A new presence in Greek Courts
This article was written by Charalampous Ioanna
In the framework of the laboratory course “Leadership and emotional intelligence”, taught by Dimitra Iordanoglou, we were asked to become the “shadow” of a leader whom we admire and would perhaps like to work in the same workplace in the future. This assignment would give us the opportunity to come into direct contact with the area we are interested in, but also to get to know situations and people whom we appreciate and admire for their work.
The purpose of the assignment was to spend a day or two next to a Leader we admire and after coming into an aggreement with him, see him in action at his workplace.
The truth is that from the moment this assignment was announced to us, I had only one person in mind, Eleni Markati.
But who is Eleni Markati?
Entering Panteion University, I had a very strong desire to work, in the future, as a sports writer, as my interest and love for sports remains great. Eleni was the first person I spoke to in my first journalism class at school and 5 years later she is the Leader I am writing this article about today.
Eleni Markati is a student of Communication, Media and Culture department of Pantheon University, majoring in Journalism, and as far as I can remember she had a dream, to become one of the leading Greek sportswriters. She started writing for websites and magazines, until one day her phone rang and she was offered a position on the Action 24 channel, as a journalist and presenter of the sports show “PAME GIPEDO”.
At the same time she also collaborated with STOIXIMAN in which he had the opportunity to interview 12 basketball players, each from a different BasketLeague team.
A day at the Action 24 offices with Eleni
Our day started after we met at 10 am at the marousi station and together we went up Pentelis street, with 40 degrees, until we reached the offices of Action 24. The first thing we did when we arrived at the offices was the tour of the whole place and getting to know people behind and in front of the cameras. From fellow journalists, who present the news, to the cameramen and sound engineers who help get the show on the air.
We spent most of the time in her office where she was preparing an article to be discused on her evening show. At the same time, she was also helping her colleagues to prepare and edit the videos that they would show and comment on the show on the same day and she showed me how to Spicaz. The Spikaz is the voice someone hears over the videos playing on the show. After a while, and as the start of the show neared, we headed to make-up and clothes. The final stage of the job shadowing was to watch her in action on the 45 minute live show.
My experience following Eleni on the channel was something exciting. I’ve been watching TV since I was a kid and being behind the scenes and seeing live how much work goes into making a simple sports show was unreal.
My interview with Eleni Markati
What drew you to Journalism?
The truth is that from a very young age I was very interested in journalism, I remember when I was asked in elementary school what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said Journalist. Of course, at that time I had not chosen the direction of sports reporting.
Until 18 I was involved in sports, I played Volleyball, but I think my love for Basketball is what drew me to Sports Journalism in the end.
What characteristics should a young person who is now finishing school and wants to work in sports reporting have?
No matter how good and high your academic level is, nothing prepares you for your first day on the job as a journalist. In terms of managing emotions, stress and extreme excitement. In order to succeed in this field, one must be ambitious, hardworking, stubborn and patient. Opportunities don’t come overnight, you have to love what you do.
What difficulties do you face every day as a female sports reporter?
As a female sports writer, there are definitely still prejudices and stereotypes, but the new generation coming into the field is helping to break down such taboos. The positive thing is that more and more women are choosing this field. The schedule part is definitely difficult, Journalists don’t have holidays, you will always be there, always in front of the event, news comes before your own needs.
Tell us a little about your collaboration with STOIXIMAN
It’s an opportunity I’ve been given and I’m grateful for it. I had the opportunity to interview twelve players, one from each basketball league team. I think that both Giannoulis Laretzakis of Olympiakos and Juancho Hernangomez of Panathinaikos were, I would say, the highlight of this collaboration.
How important is emotional intelligence in SMEs and in your chosen job?
It is certainly very important, that the one who is responsible for a team, has empathy. Going out and telling 10 news stories wouldn’t matter at all if there wasn’t a team behind to prepare the report and the videos. Television is not a one woman show.
