By Sebastian Humbert Herera (Currier Times Reporter)
A packed Parents’ Lounge in the Hafer Academic Building was abuzz during the Spring semester, when Steven Binder, a 1984 Curry College graduate (communications, cum laude) and corporate big wig at ESPN magazine, returned to his old stomping grounds to talk to Curry students.
Taking the stage in a suit that would rival top-level bankers, Binder mesmerized students as he dished out advice on all the tools he used to climb the magazine sales world ladder. “I am a firm believer in that you are never over-dressed,” Binder, vice president of sales and publishing director at ESPN magazine, shared with the standing-room-only crowd.
During the nearly two-hour presentation, Binder covered topics ranging from the importance of internships to the importance of relationships, and how the media industry is evolving. One unusual topic he stressed was what he referred to as “swagger.”
“Have that swagger!” Binder said, referring to attitude and a certain self-presentation. “I like to use that a lot,” he added, explaining that doing what “you truly want to do,” matters greatly in the workplace. “Passion is really key,” he said. “I can tell in the first couple of minutes [of an interview for an ESPN sales position or internship] if it’s what they truly want to do,” said Binder. “I really did what I loved first.”
Even before his first job in 1984 - a $12,000-a-year position in Kenyon & Eckhardt, which, after a 1986 merger became Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt - he took every chance he could to make sure he was part of an internship program. He suggested that students partake in three – or even four – internships a year. “As many as you can. … Internships are paramount,” he said. “Never take a summer off…be proactive - do not let a summer go by without doing something towards your interests.”
More than 100,000 students apply for internships at ESPN a year for fewer than 100 available positions, he maintained. “How do you stick out in all that? I look for someone who can step in right away and be put to work… If I put [an intern] in a situation, can [they] produce?” Binder explained. He does, however, have realistic expectations: “Do I expect you to do marketing or sales? No.”
For those students who might not have been as proactive as Binder was during his time at Curry and feel as if they have missed out, Binder reassures them that “it is never to late to start.”
“Do it tonight; in fact, do it now, get online and find an ad agency in the city. Just get out there and do it,” he emphasized. In measuring how important this is for a life outside of Curry, Binder explained that the interns ESPN hires are not just “free labor.” “We hire [interns] in the summer with the intent of hiring them in the future,” he explained.
As an intern, “the company has two options: they will hire you or they will make the call for you,” he said, explaining that his high school daughters are going through the same process. “My high school daughters already work. … I want them to start thinking about what they want to study and what they want to do [in the professional world],” said Binder.
Getting the first step of the job hunt game out of the way, Binder advised students to “make good contacts,” explaining that “media jobs are the most coveted,” and competition is tough. “Follow up,” he said about the contacts anyone makes. “It’s very important…after every sports game I always text players, saying things like ‘good game’ or ‘you played great’,” he added.
“It’s all about relationships,” he said. “Even people who you hate, be their friends; you never know who you will need,” he said. “It’s also the fun part of what I do,” referring to networking’s social aspect. “But it is also what you know,” said Binder. “I am never not prepared for a meeting… Do your research and always know who you’re speaking with,” he said, adding that he took clothing very serious in the business world. “Dress for the job you want,” he advised. “I am a firm believer that you are never overdressed.”
At the same time, however, he said it is important to be humble. “It’s where your actions really speak - especially as you are working your way up the ladder,” he said. Speaking on the subject of self-progression, Binder advised students to “challenge yourself and try new things… take risks.”
After his brief stint in the advertising world, Binder worked for media industry organizations such as Mirabella Magazine and Hachette Filipacchi Magazines before heading to Conde Nast in 1999. “I first got into ads -- very boring – so I moved to other things,” said Binder. “Money moves me… and sales brings me that part of the business,” he said, explaining that he was very aggressive in getting the bigger deals and bigger cuts for commission. “Sales can be very lucrative,” he said.
After entering the sales world, his earnings grew to surpass $100,000 dollars a year in under five years, he said.
“When I was working at Conde Nast, I realized that they were not heading the way of multimedia,” which was the future at the time, said Binder, “so I moved to ESPN.”
The passion and fiery motivation that has led Binder to climb to where he is today certainly has paid off. At ESPN, Binder has a staff of around 300 in his print division and more than 1,000 employees in his TV division. Speaking about his non-sales employees, such as writers and those in public relations, Binder said they “don’t make that much,” explaining that his lowest paid employee has a yearly salary around $100,000 dollars. “They make a good living, but it’s not as good as sales,” he said, explaining that his lowest paid employee in his sales division makes around $200,000 a year.
“I’m all about wanting more, but don’t let it change who you are,” Binder advised. “It’s the only fatherly thing I will say: Money can make you do crazy things. Don’t do it.”
Future of the Media Industry
The $140 billion dollar media industry is “literally changing at our fingertips,” said Binder. “Just a couple of years ago, magazines were the largest area in media… now there are a lot more areas,” he said, citing the social media phenomenon.
But while social media is big now, and will be for a while, it will only take over after the industry solves its biggest problem. Binder explained that “they have not figured out how to capitalize on the advertisements in social media yet.”
Today’s future, however, will be mobile, said Binder.
As it is, “more people use their phone than their laptop to do homework,” he said, adding that the only thing holding the public back from doing all of a laptop’s functions on a mobile phone is the slow Internet connection. That will change soon, he said. “Everyone in the next five years will use their phone for everything,” Binder contended.
If he were here at Curry again, Binder said that the only way he would go into traditional media today would be if it had a multi-media platform. “If not, then don’t get your feet wet there. Go where the future lies,” he advised.
This was the first time the justifiably non-stop successful alum had been able to speak at the college. However, he did express a desire to speak to the students and faculty again in the future.
“I am always there for Curry and Curry students and graduates,” Binder concluded.