With a clear plan to complete all UISRM degree requirements in place, Bailey Ortega (BS 2023) realized she had maximum flexibility in selection of elective courses. One course caught her eye for the spring 2023 semester: Topics in Sport and Recreation Management - Podcasting for Sport and Recreation Professionals, taught by Adjunct Instructor Adam Kempenaar. She enrolled in the course, loved every second of the course's learning activities, and had this to say about her experience and Adam’s mentorship:
Adam's podcasting class really opened my eyes to the world of podcasting and all of the opportunities and possibilities within it. Adam taught me so much and gave me confidence that in the big world of podcasting, my voice and my show would make an impact.
He gave me valuable advice about being a podcast host, but most of all he believed in me. He kept up with me even as I have left Iowa and has shown my podcast to students in his class as an example. Adam and his class are the reason that I have the podcast I do now and I could not have done it without him and his support!― Bailey Ortega
Ortega completed her degree the following semester and, as a volleyball student-athlete, enrolled at Louisiana State University to earn a master’s degree and utilize her remaining athletics eligibility. Since then, she created Geaux Big with B, a podcast that tells the stories of student-athletes. Bailey and her podcast received national attention via Noah Henderson’s SI.com story. With Bailey’s story such a powerful example of student success, it’s worth asking, how did she receive the instruction and mentorship to find podcasting success?
With UISRM in its infancy in the early 2010s, Dan Matheson, then a Lecturer in the program, contacted a University of Iowa alumnus who had found success as the Senior Director of New Media and Creative Services for the Chicago Blackhawks. That person was Adam Kempenaar (BA 1998, MA 2005). The two discussed the possibility of a summer guided field experience course that envisioned students traveling to Chicago to learn from and work with Blackhawks executives.
Little did Dan and Adam know at the time, but the idea would lead to nine iterations of the Chicago Blackhawks practicum, over 200 students successfully earning course credit toward their degree through the experience, and Adam joining the University of Iowa full time in 2023. Now in his second academic year as a Professor of Practice with a dual appointment in UISRM and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC), Adam Kempenaar’s professional achievement and skill as an instructor is fueling student success.
Adam is a podcasting pioneer, having created the first podcast for a professional sports team and co-founded Filmspotting, with both beginning in 2005. Filmspotting is a flagship film podcast that the NY Times says is “producing weekly installments of affable, insightful film analysis since 2005”. Thus, it was only natural that the first course Adam created was Podcasting for Sport and Recreation Professionals.
Adam’s professorship is shared between UISRM and the Journalism department, which means half his teaching is done in courses listed as JMC in the UI course catalog. The joint appointment has increased opportunities for Journalism majors to discover courses in UISRM and vice versa. Kiersten Mann (ex. BS 2025) is a UISRM student who took Adam’s Social Media Marketing – Sports course offered by JMC. While the course contributes to completion of her UISRM concentration area, it also provided Kiersten the opportunity to demonstrate her passion and skill for content creation.
Due to her success in the course and communication with Adam outside of class periods, Kiersten emerged as UISRM’s first student contributor to program social media content. Of Adam’s course and mentorship, Kiersten has this to say:
The course was set up to be flexible around current events and the constant changes that occur in the media landscape. It also covered a wide range of topics so that every student could take something away regardless of their individual career interests. Social Media Marketing - Sports was a good blend of my areas of study and helped me zero in on my career aspirations.
Adam now serves as one of my mentors when I’m assisting with UISRM’s social media pages. He’s a great resource and is always able to relate things back to his time with the Blackhawks. ― Kiersten Mann
Bailey and Kiersten’s successes are just two of the many student journeys that Adam has influenced since the first Chicago Blackhawks practicum in 2014. UISRM and its students are grateful for his passion for students and their success as they pursue fulfilling careers in sport and recreation management, social media, or both.