Sport media grad scores big at MLSE
Émile Riga (Sport Media ‘22) covered the Toronto Raptors home opener in October 2024 as social content coordinator for MLSE. (Photo courtesy of Émile Riga)
Whenever Émile Riga is asked how he got his start in the sports media world, his answer is the same.
“I say it every chance I get – I simply would not have gotten to where I am today without my Career Boost role with Athletics,” he said.
Riga is referring to TMU’s work program, which gives students the opportunity to earn money during their studies while gaining practical experience on-campus.
One of the participating departments is Athletics – which means paid work opportunities for students to cover varsity sports.
Key training ground
For those in media-related programs - from journalism to photography to sport media - it’s a key training ground for their future careers.
Riga says the trust the Bold gave him to create and produce content on behalf of the university, combined with the vast amount of practical experience he gained has paid off in leaps and bounds.
“The years of experience I had in social media with the Bold allowed me to land my role in social content with the Raptors and MLSE. And now almost three years into my time at MLSE, I still benefit from my time with Athletics in a number of ways,” he said.
Career Boost Program Coordinator, Ambar Bin-Soekardji, says Riga is one of TMU’s many success stories.
“Career Boost jobs are designed to foster the confidence and skills needed to navigate a professional workplace. Particularly in media-related roles, I've heard from students who have gained connections to valuable contacts in their field through their Career Boost experience, opening doors to employment after graduation," she said.
Below, meet Riga, and hear all about how his work experience covering the TMU Bold has been a launchpad for his current success.
Émile Riga
Year of graduation: 2022
Program: RTA Sport Media
Age: 23
Current role/job: Social Content Coordinator at Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) – Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, Raptors 905
Émile Riga, right, at a Toronto FC game at BMO Field this past July. (Photo courtesy of Émile Riga)
Describe your Career Boost role with Athletics
For the second and third year of undergrad, I was a digital content assistant (DCA). This meant that during the school year I was a part-time employee working around 10-20 hours a week, and during those two summers I was the lone full-time student DCA working around 35-40 hours a week!
In my fourth and final year my manager had created a new role for me called lead digital content assistant, where I led 20+ media student-staff that were working for the Bold Athletics department. Photographers, videographers, social content assistants, digital content assistants, that sort of thing. My manager had just taken on Recreation in addition to Athletics that year, so I was trusted with taking on a lot of things that were previously done by the manager.
What skills/experience did you learn and gain in the role?
I would say that reps (repetition of tasks) and leadership were the two big ones for me.
Throughout my first two years it was just hundreds of reps working games on socials, writing recaps, interviewing players and coaches, creating and editing content, etc.
In my final year as a lead, I learned so much about managing a team, managing personalities, different workflows, onboarding students that were so new and raw, and everything else that came with it. I was also fortunate to work in high stakes moments like national championships and OUA playoff games. Those were amazing experiences.
Why/how has that been valuable?
I can’t emphasize enough how valuable my time with the Bold and the experiences I had were. It made me comfortable to write copy, write headlines, phrase things in certain ways for digital consumption, all without even having to think all that much. By the end of my three years it came easily to me, and that’s something I still benefit from today.
My role with the Bold both during the school year and the summers also kept me employed throughout the COVID. I was lucky enough to still have things to work on and develop all while being supported financially. That was huge for me.
Émile Riga at a TMU Bold women's hockey match at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Émile Riga)
How did this experience as a Career Boost student with Athletics help you in your current career?
I always say it every chance I get, but I simply would not have gotten to where I am today without my Career Boost role with Athletics. I credit my boss at the time, Andrea Langford, for this, and she is a massive reason I was able to flourish in the role and beyond.
Not only did the communications and media relations aspect of the role help me land my internship at MLSE with Maple Leafs PR and Corporate Communications, but the years of experience I had in social media with the Bold allowed me to land my role in social content with the Raptors and MLSE. And now almost three years into my time at MLSE, I think I still benefit from my time with Athletics in a number of ways. There’s just no way that a three- year period doing as much as we did in that role, doesn’t translate into the pro sports industry.
Talk about your career goals and how your current position relates to that.
My current career goal is to grow as a social strategist. My current role is a bit of everything including strategy, content creation, analysis, curation, and more. As much as I love creating content and being the voice of a brand, I truly see myself growing the most in strategy, and hopefully leading a brand one day in terms of digital and/or brand strategy.
Émile Riga is pictured courtside, above, covering a Raptors game at Scotiabank Arena in April, 2024 (Photo courtesy of Émile Riga).
What would you say to a student about why they should apply for a position with Athletics as part of the Career Boost program?
You should apply because almost nowhere else are you able to get paid acquiring experience in what you want to do. Even if you don’t know exactly what it is you want to do, there’s no doubt you will learn a lot in whatever role you choose, and it’ll benefit you whether it directly translates to your future or not. Your program will only take you so far, and this is likely the best way to separate yourself from the crowd, all the while having fun and supporting you financially doing it.
Anything you’d like to add about your experience with Athletics as a Career Boost student or where you are now professionally?
I know I’ve probably said it already, but my job in Athletics was the single most important thing I could have done during my undergrad. Both career wise and also socially, it gave me a community that I really needed, and friends that I still spend time with to this day.
Émile Riga is the second profile in this three-part series showcasing the success of former TMU Career Boost students in the sport media industry.
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