12/03/2024
An Emmy in the entertainment industry is an honor some people chase for a lifetime. For Shannon Imbornoni ’21, it was only a few years.
Imbornoni, an associate producer for the MLB Network and NHL Network, was part of the group that won the 2023-24 Sports Emmy for “Outstanding Studio Show, Daily” for “MLB Tonight.” It was the show’s first Emmy win since 2019.
“I was at work and everybody said, ‘Yeah, we’re not winning. We haven’t won in a while. It’s fine.’”
When the presenter they watched on TV accidentally slipped “MLB” into his introduction, Imbornoni and the rest of her group knew the odds of winning had suddenly gone up.
Soon after, as they heard the magic words that made it official, Imbornoni and the rest of her crew were able to celebrate being recognized as the best in the industry, beating out longtime sport show icons like ESPN’s “NFL Live” and “Pardon the Interruption.”
“The whole office was elated,” she said.
That opportunity to contribute to a team is a big part of why Imbornoni loves what she does. But personally, Imbornoni was as happy as anyone to win out over the highly regarded competition at ESPN after they declined to interview her when she applied to the network. Call it evening up the score.
“I know it’s different, but looking at your favorite actors and actresses winning Emmys, and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m about to have one too,’” Imbornoni said. “I’ve grown up watching 'SportsCenter' and I looked at ‘NFL Live’ and ‘Pardon the Interruption’ and to be in that category with them and to beat them, that’s pretty cool.”
The constant flow of new stats and scenarios is never-ending. Fortunately, a job where the needed footage changes as often as the latest highlight suits Imbornoni just fine.
“I love chaos. I thrive on it, and that’s what live television is — it’s controlled chaos,” she said. “I love doing a job going up against the clock. Having to get things in like at the last second, it’s just the thrill.”
To anyone considering a similar career path in entertainment, Imbornoni stressed that they should be flexible.
After graduating from Cortland with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and a minor in sport management, she went on to Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications for a master’s in broadcast and digital journalism.
She gave credit to the communications classes at Cortland, along with her Red Dragon cross country and track coach, Steve Patrick, for getting her started in her career.
“Knowing toward the end this is the path I was going, he (Patrick) wrote a letter of recommendation for me to go to Newhouse,” she said.
Once out of school, and with plans to be a reporter, Imbornoni soon chose instead to be in the control room at the ACC Network.
Almost as soon as she began in her new role at the ACC Network, Imbornoni knew she’d found a place behind the camera where she knew she could thrive.
She stressed the value of being open to those kind of unexpected chances.
“You might be going in thinking you want to do one specific thing and that’s it, that that’s your end all be all, but be open to different opportunities because it might change your mind.”
That mindset also helped teach her to accept when things don’t go to plan. It’s all a part of a method that has led her to be part of one of the sport industry’s elite TV programs.
“I make mistakes on live television all the time. Everybody does in a profession where you’re striving for perfection. You want to get close to it, but you’re not going to achieve it all the time. You need a short memory and the willingness to move on.”