People on the Move · Education · Media
Sports Broadcaster and Multimedia Journalist
Joseph Draper
Based in: Macungie, Pennsylvania
Education: Pennsylvania State University, Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism, Minor in Sport Studies (2026)
Website: josephdraper.com
Joseph Draper, a sports broadcaster and multimedia journalist from Macungie, Pennsylvania, has graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sport Studies.
Draper, who also goes by Joey, completed his degree in May 2026 at Penn State’s University Park campus, where he was part of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. He started covering games before college, with Lehigh Valley high school sports in 2019, and carried that work through Penn State athletics, conference championships and a national broadcast.
From Lehigh Valley Sidelines to Penn State Broadcasts
Draper started before college. As a student intern with D11Sports.com, the regional site covering PIAA District 11, he covered high school athletics across the Lehigh Valley, filming games, tracking stats, interviewing athletes and coaches, running social media and calling games live on YouTube. He often handled all of it himself.
At Penn State Lehigh Valley, he worked as an athletics student worker and served as the play-by-play voice for the men’s and women’s basketball teams on YouTube live broadcasts. He also ran pre- and post-game interviews and social media for the men’s soccer team and helped with game-day programs and communications.
At University Park, Draper worked as a sportscaster for the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference, calling championship games across multiple sports on play-by-play and color commentary. He co-hosted a weekly podcast on the conference’s teams and athletes and coordinated media availability and social coverage at championship events.
With After The Whistle PSU, he covered high school sports, conducted post-game interviews, wrote scripts and edited voice-over packages in Adobe Premiere Pro, producing a concise 40-second segment for live broadcast. In October 2024, he worked as a runner for Fox Sports during Big Noon Kickoff at Penn State, assisting producers with the production.
Outside sports, Draper earned an international film credit in February 2026 for The Hail Mary, directed by Daniel Roebuck.
What Aspiring Broadcasters Can Learn From His Path
Sports media hiring leans heavily on proof of work, and Draper’s route shows how students can build that proof before graduation.
Start with the games in front of you. Local high school coverage builds every skill at once. The person covering a game is often filming, keeping stats, interviewing and calling the action, which is hard training to find anywhere else.
Learn more than one seat. Draper works on both sides of the camera. On air, he handles play-by-play, color commentary and sideline reporting. Behind the scenes, he writes scripts, edits and works on live productions. Each role sharpens the others.
Treat support roles as training. A runner position on a national broadcast is a close look at how a large production comes together, from producers to timing to logistics.
Learn the production tools. Draper edits in Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition and CapCut, has used Ross Inception for scripts, rundowns and show production, and shoots on professional Sony cameras, including the FX3 and Z90.
Keep a short, current demo reel. A reel is usually the first thing a hiring manager watches. Lead with the strongest clip and replace older work as better work comes in. Draper’s sports broadcasting demo reel and portfolio collect his on-air and production work.
What Comes Next
Draper continues to build his career in sports broadcasting and multimedia journalism, covering live events and telling the stories that surround them. His full background, including his years at Penn State, is available on his website.
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