Welcome to the All-New ArizonaVarsity.com!
For the last five years, myself and the crew at ArizonaVarsity have covered prep athletics in the state's various communities alongside a vast and talented landscape of journalists and content creators. Today, our mission expands, and some of those talented journalists and content creators become part of our community.
As ArizonaVarsity.com expands to cover sports and culture in our state, from prep athletics to the pros, we welcome several talented and passionate individuals on board as co-owners of the site. That's right- not employees, co-owners. We're building a brand-new cooperative way to to produce content and support the local sports media community... to create content for the sake of creation and collaboration. Not for clicks. Not against deadlines. Not to appease corporate partners. We're just here to make cool stuff with our friends.
This is going to be fun.
When I started covering sports in the state of Arizona back in 2012, I quickly learned that the best part about the local sports scene were the people involved in telling stories and finding a way to entertain sports consumers. It seemed that around every turn were established professionals who went out of their way to give the new guy an opportunity to be creative, and collaborate with them on projects that they were producing.
I wouldn't be in the position that I am today without the local sports reporting community, and not just as a professional, but as a person. Whether it was Brad Cesmat and the crew at Sports360AZ (then called Pros2Preps) reaching out to give me a platform to write op-eds, Tyler Baldwin at 3TV giving me a shot to appear on multiple episodes of Varsity Zone, Jon Perryman, the original owner of ArizonaVarsity.com, getting me plugged into the world of collegiate recruiting, local prep sports reporting icons like Kevin McCabe and Jose Garcia giving me a platform on local radio, Kevin Derryberry showing me that producing your own audio content is possible, and the advice, guidance and accessibility of guys like Jason Jewell, Dave Zorn, Andy Morales, and countless others, there's no way that I'd have been able stay encouraged and keep my head above water in a very tough business. If not for the support of the people that make up the prep sports community, I'd never have lasted long enough to get a shot to work with Hod Rabino of Devils Digest, which led me opportunities to take part in podcasts with Brad Denny and Joe Healey, which gave me the confidence to pitch a national college football podcast to my now-good-friend George Wrighster.
And without the local sports reporting community, I'm not sure I could have made it through some serious family health challenges.
These people aren't just my friends, they're my family. They make up the community that I actively and excitedly choose to exist in, and engage with, on a daily basis.
Because of that, I want ArizonaVarsity.com to be a reflection and celebration of the unique goodness of this industry. I want this website to be a place for journalists and creators who are employed by oft-competing entities to come together, support each other, and tell the stories of this incredible state's culture of sports.
More than anything, I want to be part of a team that operates with the knowledge that their value isn't measured by their work, but instead, their work is a reflection of their value.
Introducing, #TeamAZV:
J "Chilly" Carrillo (The CEO)
"All I can say is that I hope that all the families out there, and I hope that all other the aspiring reporters, I hope that everybody jumps on the bus. Jump on the bus and let's take this ride."
"...working with a team where we all specialize in certain categories, but we all have a common bond, I think that's why this is going to be extremely successful. I'm looking forward to being part, with some old friends, and working with some new friends."
"Something I'm really looking forward to, is working with so many talented writers and broadcasters in the state. We've got some great personalities in here and I think it's going to be an absolute blast."
"This new team just brings expertise in so many ways... it's also an opportunity to come together for collaborations, and I think we'll be able to do a lot of dynamic things with this. It's kind of like a Dream Team if you will, and I'm certainly happy to be a part of it..."
"I'm excited to continue to run the Blue Chips Forum, and provide high school, college, and maybe a little NBA look inside... I look forward to being part of the group, and getting to work."
"There are so many interesting angles, and so much history... to talk about, to uncover, to share opinions on. I'm looking forward to working with so many of the people on this site, and figuring out what this will all be for all of us."
"I am super excited to be a part of this because of the opportunity to collaborate with some extremely talented people, and talk about what I just can't quit- sports in the state that I am born and raised."
"When you look at the other media members that are actually joining, and jumping on board... including Jason Skoda, who mentored me when I was an intern for Times Media Group, it was an easy decision to join."
"To be colleagues now in this capacity is a really cool opportunity. I also just like the freedom that's allowed. I think it allows everybody to go to their strengths and use them in a collaborative way. It's gonna be a good time."
"I'm excited to combine high school sports with lifestyle and culture. I'm excited about the opportunity to work with a great group of people, most of whom you know far better than me. Ralph Amsden, Chilly, Cody Cameron just to name a few. Jason Skoda's going to join us. Andy Silvas is the best photographer around. So I'm real excited to join this crew and be a part of this team."
"I love the fact that I can be part of it, and the ideas we have now, moving forward it's going to be a really special site that I think's gonna blow up. I'm thankful to be part of it and can't wait to get started."
"I'm excited to be part of this group and expand what I'm able to do. I want to get into some longer form podcasts and talk to some of these sports people that you know, but don't know much about, and bring some of these southeastern athletes to light in from of some eyes and ears around the state of Arizona."
"We have some very talented guys, some great storytellers, and some really good friends that I've gotten to know in the last 4-5 years while shooting on the sidelines."
"That whole team is phenomenal, and they've been allies to Sports360AZ, and we've been allies to them. I feel like we've worked a lot in an unofficial capacity together, and always enjoyed each other's company... I'm excited to work with them in an official capacity, jumping on and creating cool content with my friends..."
"I'm so humbled to be asked to be a part of this family. I've watched it from afar for a while, and admired what they're doing, in how they support each other, and love each other... I cannot wait to get started."
You can hear from the new team members themselves by listening to the latest episode of the ArizonaSportsCast Podcast through one of the platforms below, or by subscribing on iTunes.
To listen to the ArizonaVarsity.com re-launch podcast on Podbean, CLICK HERE, or press play below:
To listen to the ArizonaVarsity.com re-launch podcast on Soundcloud, CLICK HERE, or press play below:
To support this ArizonaVarsity community, please consider a Rivals subscription, which gives you access to all the premium stories in our affiliated network, and gets you access to our TeamAZV forum, where we all like to hang out and chat about sports and culture.
For business and advertising inquiries, please email Erin Amsden, our director of business operations, at erinamsden@arizonavarsity.com.
In the meantime, all stories, videos and podcast featured on ArizonaVarsity.com will always be free to access.
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