From the Classroom to the Red Carpet: Inside My ESPN Journey.
Written By: Brandon Pulmano
Founder | Sideline Society Media
Brandon Pulmano photographed at the ESPY Awards afterparty in Los Angeles.
Brandon Pulmano, University of San Francisco Sport Management graduate student, poses on the red carpet prior to the ESPY Awards.
ESPN’s Jaicee Christian and Brandon Pulmano step onto the red carpet ahead of the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles.
Sports media personality Rachel DeMita and Brandon Pulmano make a red carpet appearance.
What ESPN's Digital Media Program Selection meant to Sideline Society Media Founder Brandon Pulmano.
Event: ESPY Awards
Location: Dolby Theatre
Hosted By: ESPN
Coverage By: Brandon Pulmano
I didn’t just get invited to the ESPY Awards I built my way into the room. Being invited to attend the ESPY Awards was a surreal experience. This day was legendary, it’s an event I will remember for the rest of my life. The ESPYs is (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards). It is ESPN's annual awards show honoring the past year's top athletes, teams, and moments across sports. The ESPYs is considered one of the most prestigious and high profile awards shows in the sports world. From the Classroom to the Red Carpet this is my ESPN journey.
One of my all-time favorite ESPYs broadcasts, hosted by Drake.
Growing up, I used to watch the ESPYs every summer. I'd tune into the red carpet pre show just to see what my favorite athletes and celebrities were wearing. Then of course, watching the event was the main attraction. It was an annual tradition I looked forward to every year. Little did I know that one day I'd be there myself, living through a once in a lifetime experience.
Becoming the first student from the University of San Francisco Sport Management program history to walk the red carpet at such a high profile event is a testament to the power of strategic networking, perseverance, and the blueprint I committed to from day one. It was a crazy feeling walking the red carpet. I remember walking the red carpet, thinking to myself, "Damn, nobody from my hometown, Daly City, CA, maybe even San Francisco, is doing what I'm doing right now." I could have taken the route everybody else was taking. But I chose my own path, bet on myself, and it's gotten me to incredible places so far. I haven’t accomplished much yet but this is definetly a career highlight for me so far.
But the real story isn’t just about being there, it’s about how I got there.
It started on July 16, 2024, during my second week at the University of San Francisco’s Sport Management Master’s Program under Dr. Rich Cellini. A professor whose reputation felt almost mythical until you experienced it firsthand. I heard countless stories from alumni who praised Professor Cellini and his Leadership and Critical Thinking course.
His intensity reminded me of Jon Gruden, the fiery NFL coach who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title. Professor Cellini was relentless, demanding, and always on your head. Every class session felt like a episode from Hard Knocks. You always had to be locked in during his class. He used to drop the temperature to freezing levels just to keep us on our toes. This wasn't the kind of class where you could just get by without participating. Whether you raised your hand or not, you were getting picked on. Anyone, on any given day, could get called on and potentially get embarrassed if you weren’t paying attention.
Professor Cellini has a teaching style that pushed you to be comfortable being uncomfortable. He constantly challenged students. Professor Cellini hated bad habits especially when it came to filler words when speaking. If you said the word' '“ummm” at any time expect to get chewed out.
Some students dropped out, but those who stayed walked away with lessons that will last a lifetime both professionally and personally. Dr. Cellini is the kind of professor/coach who challenges you in a way that ultimately brings out your best. For some that style might not work. But for me it worked out perfectly. I remember in undergrad at San Francisco State University, the chairman of my major, Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, told me I had huge potential. Ever since then, I've thought about that moment.
The University of San Francisco Sport Management Program really helped me tap into my full potential on a professional level. I came away with a clear understanding that networking in the sports industry requires resilience, persistence, perseverance and the ability to handle rejection while staying true to who you are.
During the second week of class, our task was to land informational interviews. What began as following a script quickly evolved into finding my own voice. A shift that started with my very first conversation with Cindy Robinson, Senior Social Media Marketing Manager at ESPN. That one conversation opened the door to a growing network that included Alan Fegley, Patrick Truby, Alex Park, and Ricky Lee through the Asian American Journalists Association. This led to my selection for ESPN’s Digital Media School Outreach Mentorship Program, where I was mentored by Alanis Bayulot.
Over time I connected with more than 20 professionals across ESPN.
But more than the names or the opportunities, it was the process that mattered learning how to build real relationships, how to stay consistent, and how to show up as myself in every conversation. In this industry it only takes one connection to change everything and I was starting to realize I was building toward something bigger.
That momentum carried forward into one of the most meaningful relationships I built with Jaicee Christian. At the time he was a producer at ESPN and is currently a content associate. Jaicee is one of the most down to earth people I have met in the sports industry. I connected with him in August 2024 and stayed in touch through real, genuine conversations that felt more like talking to friends back home than traditional networking. Jaicee would give me advice and support especially coming up in the sports industry. A conversation that really stood out to me was him telling me I could be someone important and influential one day. He emphasized that in the sports industry, you never know who someone could become.
Fast Forward to May 2025, my internship at Scene Management had come to an end. I had more free time than ever. In summer of 2025 when he mentioned he’d be in Los Angeles, I reached out to grab lunch with him. It was 11 p.m. I had just got home from my weekly 6–10 class when my phone lit up with a message: “You got something nice to put on?” I have an extra ticket to the ESPY Awards. That was the craziest texts i’ve ever received. I remember going to bed that night not even really being able to sleep just off of pure excitement.
The following day I pick up Jaicee at LAX. We get ready at our hotel. Our Uber picks us up in a White Tesla. Jaicee goes “this feel like a dream huh.” Mind you I know what event im going too but it didn’t feel real yet. We get dropped off at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Im looking on the ground at all of the stars on the walk of fame. The buzz in the air is electric as we get closer to the venue. Random people start talking pics of us. While we wait to get in, this girl comes up to Jaicee asking if he's an R&B singer. I start laughing, but it makes me think, once people see you on the red carpet, people on the outside automatically assume you're someone important, maybe even famous.
We finally pull up to the entrance and bypassed security entirely, walking straight to the red carpet. All thanks to Jaicee's connection with one of ESPN’s executives. As we glided past everyone in a matter of seconds, I was baffled how we got in with ease. When I asked Jaicee how he did it, he said “when you know the right people, you can go anywhere you want.” Then he goes “I chose you for a reason B. ” That moment stuck with me ever since and gave me chills down my spine as we hit the red carpet.
As cameras flashed from every angle and the energy built, I started meeting people like Da'Vinchi from the hit series Black Mafia Family, produced by 50 Cent. As well as sports television host, producer, and digital content creator Rachel DeMita. That day, I witnessed firsthand how sports, media, and culture collide in one space. More than anything, that night left me with a lasting realization: access in this industry isn't given, it's built through relationships, consistency, and being ready when opportunity shows up. From the classroom to the red carpet, that journey is exactly what Sideline Society Media represents.
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