The Value of Mentoring

Mentoring in media, especially in fields like digital media production, storytelling, and content creation, holds immense value for both the mentee and mentor.

“Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living—if you do it well I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way. A mentor.” – Denzel Washington

In this edition of my Narrow Path articles, I want to share an article from one of my students who is digging in to covering a variety of sports events for our Faith+Sports Network, FSPN. This is from his visit to the PGA BWM Tournament in Colorado. Then I’ll share some tips with you about the value of being mentored.

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Behind The Lens: A Photographer’s Journey at the 2024 BMW Championship

By: Tyler Corbo

Introduction

A PGA tournament finally returns to Colorado after 18 years, with the BMW Championship hosted in Colorado for the first time at the beautiful Castle Pines Golf Course, which has a rich history. Jack Vickers, an Oil Executive, moved to Colorado in 1969, came across the open land near Happy Canyon Road, and dreamed of building a course there. After 12 years, he finally got approval for the course and got help from the legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus to help design the course. The course finally opened in October 1981. The course grew very popular, and from 1986 to 2006, the International PGA Tour event was held, with winners from Phil Mickelson and Steve Lowery. For Colorado, it's a big deal to hold the BMW Championship with a purse of $20 million to be distributed to players and a massive amount of FedEx Cup Points to be awarded, with 2,000 to the winner.

So, for someone like me, a huge Colorado sports fan, attending an event like this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and will go down in history for Colorado and PGA events. While browsing for tickets, I noticed that point and shoot cameras were allowed on practice days on Tuesday and Wednesday. As a sports creative, I couldn't pass up this opportunity to grow my portfolio and write an article for FSPN about this experience. So I went ahead and got tickets for both days and let me tell you….It was better than expected.

Practice Day One

Stepping on the grounds of the course for the first time was unreal. The landscaping crew had everything down to perfection. With small waterfalls and huge groupings of flowers. To my advantage, the schools had already started for Colorado middle and high school students, so the crowds were small, so getting around the course was easy.

I have never taken photos at a golf event, so it was an entirely new experience. Get ready to walk a lot… I mean a whole lot. Make sure you bring a strap for your camera and extra batteries. Balancing on focusing on taking pictures of the course and the players was important. Player tee times were unavailable on the first day, so I had to guess and talk to the course volunteers to find where the players were.

As a photographer, getting as close as possible to the players is essential, and at a PGA event, fans can get closer than the media at other top sporting events. The key to getting close to the players is after each hole when they take the path to the next hole. You can tell the location where they have a tall pole with the next hole number close to the green of the previous hole. Standing along the rope at this spot got me up close and personal. One of my favorite interactions was with Tony Finau. He is known to be the family man of the PGA and prioritizes spending time with his kids. Also, his wife makes care packages for other players' families at events. Tony’s trainers were so kind, and while I was waiting for Tony, one of them approached me and asked how my day was. In what world do sports professionals approach you, it was very refreshing. As the day went on, I just went from hole to hole finding players to capture, with a few even looking at my camera like Viktor Hovland.

A super important rule for a photographer at a golfing event is to be as quiet as possible, especially when they take a swing. A Pro tip is to turn on the silent shutter on your camera. So, when you are snapping pictures, it is silent, and no noise comes from your camera to distract the players during their backswing. Any bit of sound will make them mad…trust me.

Practice Day Two

The second day was not nearly close to what I expected. They announced that there was going to be a pro-am celebrity tournament where the celebrities get paired with one of the pros. What made this so exciting was that they didn't release a list of the celebrities playing, so getting their Tuesday morning was exciting. I headed to the first tee box, where all the action happens. Next to the tee box is the putting green, driving range, and pitching area. I started scouting for celebrities, and I couldn't believe how many were there. Peyton Manning was my favorite to watch and interact with. I have been a fan of him since I was a kid watching the Broncos with my Dad. He was very humble and was there to have a good time. He was paired with my favorite PGA Golfer, Wyndham Clark. He is an alumnus of Valor Christian High School, where I attended high school. It was fun to share a moment with him, and he was excited to see a fellow alumni supporting him. For most of the day, I followed him and Peyton Manning, taking photos; seeing them just out there for a good time cracking jokes instead of intense competition was fun. A list of the other celebrities I saw were legendary Bronco Quarterback John Elway, Colorado Avalanche Captain Gabriel Landeskog, Josh Kroenke, son of Stan Kroenke (Owner of the Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Rams, and Arsenal F.C.), and Vic Lombardi Altitude TV Reporter.

Conclusion

There is always time to grow your portfolio and work on crafting your skills. Shooting a golf event for the first time was a learning experience but worth every minute. Making sure to have the right camera settings and focusing on the lighting is essential. The PGA also has pretty high restrictions when it comes to the camera equipment, and you can't have a lens that is bigger than 6 inches, so I couldn't bring my 70-180mm lens and had to stick to something wider, so getting closer to the players was important. It was so exciting witnessing history at Castle Pines Golf Club, and I am excited for the return of a PGA tournament to Colorado in the near future.

Photos from the event can be found on my website: tylercorbo.com

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Why mentoring helps the next generation of our leaders.?

I've shared in many of my previous articles the numerous people and experts that have willingly mentored me in the media, TV and film industry. The skills that they taught me through apprentice-style teaching have forever made me who I am today. I cannot thank those folks enough for their humble nature that would allow for them to share their expertise, taking me under their wings to allow me to learn, practice, and then do what it takes to be successful in the creative industries. And now I am doing the same thing with my students at CCU. (It's why they call me "Coach.")

Here are several key benefits of mentoring and being mentored:

??1. Skill Development

?? - Hands-on Learning: Media is a highly practical field, and mentoring provides students or junior professionals with real-world experience that goes beyond classroom theory. Through mentorship, they can develop technical skills (like editing, cinematography, sound design) and creative skills (such as storytelling, narrative structure).

?? - Personalized Feedback: Mentors can offer direct, constructive criticism on projects, helping mentees refine their craft more quickly than they might on their own.?

??2. Industry Insights

?? - Navigating the Industry: Media is a rapidly evolving landscape, and mentors with experience can guide mentees through the nuances of industry standards, ethical considerations, and emerging trends.

?? - Networking: Mentorship often opens doors for mentees, providing valuable industry connections and opportunities that might otherwise be difficult to access.?

?“One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.” - ?John C. Maxwell

??3. Creative Growth

?? - Inspiration and Innovation: A mentor can inspire creative thinking by offering new perspectives or introducing mentees to different media formats, styles, and approaches. This dynamic interaction fosters innovation and encourages mentees to take creative risks.

?? - Collaboration Skills: Media projects are often collaborative efforts, and mentorship teaches the importance of teamwork, communication, and working within creative teams, which are essential skills in the industry.?

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” - Steven Spielberg

??4. Confidence Building

?? - Confidence in Abilities: Mentees can gain confidence as they receive guidance, affirmation, and encouragement from a mentor who has navigated the same challenges. This boosts their self-esteem and encourages them to pursue their goals more boldly.

?? - Problem Solving: Mentors can provide strategies for overcoming obstacles, whether technical, creative, or professional. This helps mentees develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills crucial for success in the media industry.?

?“Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximize their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be.” - Eric Parsloe

??5. Ethical and Professional Development

?? - Ethics and Responsibility: Media professionals often face ethical decisions about representation, copyright, and audience responsibility. Mentors can help guide mentees in navigating these complex issues, ensuring they become ethical, thoughtful content creators.

?? - Professionalism: Mentoring also helps develop professionalism, including time management, client interaction, and understanding the importance of meeting deadlines—all critical aspects of media work.?

“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” - Oprah Winfrey

??6. Career Longevity and Evolution

?? - Sustaining a Career: In a competitive industry, the guidance from a mentor can help mentees sustain long-term careers by teaching them how to adapt to changes in technology, audience preferences, and industry dynamics.

?? - Continuous Learning: Media professionals often need to upgrade their skills to keep pace with the fast-moving industry. A mentor fosters a mindset of continuous learning and professional development.?

“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” - Bob Proctor

?Incorporating mentoring into media education or career development fosters the growth of well-rounded, skilled, and confident media professionals who can not only succeed in the industry but also contribute to its innovation and ethical advancement.

“We are at a place and time where there are no excuses about why you can’t be a good visual storyteller, with all of the technology available for much lower price points. The phone you carry in your pocket has a better camera than my first big broadcast camera I bought back in 1984 for $150k! Get to it already!” – Jess Stainbrook

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Jess Stainbrook is an 8x Emmy Award winning sports broadcast producer/director and university professor who is passionate about raising up the next generation of creative professionals and visual storytellers.

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