Bryan Strickland Email & Phone Number

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Charlotte, Nc

“You have the greatest job in the world.”That was a typical response when someone first learned I worked for the Carolina Panthers, and they weren’t wrong. It’s just that their definition of what made it great didn’t always match with mine.While going to the games for free, traveling on the team plane and of course hanging out with Cam Newton were among their first thoughts, I looked at it a little different. Those were perks to be sure, but what I loved about the experience was being in a unique position to communicate what would have been otherwise-unearthed stories about my co-workers. Yes, Cam was a co-worker. But so was Christa Hayes, who joined the Panthers staff the same year that Newton was drafted and who helps the front office use technology to prepare for the next draft. So was Byron Bell, who protected Newton’s blind side after making the team as an undrafted rookie and opened up about how he plays and lives for his brother, who died in a house fire at age 8.I’ve always loved telling stories, and truth is better than fiction. I have the skills, experience and the ability to make connections that bring out those stories and allow me to bring them to life. That ability works in the sports realm, but it also works in the corporate world, where compelling, concise writing never goes out of style - whether the audience is the clients that a company serves or employees that serve the company.

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area

Over the course of two months, I sat in the press box at the Super Bowl, sat on press row at the Final Four and sat in the palatial media center at the Masters. It’s something I’ll never forget. But it’s not the only thing I fondly remember from my time in Durham.Covering Duke basketball for the hometown paper – bookended by national championships at the beginning and end of my 10 seasons – was something special even for a UNC graduate. So was covering the Masters when Tiger Woods won the “Tiger Slam” and when fellow lefty Phil Mickelson finally won his first green jacket.But on the Duke beat, I also took pride in covering a football program that could only dream of being mired in mediocrity. Duke averaged two victories a year over my 10 seasons, and by Halloween, I was asked daily if I was counting the days until I could turn my full attention to basketball. It was the same story with golf. Nothing compares to Augusta National, especially not the week-long Herald-Sun Golf Classic that one sports writer viewed like this: “My favorite day of the year is the day after that tournament ends.”Covering that tournament was a grind, but I still remember the grinders who took a week of vacation to compete in it every summer, and I worked hard to tell their stories. Much like on the football front, where the struggle was real but so were the people fighting year in and out to try to author a seemingly impossible turnaround.Some saw devoting resources to covering Duke football and the Herald-Sun Golf Classic as a public service announcement of sorts. But doing your job – whatever the field - isn’t all about Super Bowls and Final Fours. The true measure of an employee is the work they do when no one is looking.

Salisbury, Nc

* Covered professional, college and high school sports; performed extensive desk work.

Lexington, Nc

* Won eight North Carolina Press Association awards.

Norfolk, Virginia Area

Chapel Hill, N.C.