Williams Submits Top Audition at Boys & Girls Club of Hartford Event Featuring Comcast SportsNet Color Analyst & Former UConn Husky Donny Marshall

BURLINGTON, MA – Comcast and Comcast SportsNet proudly announce that Teiana Williams has been selected as a Comcast SportsNet FanCaster. Williams, 15, was selected at the open FanCaster auditions held at Boys & Girls Club of Hartford – Asylum Hill on Tuesday, January 13.
 
As the FanCaster, Williams, a sophomore at A. I. Prince Technical High School, will attend the February 1, Celtics-Timberwolves 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 Williams’ on-camera introduction and footage of the Hero Award presentation during Celtics Post Game Live.
 
Comcast is teaming up with Comcast SportsNet for a 10-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. CSN color analyst and former UConn basketball player Donny Marshall hosted the workshop at the Asylum Hill Club event and talked to the kids about working on cable TV.
 
“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 Doug Guthrie, vice president of Comcast’s Western New England region.  “Nothing is more rewarding than sharing the excitement these kids have shown today for the Celtics season and we look forward to seeing Teiana in front of the camera on February 1.  Who knows?  Maybe she will become the next broadcasting legend.” 
 
“Teiana had an exceptional audition and beat out some tough competition. She will get an incredible hands-on learning experience as the FanCaster, “says Skip Perham, Comcast SportsNet marketing and communications manager. “The Hartford event was by far the largest of our FanCaster tour, and 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, Williams 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.
 
After the FanCaster experience, students can watch their appearance on Comcast VOD in the Sports & Fitness/Comcast SportsNet folder or www.NewEngland.comcastsportsnet.com.
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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