Tyler Dunne came to drop some knowledge

So Tyler Dunne dropped by the JLM 312 class to give us all some insight into what his job is like and how he got there. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because he is an NFL feature writer for Bleacher Report.

Tyler has had a journey to get where he is today. He was a beat reporter following the Green Bay Packers for five years, which was a dream job for him since he grew up as a Packers fan. He got to be a part of some interesting moments there, such as the Fail Mary play, that is almost unforgettable in the eyes of a Packers fan.

Those five years showed him that he really enjoyed the feature writing aspect. He then went to the Buffalo Bills for a season, but right after that, became a member of Bleacher Report.

He has been able to write features on players such as Brett Favre, Melvin Gordon, and Aaron Rodgers. Some of the advice he was able to pass down was that you can never report too much. There is always someone to talk to. That could mean family or friends, former coaches or teammates that could be professional, college or even high school. There is always someone to talk to that may have another little piece of information that another reporter may not have.

He was also bombarded by questions from students who are looking for a inside perspective on some players. The students were intrigued to hear his stories from games he covered as a beat writer and the players he’s covered as a feature writer. He was able to provide answers without spilling the beans on who some of the tough interviews or people to work with may be.

Tyler was able to go in depth on the stories he’s covered in detail and how he came to even coming up with ideas for players to write features on. With the Brett Favre story, he was able to describe to us how it felt to be struck by the presence of a player. He got to sit down with Favre to write his story, but did admit he was slightly star struck by a player he watched for a long time.

For the ideas of stories, sometimes they just come to him. Melvin Gordon was having a big season and that led to him gaining some recognition as a running back. Gordon had a backstory that he was able to uncover from talking to him and his mother.

Tyler also said that mothers are the best for interviews because they love to talk about their sons. They tend to open up and love their sons so that like to be able to talk.

There can be some apprehension about stories, but he says that the truth prevails. He has had some stories that could be controversial, such as the Sammy Watkins story about not getting enough catches and saying he needs a minimum amount of targets. Once the story came out, he got more targets and it was beneficial for the team itself.

Overall, it was a joy to hear from someone in the business who has been so successful. He had great stories and knowledge about how to approach different situations regarding beat writing and feature stories since he has experience with both. He gave us all some great advice that we should keep in mind.