Rising Stars: Meet Brandon Green

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Green. 

Hi Brandon, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My career started at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. I was a part of the college radio station, school newspaper, and a communication major. I had two internships during my college career. 

The first was at WHAG-TV in Hagerstown, Maryland, where I was a sports intern. I followed Jason Dumas, Matt Finkel, and Allie Berube around every Friday. I learned the business of how to get a sports reporter. I did that for a full school year during my junior year. 

In my senior year of college, I interned at DMVStream in Virginia. This internship was really important to jumpstart my career. Owner B.J. Koubaroulis allowed me to cover high school sports around D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV). I got to cover high school powerhouses like DeMatha, Gonzaga, St. Johns, and Georgetown Prep, just to name a few. This was also my first “for real” on-air opportunity because we would a highlight show every week. 

After I graduated from college in 2018 is when my journey really started. I waited about almost 9 months to get my first job. During that time, DMVStream turned into a sports producer and cameraman position. I was also working at Macy’s. Those nine months were tough because you start to doubt yourself a little bit and your abilities. I just remember my parents would just tell me to stick to the path and keep going; real encouraging things. 

I got my first job in sports in March 2019. I moved from Maryland to Sioux Falls, South Dakota at KDLT-TV as a news/sports reporter. 

I only spent about nine months in Sioux Falls, but I learned so much. I always say it was like going to grad school but getting paid. 

I learned from Sports director Mark Ovenden and Zach Borg. These two taught me so much; I can’t even put it into words. When I got there, I thought I knew what it took be great at sports reporting. But they proved me and humbled me. From when I started to when I left you could see a real change in my delivery and presence on camera and in storytelling. 

At the end of 2019, KDLT, unfortunately, was sold to Gray TV and the station merged with KSFY-TV leaving many people without jobs, including me. 

I had two job offers: one from a TV station in Montana and ABC12 in Flint, Michigan. 

I choose Flint because of the legacy of the station and the opportunity to cover the Big Ten and Detroit prosports. 

I worked as a news reporter through the pandemic, which like everything during the pandemic, was hard because I loved sports. In October 2020, sports finally came back, and I was back to doing what I loved being a sports reporter. 

During my first two years at ABC12, I told countless stories about Flint basketball players leaving the city to investigate diversity and inclusion in the sport of hockey. In December 2021, I was prompted to weekend sports anchor, a dream. But then in May 2022, I was promoted to Sports Director, which blew my mind because three years ago, I was in South Dakota wondering where my career would take. Becoming the first black sports director in the history of ABC12 is something I take pride in and to do it at 25 years old is a blessing. 

This past year, I also won two APME awards for best sportscast and best sports coverage. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Rough patch was when I worked at Macy’s because I felt like I wasn’t being seen and I would never break into the sports industry. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am the Sports Director at ABC12/WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan. 

I anchor the 5 pm, 6 pm, and 11 pm sportscasts every day along with telling the community stories. 

Our coverage area goes from in the thumb at Bad Axe to as far north as Mount Pleasant. 

We also cover colleges Saginaw Valley State, Northwood, Central Michigan, Mott Community College, Delta College, Michigan, and Michigan State. Along with every Detroit pro sports team. 

Contact Info:

• Website: abc12.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bgreen.reports/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BGreenReports
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BGreenReports 
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe9qg8fu1PCTSolTnDLo5-Q

Image Credits
Brandon Green