I was nearing the end of my time at Clemson this past Spring and by that point, I was really starting to feel the weight of stress that comes along with trying to land your first "real" job. It was March, so I had time...right? Not so much. I was focused on just making it through the grueling 4 credit-hour (haha) semester I had. Yes, four credit hours. I was able to knock my hours out on the front end of college and the last semester was a dream. Those hours consisted of a music class and Dr. Spinda's sports communications course. Brutal work load.

Dr. Spinda gave us a pretty simple assignment to write a paper connecting a personal experience and a couple communication theories we had discussed in the class up to that point. One of the theories that stood out to me was a theory known as Para-Social Interaction. Through Para-Social Interaction, you basically feel like you connect with someone (usually a celebrity, athlete, media personality, etc..) based on how they portray themselves on social media. It is one-sided. So, it is as if I feel I know that person but obviously, they do not know me... yet.

So, who was I going to write about? I follow a lot of different athletes and celebrities on social media but managed to narrow it down to two people. It came down to Dwyane Wade and Ernie Johnson. Two great people and two NBA guys that have a great social media presence. One of the deciding factors, for me, was a video I saw of Ernie Johnson that aired last November on TNT's Inside The NBA. It was right after the election and each member of the crew shared their short thoughts on it. Ernie was the last member to share and man, was he prepared. He spoke elegantly and respectfully about politics and his personal religious beliefs; two subjects that seem to be off-limits for anybody on TV. I was just so captivated by how well he spoke on both subjects and just the importance of being a good person. It was incredible. I literally remember clapping at the TV in approval. I share the same values and beliefs as Ernie Johnson and respect him a ton. Also, his story is one of leadership, selflessness, and devotion that is unmatched. I knew he would be a great example to use in my paper.

It was one of the more exciting papers I had written since it contained topics that I was passionate about. I got an A (thanks, Dr. Spinda) and I thought it was just another paper to add to the stack. However, one day I was scrolling through Twitter and saw that Ernie was replying to fans that were tweeting about his new book, Unscripted, and how much they enjoyed it. I figured, "what the heck, I'm sure he'd love to know I wrote this paper about him. Maybe he'll respond." He did...

So yes. He followed me on Twitter just so he could send me his address so I could then send him my paper.

Just to clarify things... I am about to send a research paper I wrote about someone TO THAT PERSON. I spent the next 30 minutes frantically making sure everything I said about him was correct as well as making sure I didn't sound like a loser.

Another interesting, but important, part of the story is that at that time, I was in the interview process with Turner Sports who broadcast TNT's Inside The NBA. I was asked to come in for an on-site interview just 3 weeks before this. I was applying for a job with their social media team that involved heading up social media for a new app they launched called Catch Sports. I left that interview knowing that Turner was the place I wanted to be.

Anyways, when I emailed Ernie my paper, I was sure to mention that I was in talks with Turner. I let him know that I got to meet people I knew he'd recognize and that "maybe our paths will cross again". He responded immediately, it seemed. What also amazed me was that this was on a night that he was on air covering a game on TNT. So I'm literally communicating with Ernie via email as I'm watching him on TV. Crazy. So somewhere during TNT's broadcast break, he carved out the time to read and respond to my paper. He was "humbled" that I chose him as the topic. He was also interested in the research aspect of the theories I touched on. He ended the message saying, "Rest assured I'll be letting the team know we've been in contact and put in my highest recommendation. You're a good man, Paul." Man. I was floored. I couldn't believe this was happening.

So a few days went by and I received an email from Tyler, my main contact at Turner.

"Call me when you can. I want to run an idea by you."

So obviously I knew it had something to do with the interview. I'm not gonna lie I was pretty nervous. Long story short they gave the job I applied for to the other guy...BUT. He said he wanted me to apply for this job they have coming up to help run social media for NBA On TNT! (aka whom Ernie works for) Also, I wasn't going to say it at the time but I would have much rather worked with TNT anyways because it focused solely on the NBA which is what I am most passionate about. It wasn't an offer since there was still a process that had to occur, but it was a great lead.

"Oh yeah, heard you had a run in with Ernie. That's awesome" Tyler added.

Ernie came through. So, at this point, I had a lead but no offer. It was great but also challenging because it wasn't 100%. I was going to run with it, however. Too many things were coming together for me not to feel great about it. A couple weeks went on and I was talking with other companies that were awesome but I knew where I truly wanted to be.

Meanwhile, time continued to pass and I did my best to enjoy my last few weeks at Clemson. It was great. I miss that place so much. My birthday is on May 5 and so I called my mom asking for something I've probably never asked her to get on my birthday: a book. Not just any book, though, it was Ernie's book. She was happy to get it for me and I dove into it immediately. Sidenote: everyone needs to read this book. It will change the way you handle the curveballs life throws at you and will show you what it means to be a leader.

On Thursday, May 4, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw that Ernie was doing a book signing at UGA before he was to give the commencement speech at their graduation later that day. How cool would it be to meet after the exchange we had on social media? I immediately called my friend, Justin, who also is a fan of Ernie. He was down to go and so the next day we drove a couple hours to meet him.

I shook his hand and let him know that I was the Clemson student that wrote the paper about him. He immediately called his wife, Cheryl, over.

"This is the student I was telling you about. The one that wrote that research paper about the communication theory and included me in it," Ernie explained.

He quickly asked how talks with Turner were going and I let him know where we left off and that I'm just playing the waiting game right now but I feel good about it all working out. He was pleased to hear it and insisted that I keep him updated with it all. We chatted a little more about where we were from and Clemson and summer plans. He signed my book as I talked to his wife and we got a couple pictures with him. Such a cool day. On our way out, I opened the front page just to see his signature and again, Ernie came through...

This couldn't be real. Again, I was amazed. It makes you stop and think how did we get to this point? So many little pieces have fallen in place and now Ernie is calling me his future colleague. And, also, it must be a done deal with Turner now if HE is writing that, right?

More time went by. The birthday was great, I just barely made it through that 1 exam (ha) and I graduated. It was a roller coaster but an exciting time. I still didn't have that official offer though. It felt like I was at like 90%. I had planned a trip to Europe with my two best friends, Max and Matt. I told myself that I was going to shut all doors outside of Turner because I didn't want to take that stress to Europe with us. The ball was in Turner's court. The lack of internet on the trip was nice but anytime we had it, I was refreshing through my email like crazy waiting for some response.

Finally, as we had just arrived at our hostel in Genova, Italy I checked my email and saw what I wanted: an email from Tyler.

"Call me when you land. Welcome to the team."

I was ecstatic. But also, I had no further information and so many questions but I didn't have to worry about it at that moment. I could enjoy the last week in Europe with my friends knowing that it had all come together. It was the best trip of my life.

So naturally, as soon as I landed back in the U.S. I sent Tyler an email asking when he'd like to hop on a phone call to talk. This was on a Friday afternoon.

"Take the weekend to rest up. The head of our department will call you Monday at noon then just give me a call after that."

Awesome. I can relax and have something to look forward to for Monday. I didn't know exactly who was going to be calling me because there are multiple heads of multiple departments but I didn't really care. I was ready to get it confirmed. So Monday came around and I got a call at noon. Guess who...

"Hello?"

"Paul, it's Ernie Johnson. I had to take a break from PGA, NBA Playoffs and calling MLB games to let you know that you're part of the team now."

"No way. Mr. Johnson, I'm super excited to be a part of it and I'm super thankful for the opportunity."

"Hey. No more calling me Mr. Johnson. Call me Ernie. We're colleagues now. I knew from when I met you that you'd be a great fit and we can't wait to get you down here."

It went something like that. I was obviously pretty shocked so who knows what else was said. The conversation was 8 minutes but it was a conversation I will never forget. Ernie Johnson called me to give me my first real job. So, I gathered myself and called Tyler. He was on the call with Audrey whom I work closely with as well. Amazing people.

"Bet you didn't expect that did you?" Tyler said, laughing.

"Um no. Not at all. Y'all are slick."

"We asked him if he wanted to be a part of this conversation and he said he'd love to."

Man. What a series of events. Let's recap. I tweeted to Ernie about a paper I wrote on him and a Para-Social (fake) relationship we had, he responds, reads it, I meet him, and now he's calling me, welcoming me aboard and now we have a real relationship. What a story. A story that I will love to tell for a very long time.

I think the biggest thing to wrap this up is the Bible verse he puts underneath his signature. Philippians 2:3-5. It says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others before yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationship with one another, have the same mindset as Jesus Christ." I felt valued by Ernie. It speaks volumes to the man he is and the way he treats people with kindness and humility. It was so cool to see how this story backed up everything I wrote about in the paper. I'm at Turner now doing something I love and I feel valued there, as well. I'm incredibly thankful for the pieces that fell into place over the last 5 months to get me here. Thanks for reading.

-- Paul Trimmier