Born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia, Tykera Carter knew she wanted to pursue a career in sports from a young age. From playing basketball growing up to becoming a Division I student-athlete at Sacred Heart University, Tykera has been surrounded by the game for as long as she can remember. It was during her time in college though that she discovered her interest in sports broadcasting and journalism. After interning with WTNH News 8 and CT Sports Now in Connecticut, Tykera learned the ins and outs of what it took to create content and put together a live production. It has only been up from there! From working on a series of freelance projects to starting her own digital show and podcast, Tykera has fostered her personal brand in the industry. She is currently a Digital & Social Content Publisher for the WNBA & NBA, and looks forward to strengthening her knowledge in the world of content creation—while working towards her ultimate goal of becoming a sports broadcaster. This is only the beginning!
How was that transition of going from basketball to sports broadcasting like for you?
I always knew that the basketball would stop bouncing at some point in my life. I was pretty sure that one thing that I wanted to do was stay around sports. I knew it wouldn't be the easiest transition, but because I loved sports, it was something that I was willing to do and hone in on. I don't full-time broadcast at this time, but that is the route that I eventually want to end up pursuing. Being able to do so in school, and getting some experience in it, has been pretty cool—especially since I know the game of basketball and have been playing ever since I was a little girl. Being able to highlight the game in a different light has been important for me, and it has been fun as well.
Definitely! Let’s dive more into that transition. Now that you are out of college, how was that transition like of going from being a student-athlete to being a full-time creative immersed in the world of sports?
Yeah! You know, it was tough at first. When I first graduated, I did not have a full-time job in sports. I was just freelancing, networking, going to different events, meeting people, and trying to build my resume doing work for free. One of the things that I did for free that I actually really enjoyed and helped me get immersed more into the world of sports and basketball was working for DMV Sports 1. When I was doing that, I would go to football games and basketball games to shoot players—that was my first experience going into the Washington Mystics’ locker room, the Washington Wizards’ locker room, and different things like that. I was a little star-struck (at first), but then you kind of get used to it and accustomed to it. It was a great transition for the most part. Even though there were some days where I was sad that everything wasn't paid, I remembered the fact that I was doing it solely off of the love and wanting to be great at something. It took sacrifice, and through the process, I was working part-time at DSW for a little bit while freelancing. Then I was also working a part-time job at a car dealership, but I didn't lose sight of what I wanted to do full-time.
Diving into your inspiration, how did you remain motivated and inspired to continue pushing—at times where people may feel discouraged because they are not getting paid or they don't have that job. What kept you inspired during that time?
I think the bigger picture kept me inspired. Keeping into perspective that I was young at the time, that everybody's journey is just different, and that I was running my own race (kept me inspired). I had to really look into that and just know that my journey was going to be different than somebody else's. I had to remember that the way that I viewed success or didn't view success wasn't going to be the same as the next person. So I think that was important for me because it allowed me to really hone in on that, and continue going—even on the days where it was tough or the days when I wasn’t getting paid much at DSW. You know, experience pays, so having an open mind was definitely very important too.
Going into your personal brand, how did you get started building your personal brand in the space?