Sports is a world Bianca Peart has been drawn to from a young age. From basketball to tennis to softball to competitive cheerleading, Bianca remembers playing various sports growing up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania that fueled her competitive drive and strengthened her interest in the industry. It was during her time at Penn State University—where she pursued several opportunities with the Athletics Department—that she began to discover her true passions within the space. This was just the start. As she dove into different realms such as sports marketing, fan engagement, and sponsorships, Bianca became more eager to learn about the journalism side of the industry. In 2017, she did just that. Bianca enrolled at Columbia University and pursued a master's degree in journalism. She hasn’t looked back since. Throughout her journey in sports, Bianca has worked with an array of organizations including the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, NFL, and New York City Football Club. Along with this, she has also co-founded "Bold and Brilliant Life"—a community dedicated to helping people navigate careers—and continued her work in education helping high school students in underrepresented communities access Advanced Placement courses. As she navigates her journey in sports, Bianca is excited to build her personal brand on and off the court further and is looking forward to tapping into the hosting space in the near future. Incredible!
You mentioned that you played the game growing up. When did you know that you wanted to pursue a career beyond the court but still wanted to be immersed in the sports industry?
Well, it's interesting you say that because I think I could not get away from sports (*laughs*). It wasn't intended. This path was not planned. It wasn't my plan, clearly it was this world’s plan. Growing up, it was like going to school, getting your education, and getting a secure good job. I used sports as an outlet. I was considering going to college on scholarships for basketball, but they were Division II schools. My mom was like, “Focus on education.” I guess I took that advice if you will, and I went to Penn State and was at (their) main campus in University Park in Central Pennsylvania. I was studying business and I was like, “Well, Penn State has one of the best football teams. Let me see if they need any help.” So I started interning with their football department as well as the basketball department. I worked on the sponsorship side. I supported fan engagement, and got involved in different elements of the sports world through a lot of internships in college. To go back a little bit, in high school for our senior project we had to do a report on a job we would be interested in. Basically, job shadowing and then (doing a) report on your job shadowing experience.
Everyone did local jobs, but I—I don't know why—decided to reach out to the Philadelphia Phillies and ask. I was like, “Oh, I'm doing this high school project. Can I shadow anyone?” Surprisingly, they said yes; so that's when I first stepped in on the professional level. I job shadowed Rob MacPherson, Director of Sponsorships for the Philadelphia Phillies, and it was just something I did. I played softball and he happened to know my softball coach, so it just worked out. (From there), I just kept doing these internships. When it was time to graduate college—I still work a nine-to-five job but it's not in sports—, there was a hiring freeze and I was freaking out. I was like, “Oh my gosh, what am I going to do? I just moved to New York.” There was an ad on the train that said: “We're coming to Brooklyn.” That’s when the Brooklyn Nets moved to Brooklyn. I was freaking out. I was just like: “Let me go on their website and see what they have.” They had a Game Presentation job posting, and I applied. Again, in cyberspace, you don't know if you're really gonna get a call back. I got a call back and then kind of the rest is history. I've been with the Brooklyn Nets since that moment, and still am working game nights with that squad.
Wow, that's awesome! Diving a little bit more into your journey early on, how was that transition from college into the world of sports media like for you?
So I studied business management and information systems, and being a fan of sports, I was just around sports. Also, I was kind of into journalism—I took one class in high school as a random elective to fill. My senior year of college I was like, “Wait, let me test out a few more communications courses.” So I took a video (course), an ‘Introduction to Journalism’ course, and a few COMS courses. Business is still in my mind, and technically, I still work in business at my education job; but (with sports) we keep finding each other. I think what helped were internships. Internships were extremely critical in college, and I was fortunate enough to go to a school that has a great sports history. I was like a workhorse. I was like, “Oh, let me do sponsorships. Let me do fan engagement.” That's when I realized what I didn't like and (it) allowed me to focus a little bit more on what I was interested in, which is the game entertainment side—that's what I love. I think because of those college internships, it allowed me to stand out with that position with the Nets. The beautiful thing in the industry and with my role is that you can have any background, it's more of the skills you have. You know, being proactive, learning how to work under stressful situations, learning how to have hospitable skills. It requires a variety of skills, which are transferable, and I think it really set me up to do great with that transition.
You touched on your passion for game entertainment along with your interest in hosting. When did you discover that you were interested in stepping into the hosting space as well?