Liam Smith grew up loving sports in Pennsylvania and wants to pursue a career as a sports scout. In his personal brand exploration document, he outlines his goals of landing an entry-level scouting position within 5 years and working his way up to become a head scout over the next 20 years. He acknowledges his current strengths are in sports knowledge and identifies areas for professional development like technical skills and soft skills. Liam recognizes competition in the field is strong and establishes plans for networking, marketing, and gaining experience to make himself a competitive job candidate for scouting roles.

1. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
Liam Smith
Project & Portfolio I: Week 3
October 19, 2019

2. Growing up outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
sports are a huge part of mine and my families
lives. From waking up early fora baseball
tournament, or driving 17 hours to watch my
brother in the CWS Regionals, sports are at the
forefront. Sports have taught me many great
lessons throughout the years, like “You miss 100%
of the shots you don’t take.” - Wayne Gretzky or
“…The only thing to do is keep swinging.” - Hank
Arron. Taking advantage of every opportunity
presented and embracing the changes that come
with it, sports have changed my life.
IDENTITY

3. PROFESSION
Potential Job Titles:
•Sports Scout
•Scouting Analyst
•Sports Agent
Hero Archetype - Find young talent
and assist them with overwhelming
challenges. Empower athletes to
chase their dream and overcome
many challenges they will face along
the road to becoming a professional
athlete.
Scout for a Professional Sports Organization

4. • DEMOGRAPHICS:
Approximately 75-80% male,
35-50 years of age,
Predominately white, Graduated
College, Located in urban areas.
• PSYCHOGRAPHICS: Have a
passion for sports, enjoys the
outdoors, lives a more lavish
lifestyle, and religion is optional.
• IDEAL AUDIENCE MEMBERS:
Jennifer Lyn Tran, VP of HR and
Organizational Engagement
(Rays), John Higgins, Senior VP
of Administration/General
Counsel (Rays), Brenda Hayslett,
VP of People (Magic)
Recruiters & Hiring Managers at MLB, NBA, MiLB
TARGET AUDIENCE

5. GOALS
Short Term: (Immediately After Graduation, 2021)
•Land an entry-level scouting position within a sport.
‣Connect with, and send a follow up promotional
email to, 30-40 sports team members on
LinkedIn by December 31, 2020.
Mid Term: (2026)
•Create multiple scouting reports for different athletes.
‣Discover 5 or more valuable recruits by draft
day in early June, 2026.
Long Term: (2040)
•Work my way through the ranks to become the Head
Scout for a team.
‣Have 15-20 players on the team scouted by me
before the start of the 2040 season.

6. SKILLS ANALYSIS
Notable Skills & Current Proficiencies:
Notable Skills REQUIRED in TRADE & Current Proficiencies:
Microsoft Office 85%
Critical Thinking 65%
Empathy 70%
Sports Knowledge 80%
SOFTHARD
Sports Knowledge 90%
Microsoft Office 65%
Communication Skills 40%
Interpersonal Skills 45%
SOFTHARD

7. I help professional sports teams find new
young talent by inspiring the athletes with the
use of stories and history surrounding the
team and their success.
PROMISE

8. CREDENTIALS
Work Experience:
•3 years of Customer Service
•Created a complete Business Plan as a
project in high school.
Education:
•Information Literacy Certificate, Lynda.com
•Sports Marketing & Media, B.S., Full Sail University (Exp. 2021)
Awards:
•Became a Brother of the Alpha Epsilon Pi
Fraternity

9. COMPETITION
Renard Maxwell
Industry Experience:
• Founded Trophy Case Media, LLC
• 3 years Administrative Assistant / Credit
Counselor, Elite Credit Solutions
Education:
• Studied Sports Marketing & Media, B.S. at Full Sail
University (2019)
Leadership Experience:
• Game Day & Event Operations Assistant, Florida High
School Athletic Association (2016)
• Pro Bowl Brand Ambassador, National Football League
(2017)
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Adobe Creative Suite - 3 endorsements
• Graphic Design - 2 endorsements
• Social Media Marketing - 3 endorsements
Liam Smith
Overall Online Presence:
• 500+ connections, has custom background image, a
professional looking headshot, detailed contact
information, moderately active on social media
• Grade: Good, 60 out of 100
Industry Experience:
• 3 years in Customer Service with
multiple companies
Education:
• Current student enrolled in Sports Marketing & Media,
B.S. at Full Sail University
Leadership Experience:
• Manager for Captain Blighs Landing
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Customer Service - 0 endorsements
• Adobe Creative Suite - 0 endorsements
• Microsoft Office - 0 endorsements
Overall Online Presence:
• Less than 100 connections, has a custom background
image, a semi-professional headshot, moderately
detailed contact information, little social media presence
• Grade: Low, 10 out of 100

10. COMPETITION
Mike Burns
Industry Experience:
• ~11 years of scouting experience, 3
years as the Coordinator of Amateur
Scouting
Education:
• Sports & Hospitality Management, B.S. Temple
University
Noteworthy Experience:
• Scouting Internship - Philadelphia Phillies for 3 years
• Baseball Operations Assistant - Huston Astros for 1 year
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Scouting - 99+ endorsements
• Baseball - 87 endorsements
• Athletics - 81 endorsements
Liam Smith
Overall Online Presence:
• 500+ connections, banner image not yet customized,
polished headshot, detailed profile summaries, no
recommendations, no volunteer work, URL not yet
customized
• Grade: Good, 65 out of 100
Industry Experience:
• 3 years in Customer Service with
multiple companies
Education:
• Current student enrolled in Sports Marketing & Media,
B.S. at Full Sail University
Leadership Experience:
• Manager for Captain Blighs Landing
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Customer Service - 0 endorsements
• Adobe Creative Suite - 0 endorsements
• Microsoft Office - 0 endorsements
Overall Online Presence:
• Less than 100 connections, has a custom background
image, a semi-professional headshot, moderately
detailed contact information, little social media presence
• Grade: Low, 10 out of 100

11. BRAND POSITION
Expressing my passion for sports though
stories allows me to connect with people’s
emotions creating a more personal experience.
LIAM “BIG CHEESE” SMITH
Liam earned the nickname Big
Cheese during a trip to
Cooperstown, NY for a baseball
tournament.

12. NETWORKING &
MARKETING
Industry Events & Organizations
• 2020 Pro Scouting School
‣ June 7 - 9 | Las Vegas, NV
• Sabermetrics, Scouting, and the Science of Baseball
‣ August 10 - 11| Boston, MA
• The Baseball Bureau Scout School
‣ October 9 - 13 |Undisclosed Location
Digital Marketing
• Primary Content: Attempt to use social media on a more
regular basis as well as continue to increase industry
knowledge to further my credibility.
• Primary Tools: Twitter and Reddit - Post my opinions on many
topics surrounding sports and history surrounding sports and
their teams.
• Website: Full Sail digital portfolio site to showcase school work;
use blog to showcase sports knowledge and history.

13. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Mentor
• Seeking senior-level Scout with multiple years of
scouting experience in any sport. December 2020
Formal Education
• Complete Sports Marketing & Media, B.S. by expected
graduation date in 2021
Technical Skills
• Earn certificates for Microsoft Office and other software
using Lynda.com
• Learn SQL - Lynda.com, December 2020
• Learn SQL Database - Lynda.com, December 2020
Soft Skills
• Interpersonal Skills - Lynda.com, Sept. 2020
• Communication Skills - Lynda.com, Oct. 2020
• Increase Baseball Knowledge, starting Nov. 2019
• Video Editing - Lynda.com, Nov. 2020

14. Fullie Salen
Every team is attempting to get better on a daily
basis. Having the ability to connect with the future
athletes around the nation gives me the chance to spread your teams
passion and history to the future generations. Allowing for the next
generation of Jr’s and Jordans to come full circle with your organization.
“

15. REFERENCES
Area Scouting Supervisor - Mid Atlantic Region with Houston
Astros in Houston · TX. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://
www.teamworkonline.com/baseball-jobs/houstonbaseball/
houston-astros/area-scouting-supervisor-mid-atlantic-
region-1964940.
Careers. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://milb.atsondemand.com/.
Careers. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://
www.teamworkonline.com/baseball-jobs/orioles-jobs/baltimore-
orioles-jobs/scouting-analyst-1964162.
Mike Burns. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/in/
mike-burns-43591b42/.
Pro Scout School: #1 Event to Learn From NBA Scouts. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://proscoutschool.com/.
Renard Maxwell. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://
www.linkedin.com/in/renardmaxwell/.
Slovejoy. (2016, August 4). Sabermetrics Scouting and the
Science of Baseball - Summer, 2019. Retrieved from http://
www.saberseminar.com/.
Summary Report for: 27-2022.00 - Coaches and Scouts. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/
27-2022.00#Education.
THE BASEBALL BUREAU. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://
www.thebaseballbureau.com/.