Welcome our 2021 Fall Interns!

Anne-Thomas Proctor

Hey! My name is Anne-Thomas Proctor and I’m a strategy intern at Knight Eady! I’m from Louisville, Kentucky, but I’m not even close to being a Louisville fan! Go Cats! I’m currently a senior Public Relations major at Samford University. Deciding to study Public Relations was an easy decision, especially when I took my Practicum class last semester and had the opportunity to run a full campaign from start to finish for a local Ice Cream shop. When I saw the owner, who knew nothing about social media, grow to appreciate good PR, I quickly realized I was in the right place.

1. Why do you believe in Sports?
   1. The greatest bond in the world is sports. It has a profound impact on society through molding and shaping people into who they are and what they are meant to be. I hope to use sports to have that same impact!
2. Why did you choose to apply for Knight Eady?
   1. I have played sports my whole life. Ever since I could remember I had a ball in my hands, specifically a basketball! Applying to Knight Eady was the easiest decision I have ever made. Being a part of a team that values creating a compelling story in sports is what I was most looking for in an internship to help propel me in my career one day. 
3. What year are you in school?
   1. Senior 
4. What are you interested in about this industry? 
   1. Strategy 
5. Your favorite class that applies to your major or this industry.
   1. Sports PR and Advertising 
6. Fun fact or two 
   1.  Scored 1,000 points in high school 
   2. My favorite food is BBQ
7. What do you hope to do in your career or where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
   1. My dream job is working for the Boston Red Sox! But in 10 years I see myself working as a Strategic Marketer or something along those lines at a cool company like Knight Eady!  

Kalil Stroud

I was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama in the Eastlake area of the city. I attended Tarrant and Barrett Elementary for K-5, then Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School from sixth through eighth grade. I attended and obtained my high school diploma from Woodlawn Magnet High School. I am currently working on earning my degree in Marketing with a concentration in digital marketing from UAB. I am not in any clubs on campus, but I use my marketing education and skills to run a clothing and lifestyle brand named Real Street Dreamers created by one of my best friends when we were in high school. My hobbies consist of studying marketing, playing video games, and hanging out with my friends.

1. Why do you believe in sports?
   1. I believe in sports because it delivers a true human experience unlike anything else on this planet. It is mentally, emotionally, and socially unique in every way. It is the only place where enemies can respect each other because of the art. Also, individuals who grew up in similar conditions as me, and in some cases more dangerous conditions than I did, had to use sports as a way to escape dangerous environments. Sports created a safe place for kids to be themselves, make lifelong friends, and learn valuable life lessons. 
2. Why did you choose to apply for Knight Eady?
   1. I chose to apply for Knight Eady after looking at their website and feeling a great sense of camaraderie and genuineness to the art of sports. After about two months of swimming through internship applications with organizations I don’t feel like were a fit for me and not hearing back from the ones that I was genuinely interested in, I found Knight Eady like a needle in a haystack. On my first day I can tell that this workspace is engaging and fun, never a drag. The energy in this place is contagious.
3. What year are you in school?
   1. Senior, graduating December 11, 2021 
4. What are you interested in about this industry? 
   1. Honestly I am interested in this industry as a whole. It amazes me how all the different segments come together to form a single cohesive game plan that elevates a brand to the next level and how it’s a never ending cycle. The goal is to continuously evolve.
5. Your favorite class that applies to your major or this industry.
   1. Strategic Marketing 
6. Fun fact or two 
   1. I collect sneakers 
   2. My favorite meal is Breakfast for Dinner
7. What do you hope to do in your career or where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
   1. In my career I definitely hope to become part of the Knight Eady team. I hope to gain as much experience in business as possible so that I may develop into a well versed businessman. I hope to develop the Real Street Dreamers brand into an iconic worldwide entity. My family and I have also often talked about opening a soul food restaurant and through these brands I hope to touch as many lives as possible. To be a positive influence to young kids like me and show them that there are more ways to make it out of their environment.

McKayla Brown

I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, a student, a musician, and a southerner and my name is McKayla Brown. I was born and raised in Marietta, Georgia about forty five minutes north of Atlanta, but with traffic that becomes an hour or more. I moved to Birmingham to attend Samford University in the fall of 2018 and declared my major as Communication Studies the following year. I didn’t know much about the major, I just knew I loved to write and heard it was “writing heavy”. I joined a sorority my freshman year of college that has brought me wonderful friends and memories. I enjoy writing songs and playing guitar whenever I get the chance and long had the dream to be the “next Taylor Swift” until I realized that required performing in front of people.

1. Why do you believe in sports?
   1. I grew up in Georgia rooting for the underdog most of the time whether it be the Braves or the Falcons. I loved going to Braves games at Turner Field and watching Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Chipper Jones, and others play. Now I watch Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, and of course Freddie Freeman and others play at Truist Park. Some of my favorite memories take me back to the stands of a Braves game with peanuts and a foam tomahawk in hand. On a smaller scale, I played little league softball for a few years, along with many other sports before I realized that I was less athletic than I thought and more artistically inclined. Growing up playing sports brought me community and taught me life lessons that I would not have learned otherwise. Lessons like how to work with others and work towards the greater good of the group, how to be disciplined and work for what you want, how to listen to authority and trust their wisdom, how to manage time and lead a balanced life. I believe in sports for their ability to bring people of all backgrounds together, bring families closer, teach life lessons, and for their unique ability to make people believe in something bigger than themselves. 
2. Why did you choose to apply for Knight Eady?
   1. As an upperclassman in college people love to ask me what I want to do after college. This time last year I started telling people I wanted to work in public relations. The only problem was that all I knew about PR was what I had found in a Google search. I took a public relations course last spring and loved it. I thought, “I can do this and do this well”. Flash forward to this past summer I started browsing Indeed for fall internships in the PR world. I asked my internship class professor for some help finding internships as well. She sent the Knight Eady application to me. I was excited to find that Knight Eady focuses on and believes in sports. I have been interested in sports PR for a while so I immediately jumped on the opportunity to be in on the action at Knight Eady. 
3. What year are you in school?
   1. Senior
4. What are you interested in about this industry? 
   1. I am interested in working in public relations, preferably at an agency as an account manager of multiple clients. 
5. Your favorite class that applies to your major or this industry.
   1. My favorite class that I have had that applies to this industry is Principles of Public Relations, which I took last spring. That class made me realize Public Relations is what I want to do. I am excited to take a class called Public Relations and Communication this semester which will teach me more about specific aspects of public relations like blog posts, media plans, etc. 
6. Fun fact or two 
   1. Some fun facts about me are that I auditioned for American Idol but got cut the round before the TV round and I hiked a volcano in Guatemala. 
7. What do you hope to do in your career or where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
   1. I hope to either work at a public relations agency as an account manager, work for a sports team as a public relations assistant or director, or maybe even work in music industry public relations.  

Sean Fredella

My name is Sean Fredella, I am a junior at Samford University, and I love sports because I believe they mean more than the play on the field. At a young age, I was diagnosed with cancer and sports were an outlet for me to get away from the horrors and pains of my diagnoses. Superstars came to visit me in hospitals, invited me to games, and even helped me start my non profit- More Than 4 Athletics. It was then when I realized that athletes were everyday people like you and I, but they just happened to be professional in athletics! Sometimes we forget that athletes are people too and that they want to help their communities and follow other passions. That led me to be interested in the creative side of sports! Being able to capture the game on and off the field with dynamic storytelling is a key component in the wide world of sports and I want to learn how to be better with my creativity.

1. Why did you choose to apply for Knight Eady?
   1. I chose to apply to Knight Eady because I have so much to learn! I would say I have a basic understanding of editing and design. Without Knight Eady, I would not be able to master these skills in a professional work environment. I am also very excited to embrace and overcome challenges that I cannot predict! Another skill I want to work on is mitigating and solving problems in the workplace with creative ideas. My dream job is to one day be the commissioner of the NFL. The main reason I want the challenge of managing America’s largest sports brand is because I believe I have the toolbox to solve problems and move brands forward. Knight Eady will help me open that box and sharpen the tools necessary to be the best leader I can be.
   2. What year are you in school?
      1. Junior
   3. What are you interested in about this industry?
      1. I am interested in Creative because I want to learn the skills necessary for filming and photography
   4. Your favorite class that applies to your major or this industry
      1. My favorite class is Sports Marketing! We learn the ins and outs of the sports world and how sports events become successful
   5. Fun fact or two
      1. I play college lacrosse for Samford! I also enjoy playing guitar and writing music!
   6. What do you hope to do in your career or where do you see yourself in 10 years?
      1. In 10 years, I hope to be working for the National Football League