I would like feedback from everyone on this...

an old shop used to have a seasonal luncheon.
One of the banks picked up the check and it was for five or six schools. The head coaches, top assistant and couple of the best players.
The bankers liked to mingle with the coaches and players, plus it was super easy to get mug shots and knock out some copy.

 

Ditto. Our photog always stood in line with the "official" photographer and they went through the line.

"Step to the left", shoot, "step to the left", shoot. ... They get their good shot, we get our mug. Easy as pie.

 

We did one for football and it went off without a hitch. We have 14 schools, and offered two different times for coaches and players to come. It was more for intereview purposes for the tab, but we took a few mug shots, too.

 

SCEditor, I love you man, and thanks for the tips over the weekend. As you know, I would just knock it out at your media day, but my tab is printing in three weeks, and we all know kids from my county ain't coming to that...

 

You think that you can get serious input without the smart-ass comments on this website? Wow, you need to pay better attention to how this crew works.

Seriously, if you can get them to show up and you have so few schools to deal with, it sounds like a nice convenience for you. The only question I have is if it would leave them waiting around a lot for you to get what you need. If your process irritates the kids and the coaches, it might make for some lousy interviews.

 

We were just talking about the possibility of making adjustments in this, and our football writer came up with a good idea.

Forget about August for these media days. First, some of the kids are going to be vacationing. Second, you're going to catch the football players shirtless, with five days' growth of beard, etc.

Instead ... think about pulling this off in the final weeks of the previous school year. Have an underclassman photo day for each school. Coordinate it with the athletic director; tell him you want to get athletes A, B, C, etc. at the school library or the lunch room at a certain time. They'll be dressed for school, and you'll get a better shot. And there's less chance of the kids blowing you off.

One other thing we're going to suggest to our photogs. We want each one of them to have a mini-blackboard. Each kid will write his name on the blackboard before the head shot, then hold it down in front of their chest. The photographer will get that blackboard into the photo ... and no mug shot should ever be mis-identified again.

 

good luck with that.

Oh, and I think that's a pretty good idea, especially with the small number of teams.

 

I just have to say, that's an incredible idea. I'll make sure to pass that one on whenever it's needed.

 

Our photogs pass out a reporter's notebook or two and sharpies and tell each person to grab a sheet and write their names on them. They're used just like the mini-blackboard, but quicker.

 

Even better. Thanks, subhead.

 

At my place we do this for our football tab every year. About 25-30 teams, they bring four players and the coach to our office. We set up who's coming in advance with times set for each school, and get mugs and a centerpiece shot for each team page. Been doing it for three years now, and has made the process a lot less painless. Sometimes someone doesn't make it, but those isolated incidents are easy to mop up.

 

sounds like you need the other media to buy in. if it's a big deal -- TV stations cover it, your competition shows up -- then the coaches and kids will see it as something important. i like the idea of doing it in the spring, maybe right after spring ball. how many freshman really contribute anyway, right?