Savannah Thompson is living out her dream.

She’s combining her lifelong love for golf with her passion for video production as an associate producer for the Golf Channel at NBC Sports–one of the nation’s most recognized broadcasting companies.

Thompson works on several shows, including Golf Today and Golf Central. This summer, she got the opportunity to do field production for the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. In her line of work, she has rubbed shoulders with the sport’s biggest names, the likes of Rory McIlroy.

Thompson attributes her early-career success to the hands-on experience she gained as a broadcasting student at UNC Pembroke.

“The Mass Communication Department prepared me immensely for my career. Dr. Jamie Litty, professor Terence Dollard and Sallyann Clark were like my family. I can confidently say not a lot of people get a hands-on broadcasting degree like UNCP offers. I learned how to use programs which I use to this day,” Thompson said.

A former member of the UNCP women’s golf team, the Pinehurst native landed a job with the Golf Channel in Orlando, Florida, after earning her degree in 2018. When the Golf Channel became part of NBC Sports, she relocated to Stamford, Conn., the headquarters for NBC Sports Group.

“My UNCP experience was unforgettable. I can’t thank the entire mass communications department enough. They truly set me up for success.”