Success story: Internship with Major League Baseball

Success Stories | Sep 19, 2011 | Nicole Gesualdo

This is the first in a series of many “success stories” about Gabelli students who receive internships and full-time job offers. We plan to report them to you as students receive the news. Our inaugural story is about Gabelli junior Michael Sansarran, who already has placed a significant landmark on his intended path toward a career with the New York Yankees — through an internship with Major League Baseball.

In a building at the corner of West 4th Street and Broadway in downtown Manhattan, two serious baseball fans named Mike O’Hara and Ryan Wagner reside in what Major League Baseball calls the “MLB Fan Cave” — a live studio where they must watch every single pitch of every single game of the 2011 season. (For a baseball fan, not bad work, if you can get it.) These two guys are part of a large-scale promotional effort by Major League Baseball, reaching out to fans using social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs. Meanwhile, a full production team draws national attention to their activities — and baseball — with special-guest appearances, player and celebrity interviews, concert events and more.

Michael Sansarran (at left)

Backing up this operation is Gabelli’s own Michael Sansarran, an MLB intern.

Michael works for Endemol Digital Productions, the company that works with MLB on this piece of its marketing strategy. His responsibilities are wide-ranging, from interviewing players and booking talent to social-media outreach and research. He has seen a parade of celebrities come and go — C.C. Sabathia, David Wright, David Ortiz, Jesse Eisenberg, and Rob Dyrdek, to name a few — and has learned a great deal about meeting the needs of high-level people with high expectations. The quality of these visitors’ experiences is crucial to their ongoing relationship with Major League Baseball as an organization, and Michael gets to help manage that. He also got schooled in video games by Doc Gooden’s kid, while Doc was interviewed for the Fan Cave. (One of those unique workplace perks.)

Congratulations, Michael — and best of luck on your career journey toward one day becoming the general manager of the Yankees. (Expect a phone call from us then asking you to help some future Fordham students to get internships!)