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Shaped by 140 characters Social media guru gives keynote address Kylie Hubbard Contributor
UT’s annual Social Media Week (UTSMW) concluded Thursday evening, March 2, with a keynote address from Clay Travis, the 37-year-old sports analyst from Nashville who writes for “Outkick the Coverage” and hosts a daily radio show. “I grew up like a lot of you probably, being a University of Tennessee fan, going to games,” Travis said. “And that’s kind of how I ended up doing what I do now.” UTSMW promotes using social media as a tool for business and effective communication and aims to educate students on how to use internet platforms responsibly. The organizers solicit speaker suggestions from students, and for the past three years, Travis’s name was overwhelmingly recommended. His visit provided students with a peek into his sports media success, and his long-awaited visit did
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not disappoint. An hour before the event began, a line formed outside the Alumni Memorial Building auditorium as visitors vied for a front row seat. The audience was so large, in fact, that the organizers set up an overflow room with a live stream of the talk. Travis’ first lesson for the crowd: take risks. “A lot of you are terrified to take risks,” Travis said. “Because you go to college, graduate and get a degree, you’ve done everything right ... to end up where?” Travis took a chance on his first website and turned the risk of it into a very successful reward. Travis also provided insight into his rise to popularity, discussing his undergraduate experience at George Washington University and his time at Vanderbilt University, where he earned a law degree before going on to start a law career in the Virgin Islands. Before long, Travis said he experienced a “quarter-life crisis,” which motivated him to explore more career opportunities; and by 2004, he had begun writing online.
See CLAY TRAVIS on Page 3
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Monday, March 6, 2017