scripts for the show,” Cameron said.

According to Cameron, Van Horne was not just a professor, but the “young dad” of the program and is considered to be one of Cameron’s mentors.

Van Horne shared the appreciation right back at Cameron whom he called hard working, passionate and humble.

According to Van Horne, he knew fairly early on after meeting Cameron and seeing her work ethic that she had it in her and that great things would come her way.

“She was always going and she made her own way. She never depended on somebody handing her anything, she went out and got it,” Van Horne said.

According to Van Horne, it was clear Cameron was a standout, never leaving anything to chance.

“This is what she wanted to do and she was going to knock on doors,” Van Horne said.

According to Van Horne, the fact that Cameron volunteered quite a bit and did non-paid work, helped get her where she is today.

Van Horne said, “It was just through knocking on doors, being in the right place, being good at what she did,” was how she created value for herself in getting to the top.

Van Horne mentioned that on top of standing in centre court at Wimbledon and interviewing actors Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro for some sports related movies Sportsnet was promoting, all in just a short period of time after graduation is “pretty incredible,” but that’s just the way Cameron is.

“As hard a worker as she is and as talented as she is, she’s such a nice person and anybody that met her would say the same thing.”

Van Horne is glad the two are still connected to this day.

While in her final year of school, Sportsnet held auditions with Cameron getting work with them by doing sports updates for the CityNews channel.

“I graduated on the Friday and then I went to work in Toronto on the Monday, so that was overwhelming,” Cameron said. “[I felt prepared] as best as I could be for the real world.”

Cameron ended up being in Toronto for two years, then she moved to Vancouver to cover Sportsnet’s national morning show for two years. She relocated back to Toronto almost a year ago for her current position with the company.

“I was excited because Toronto is home, but I was kind of sad to leave Vancouver because I really liked it. I really liked the city because it’s so outdoorsy, so that suited me quite well,” Cameron said.

What also clearly suits Cameron is her job.

“If I wasn’t watching the game at work, I’d be watching it at home, so I might as well do it for my job,” Cameron said.

Being a former tennis ball girl, and a tennis-enthusiast herself, Cameron said that although career highlights tend to change for her as her career goes a long, so far it would be being able to cover the semi-finals and finals of Wimbledon last summer to cover Milos Raonic when he made it to the finals.

“I’m a huge tennis fan, so that was really, really, exciting for me, and I think the highlight too was not just being there, but I got asked to go on Breakfast at Wimbledon for ESPN, so I was able to do that on the morning of the finals,” Cameron said.

Though she was nervous at the time and still is every once in a while, once she sits behind the desk and starts her thing, she becomes relaxed.

“I remind myself any time I get nervous, that you’re just talking, just talking.”

In terms of words of encouragement for current students, Cameron said it’s ultimately about positioning yourself in the best possible way.

“Most of all, school is about getting your education, but also about having fun so enjoy. At the same time everyone’s going to be graduating with the same degree, so it’s about going above and beyond and trying to do extracurricular work as well because that will just help you when you go out into the working world,” Cameron said.