MIKE JAKUCIONIS

I was born and raised in a northern New Jersey town named Madison. The town has a strong and proud sports heritage with alumni like NFL quarterback Neil O’Donnell. I grew up playing baseball, soccer, football, golf, and also swam and acted in various productions. Once I was in third grade, my Dad began taking me to Jets games, first at Giants Stadium and later at Metlife Stadium. My inspiration to pursue sports journalism began when I started to bring a little Cannon Powershot camera with me to games. I would try and catch Mark Sanchez mid throw or Darelle Revis getting an interception.

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While Madison was a great place to grow up, I decided I wanted to move away from the North and began searching for a southern school to call home. Of all the southern schools I visited, Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina was the one I set my heart on. It was an easy decision to enroll when my acceptance letter came while visiting another college’s accepted students day. That love of the south has never left me, and it's still the place I want to call home.

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Interning at WYFF 4 cemented my desire to to pursue sports journalism. The atmosphere at the games was something I always looked forward to across all sports. I've always enjoyed paying and watching sports, and covering them professionally keeps me close to the game. 

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WBKB was been a wonderful learning opportunity for me. The best comparison I can give is to an athlete who decides to attend Junior College prior to signing with a major program. The reasons vary for athletes: grades, size, maturity, etc. For me, my lone experience came during my WYFF internship. Most of that was structured around my abilities with a camera and not my presence or personality in front of it. WBKB ultimately helped me begin to mold those and shape my news identity.

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From WBKB, I ventured back to the south and found a new home with WRDW/WAGT in Augusta, Georgia. It was a major step up: there were nearly 50 high schools, 3 DII colleges with great golf and basketball programs, UGA, USC, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, Georgia State for larger college programs, Not to mention, the world's best golf tournament with the Masters. 

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The initial COVID lockdown began, and our sports department was reduced in size from 2 down to 1. I was thankful to still have a job as a photographer. My Sports Director decided to step down after 2 months of stretching sports content as much as he could, and I became the station's new sports director.

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I remained as director for a year and a half before deciding to step away from the field. The job was good to me in plenty of ways: from college football, 2 Masters tournaments, a World Series, and plenty more. However, I found myself no longer enjoying the job as much and decided it was a time for a change.

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Now, I'm seeking a new direction. Please enjoy some of my previous clips to get an understanding of how I conduct myself professionally, and what type of worker I hope to be in my next employment opportunity.