Pete Radovich, CBS Sports: If I could choose one emotion I want to evoke in you, it would be tears of joy

I have loved storytelling my whole life. I mostly give speeches only at colleges related to media and production, but this time I don’t care what you study because this story is more valuable than a job; it is applicable in life. It is an incredible advantage to have the ability to tell your own story, said CBS Sports creative director Pete Radovich at the beginning of his keynote speech on The Power of Story, in which he introduced the audience to the creative and production power that every strong story carries as the foundation for creating any audiovisual content.

Croatian Roots

In case you haven’t heard of him yet, Pete Radovich was appointed creative director of CBS Sports in September 2009, and since then he has become senior creative director and vice president of production. He is a recipient of 41 Emmy awards in 17 different categories, the production coordinator for the Inside the NFL program on Paramount+, and a producer of NFL broadcasts, NCAA championships, golf tournaments, and other sporting events for CBS Sports. As a senior creative director, Radovich is responsible for the look, image, and graphic design of the CBS Sports channel.

As Radovich himself said during the lecture, he grew up in Astoria, the ‘Croatian’ part of New York, in a poor family that immigrated to America from Croatia. He knew that opportunities for people with a story like his do not come every day, but he was also aware that he would seize every chance he got.

– In high school and college, I played basketball. My mother worked as a cleaner, and my father in a factory. They came to the USA without schooling, from Pašman and Kaprije. I grew up in poverty, spent my days on the court, and had no contacts for career development. In college, I had to do an internship, and my friend Zach, with whom I still hang out, managed to get me a job at NBC Sports. Even though I was finishing marketing, not journalism or production, I accepted that offer.

When I entered the building, I wondered if it was possible that this was a real paid job! I had to be at the internship two days a week, but I came every day. I quickly started getting responsibilities and tasks, and I knew I was in the right place at the right time. I saw an opportunity and seized it, Radovich said.

If You Get a Chance, Listen to Your Heart

That his story is much more than being in the right place at the right time is shown by his persistence and hunger for success, as well as the creativity that opened doors for his advancement. At first, he worked as a production assistant and says he has always been good at drawing. Over time, producers began to fight for him as an assistant, and after just a year of work, he found himself at Wimbledon.

At that time, a producer told Radovich to sit in his chair and do the job because he had to go to meetings. However, at the moment he was given the responsibility, Radovich froze and didn’t know how to make a decision. The editor got angry with him and told the producer it was a bad decision.

– I knew what I wanted to do, but it was different from what others suggested, so I almost went back to normal and safe. Suddenly, I decided that if I had this chance, I had to do the job the way I wanted. It turned out great, and it changed my life forever, Radovich explained.

Explaining the beginning of his career, he told the audience that he had been a good bullshitter since he was little. He always knew how to engage people with a story that he believes is key to touching people. A few years ago, a writer wanted to show the incredibly powerful impact of storytelling.

Stories We Remember

– He went to a flee market and bought 100 insignificant products, from cheap to slightly more expensive. He selected 100 products and 100 writers, each received one product. He asked them to write a story about their products. We are talking about shot glasses, wooden birds, early figurines, ashtrays, and wooden hobby horses… After that, he put them on eBay. He realized that the value of the products increases immensely if an interesting story stands behind them. They earned several thousand dollars and donated it to charity, Radovich recounted.

Given that he works in the most competitive American market – and in the media, he said he always has to be ready to create stories that will touch people and that people will remember. As a good example of the role emotions play in every story, he cited a one-minute commercial for Budweiser at the American Super Bowl that cost five million dollars.

– They didn’t come and say they have the best beer in the world because they don’t. Instead, they spent money and wanted to tell their story in those 60 seconds. They told the story of immigrants in America, the story of how Budweiser came to market. Since that ad aired, I have a new respect for the company. Is their beer better or tastier because of that? No, but I appreciate them as a brand. I appreciate their story, Radovich said.

In his long career, he has worked on announcements for the Super Bowl, Italy’s Series A football league, and various other sporting events. Radovich has collaborated with stars like Tom Cruise, John Malkovich, and Tom Brady, and the key to his success lies in reaching the hearts of the audience through emotional stories that leave an indelible mark in the audience’s memory.

– If I could choose one emotion I want to evoke in you, it would be tears of joy, Radovich concluded.