For the fans: A day in the life of sports broadcaster Savanna Hamilton
MLSE (external link, opens in new window) (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment) host and producer Savanna Hamilton (external link) is a force on and off the court. Whether she’s providing career inspiration and advice to students, calling basketball plays courtside or producing shows and features, there’s no doubt that Hamilton is driven to succeed. Read more about a day in the life of the ‘Raptors Today’ and ‘SWISH: Inside the WNBA' host, and how she supports equity, diversity and inclusion on the job.
MLSE Host and producer Savanna Hamilton. Image: Tania Ulrich
For the fans: A day in the life of sports broadcaster Savanna Hamilton
Hamilton’s love of basketball began with her family; her aunt, Carol Hamilton, was one of the first Canadian women drafted to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and was the role model that spurred her to join the highschool basketball team. As a player, she began watching televised games to help her improve her skills. This is when the idea of sportscasting was ignited.
“My sister and I watched a lot of basketball and I remember seeing the sideline reporter was a woman with skin that was the same tone as mine, and hair that looked a lot like mine’,” shares Hamilton. "I thought, ‘Oh, I didn't know I could do that'. I didn't know that was an option for me. I had never seen a Black woman or a biracial woman hosting as sideline reporter on TV. I was 16 years old when I saw that and it made an impact. From there I took a video editing course in highschool and fell in love with storytelling.”
TV Host, analyst and reporter for SportsNet Amy Audibert with Savanna Hamilton. Image: Tania Ulrich
It was this trajectory that led Hamilton to pursue a career that involved both her love of bball and media storytelling. This was at the same time that The Creative School (then FCAD) introduced the RTA Sport Media (opens in new window) program.
“My dream my entire life was to go down to the States and play division one basketball,” says Hamilton. “But when Sport Media came out, I just couldn't find any programs like it among the schools that were recruiting me that came even close. On top of that, Ryerson's head basketball coach was Carly Clark. She was the Team Canada coach for my age group at the time. So it was a pretty easy decision for me.”
Raptors 905 vs. College Park Skyhawks - Game Highlights (March 2, 2022)
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie chats with Amy Audibert and Savanna Hamilton as part of female focused broadcast at Raptors 905 game. Image: Tania Ulrich
The Raptors 905 face off against the College Park Skyhawks at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga on March 2, 2022. Image: Tania Ulrich
A play-by-play of Savanna Hamilton’s day
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
9:00 a.m.: Hamilton’s work day-to-day can be quite varied, and today is no exception. At 9 a.m. she is already preparing and looking over game notes for the broadcast, answering emails regarding upcoming projects for Women’s History Month, and ensuring colleagues are equipped with questions for a shoot at OVO Athletic Centre she isn’t able to attend due to a scheduling conflict with tonight’s Raptors 905 game.
10:00 a.m.: Hamilton is busy doing research and taking notes on interesting facts and anecdotes about the 905 Raptors players as a way to connect with audiences. She also goes through the Skyhawks roster to become familiar with the opposing players.
Hamilton also writes edit notes for her editor for an International Women's Day spot she is producing. The segment will kick-off a series of profiles on influential women for the month of March, to be broadcast on NBA TV Canada as well as in the arena at the Toronto Raptors game and social media.
For tonight’s game, Hamilton will be forgoing her usual role as a sideline reporter to take on the role of analyst for the first time as part of a women’s focused broadcast along with Amy Audibert. “So the ‘play by play’ is saying ‘he shoots, he scores’, while the analyst will talk strategy and break down the plays a little bit further,” explains Hamilton.
The female-focused broadcast will also feature interviews with amazing women like Mississauga City Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Director of Communications for the Toronto Raptors Jennifer Quinn, President & CEO of Canadian Women's Foundation Paulette Senior, and Director of Women's High Performance Canada Basketball Denise Dignard.
Savanna Hamilton speaks at a panel to highschool students about her professional career. Image: Tania Ulrich
2:00 p.m.: Hamilton speaks at a panel for highschool students on her career as a host, reporter and producer along with other MLSE professionals including Raptors 905 & NBA TV Canada court side reporter Akil Augustine at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre (formerly the Hershey Centre) in Mississauga, Ontario. Her advice includes following your passion and finding mentors who support your professional goals.
2:30 p.m.: Following her community engagement, Hamilton chats briefly with a documentary team from California profiling the two NBA G-League teams, the Raptors 905 and the South Bay Lakers. The NBA G-League is the NBA's official minor league. Notably, there have been a handful of players who have been selected out of the NBA G-League in NBA draft history.
Savanna Hamilton reporting from the Raptors 905 game in Mississauga. Image: Tania Ulrich
Videographer captures on-air host Savanna Hamilton. Image: Tania Ulrich
7:30 p.m.: Game time
NBA G League Game between Raptors 90 and Skyhawks begins with Hamilton and Audibert covering the plays for broadcast on NBA TV Canada.
Sideline reporting is typically narrative driven and so oftentimes, sideline reporters will have compiled personal stories and anecdotes from the players to share with audiences to forge a connection, Hamilton explains.
“I’ll have all these insider insights about the players that I collect beforehand talking to the players before the game,” says Hamilton. “Today I'm talking to Dalano Banton. He's a player that has had a lot of hype around him on the Toronto Raptors team. He's from Rexdale and he's the Toronto Raptors first ever Canadian player drafted to the Raptors team. And he's been playing really well.”
The Raptors 905 face off against the College Park Skyhawks on March 2, 2022.
Savanna Hamilton works as game analyst for Raptors 905 game. Image: Tania Ulrich
As part of an International Women's Day spot that Hamilton is producing for the Toronto Raptors, Hamilton was also scheduled to be on set at the OVO Athletic Centre today, interviewing Canadian basketball player Kia Nurse.
The concept of the spot is centred around women trailblazers in male-dominated spaces who are paving a path for more women interested in participating in those same spaces. Nurse plays for the WNBA team the Phoenix Mercury and is a basketball pundit for TSN. Nurse also previously played for the Canada Women's National Basketball team, and was selected to play in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Hamilton has been busy producing multiple shoots over the weekend for the spot and is disappointed about the scheduling conflict for this one which she’ll prepare her colleague for. In fact, Hamilton has played against Nurse in multiple championships, but hasn’t seen her since highschool. Nevertheless she is pleased she’ll be able to profile her for International Women’s Day.
You can catch Savanna Hamilton and keep up to date on NBA basketball on NBA TV Canada (external link, opens in new window) .
The Creative School at Ryerson University
The Creative School is a dynamic faculty that is making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Made up of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.