Valente Submits Top Audition at Boys & Girls Club Event Featuring

Comcast SportsNet Courtside Reporter Greg Dickerson

(BURLINGTON, MA) – Comcast and Comcast SportsNet proudly announce that Kendra Valente has been selected as a Comcast SportsNet FanCaster. Valente, 16, was selected over 25 other students who auditioned at the open FanCaster auditions held at the Boys & Girls Club of Fall River on Wednesday, November 17.

As the FanCaster, Valente, a junior at Durfee High School, will attend the December 12 Celtics-New Orleans Hornets game and tape a “standup” just before tip off on the famed Red Auerbach parquet floor which will introduce Comcast SportsNet viewers to the Celtics “Hero”. The Celtics present the “Heroes Among Us” Award during a special in-game presentation to individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to the community.

The FanCaster program is sponsored by Comcast and helps extend the Celtics Heroes Among Us Program beyond the TD Banknorth Garden. Comcast SportsNet will show Valente’s on-camera introduction and footage of the Hero Award presentation during Celtics Post Game Live.

Comcast is teaming up with Comcast SportsNet for an 11-city tour to introduce middle and high school students across New England to careers in the media. One student from each stop will be selected as a FanCaster. Each stop will include a media workshop conducted by a CSN personality or local journalist. Fall River was the very first stop on the FanCaster Tour.

“Comcast is committed to giving back to the communities we serve and we are excited to help bring this unique opportunity to the students here today,” said Tom Coughlin, Vice President of Comcast in Southeastern Massachusetts.   “Nothing is more rewarding than sharing the excitement these kids have shown today for the Celtics season and we look forward to seeing Kendra in front of the camera this Celtics season.  Who knows?  Maybe she will become the next broadcasting legend.” 

“Kendra had an exceptional audition and he/she will get an incredible hands-on learning experience as the FanCaster, “says Skip Perham, Comcast SportsNet marketing and communications manager. “All of the students who participated should be very proud. It takes a lot to get in front of that camera.”

In addition to appearing on TV during the telecast, Valente will tour the Comcast SportsNet high definition production truck; meet the Comcast SportsNet telecast team of Mike Gorman, Tommy Heinsohn and Greg Dickerson; and get a behind-the-scenes look at how Comcast SportsNet prepares for a telecast.”

FanCaster is open to students, ages 13-18, who are interested in sports and a career in media. To apply, each student must go online to upload an entry form and a video of him or herself reading the audition script. FanCasters will be selected based on TV presence and the overall quality of the audition video.

Prospective FanCasters and media teachers can find a FanCaster tool kit, including the entry form, the audition script, uploading instructions and the rules of the competition at

http://newengland.comcastsportsnet.com/celtics/fancaster/.

Uploading the entry ensures that Comcast SportsNet will receive it immediately, however, teachers and students can send an entry form and a DVD that is labeled with the student’s name, age, school, home phone number and address to:

FanCaster

Comcast SportsNet

42 Third Avenue

Burlington, MA 01803

Media teachers and students without access to the web can obtain information at (781) 270-7200.

To ensure that all students get a chance to enter, Comcast SportsNet has a rolling deadline for submission. Entries should be sent immediately, but must be received by April 1, 2009.

About Celtics Heroes Among US

The Heroes Among Us program is one of the premier community outreach programs in professional sports. Established as an initiative of the Boston Celtics in 1997, Heroes Among Us honors individuals during Celtics home games, who have made an overwhelming impact on the lives of others, in and out of their respective communities. To date, over 440 individuals have received the Heroes Among Us Award.

About Comcast SportsNet

Comcast SportsNet reaches more than 4 million households in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Comcast SportsNet’s programming includes the Boston Celtics, Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight, Celtics Now, New England Tailgate, and Net Impact. Comcast SportsNet’s partnership with the 17-time NBA Champion Boston Celtics is the longest team-regional sports network relationship in New England and the fourth longest in professional sports. Comcast SportsNet New England is owned and managed by Comcast Sports Group. Visit www.comcastsportsnet.com for more information.

Comcast Sports Group operates 10 sports networks that cover more than 2,400 live sporting events annually and deliver comprehensive sports news and analysis to 40 million cable and satellite homes.  Comcast Sports Group’s networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, The Mtn. – Mountain West Sports Network, and CSS.  These networks provide live game coverage 18 professional teams, as well as college, minor league and other sports.  For more information, see ComcastSportsNet.com.

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