For over a decade, Patrick’s worked for top firms like ESPN and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)— telling the stories of some of Australia's leading athletes, covering various Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups, and producing ESPN’s flagship sports show, SportsCenter.
In 2003, he created his own sports calendar—Sportsyear—producing and selling over 10,000 Sportsyear diaries each year. He decided to pursue an Executive MBA at AGSM—part of the University of New South Wales—to take his business to the next level.
Set to complete the final year of his EMBA in 2018, he’s modernizing the business, launching a digital platform so users can find out what sports is on and where they can watch it.
Patrick’s non-traditional MBA background makes him stand out. As a well-travelled sports journalist, he’s never had any issues finding classmates for a group assignment. At AGSM, he’s future-proofing himself and his business at the same time.
How did the idea to start up Sportsyear come about?
Sportsyear was an idea that myself and a former work colleague had over a decade ago to compile the Australian sporting calendar and deliver it in a diary format. We became tired of writing down all the year's best events in our own calendars each year and felt there would be an appetite for an in-depth sporting guide among sports fans and the Australian sports industry.
Where are you at right now? What do you hope to achieve?
Sportsyear's mission is to help those serious about sport plan it right. Right now, the business is in the midst of a digital transformation. We know that the Sportsyear Diary will no longer remain as popular as it is, so we have to invest in new products to stay relevant.
Already, with our MVP, we have found we are solving a big problem for the hospitality industry, which currently is spending a considerable amount of time and effort planning and promoting live sporting events.
How have you profited from your Executive MBA experience at AGSM?
Almost everything I’ve learned during my MBA I’ve applied to my full-time role as a journalist at the ABC as well as Sportsyear in some capacity.
If I had to pick one stand out course that I have found most pertinent across my career to date, I would nominate data and statistical analysis. I don't have a mathematical brain, but improving my skills at data analysis has helped me save time, extract news-lines and improve my performance for my ABC stories as well as decision-making within Sportsyear.
Why did you decide to pursue an Executive MBA at AGSM?
I wanted to future-proof my career in the Australian media, meet like-minded people, and develop a unique skillset of both understanding content and best-practice business principles. AGSM’s EMBA program stood out because of its reputation as one of Australia's leading business schools and its hands-on approach to learning.
What advice do you have for anyone considering an MBA?
I think people should think about how committed they can be to their learning. If you are willing to put in the time, you will succeed. The teaching is of such quality I believe that it gives everybody a great opportunity to benefit.
In terms of choosing a school my advice for people would be to think about the long term. This is an investment in your career. If you are going to make this time-sacrifice, I think you’re doing yourself an injustice selecting an inferior institution.
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