Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Youmans.
Hi Kyle, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Waco, Texas and spent the first 18 years of my life there before making the move to the DFW metroplex. The move was a no-brainer to attend the University of North Texas and major in broadcast journalism with the hope to become a professional sports broadcaster. During my time there, I learned the basics of becoming a professional and how to capitalize on my passion for hosting shows and calling play-by-play.
I graduated from North Texas in 2018 and immediately entered the broadcasting world as a producer and show host for ESPN Central Texas in Waco, moving back home to begin living the dream. Along with my duties at the radio station, I’d also call play-by-play for freelance broadcasts across the country, mostly with high school football, college football, and college basketball.
While working in Waco, I would return to North Texas to host a High School Football scoreboard show named Friday Night Stars every weekend. After spending a few months there, I pursued a job in West Virginia as the secondary voice of a Minor League Baseball club, the West Virginia Power. I spent the 2019 season there and learned a lot about the business. Growing with the repetitions on a microphone and also how to handle stressful tasks on a normal basis.
Once the season concluded, I was in a state of limbo. I had decided to move back to Texas and continue covering High School Football while searching for my next move. On my drive back to the Lone Star State, I was given a call from a friend and producer at the Dallas Cowboys, Chris Behm. Chris mentioned there was a production position open and that it could be a great opportunity.
I was reluctant to take the position initially, mostly because it was not an on-air position and was almost exclusively behind the camera. After consulting a couple respected friends in the business, I decided to take the job and work for the Cowboys. I spent my first year with the team producing the teams’ podcasts, editing videos, and helping with the production of their major television broadcasts.
After the conclusion of the 2019 season, some personnel changes happened on certain shows and left openings on-air. One of those shows was the award-winning podcast The Draft Show. I have always been a massive fan of the NFL draft and even covered it in college and during my time at ESPN Central Texas. I approached one of the managers in the digital media department, Derek Eagleton, and expressed in hosting the podcast and gaining an opportunity on such a prestigious show. He obliged and gave me three shows to prove my worth. After the three shows were over, he enjoyed what I had shown and even offered another opportunity on a year-round podcast named “Talkin’ Cowboys.”
From there, things got wild. I continued with The Draft Show and Talkin’ Cowboys while also filling in as a reporter on a few of the TV shows in the offseason. Our host at the time then made the decision to leave the business and resigned from her position. Her last show was the first show done virtually at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the unknowns surrounding the pandemic and how it could affect the workforce during a worldwide shutdown, the NFL went into a hiring freeze until further notice. So, I was given the opportunity to host multiple programs through the 2020 season and into 2021.
My increased role led to more repetition and opportunity. Then, after a season in my current role, I was offered the full-time position as Reporter/Writer/Producer for the Dallas Cowboys. Over the last three seasons, I’ve held that same position and grown in my resume and talent level. Hosting more shows, writing for the team website, contributing to published magazines, producing documentaries, and calling play-by-play for the preseason TV broadcasts.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not always. I was born with a cataract in my right eye, meaning I was blind in one eye. When I was four weeks old, I had an operation to remove my lens and restore sight to my right eye. However, while it restored sight, without my lens, it makes it impossible to focus my sight out of that eye and also affected the muscles around my eye. So, I have always had a weaker right eye and a lazy eye with a droopy eyelid and smaller sized eye altogether.
This rare condition forced me to wear a patch on one eye every day at school until the fifth grade and led to bullying at times from classmates. It was tough for a while, but sports allowed me to have an outlet and make good friends along the way until the bullying subsided.
As I became an adult, the appearance of my eye became less of a distraction for me, despite some of the struggles, and more of something that’s made me unique. I hope I can bring joy to those who may look a little different someday because it’s never about what you look like but who you are as a person.
From a professional level, the challenges mostly came once I was on my own financially. While with my job at ESPN Central Texas, I worked for minimum wage and no overtime. During my time in West Virginia, I worked for a $600 stipend and $10/hour for home games only. Relying on ballpark food and lots of leftovers or PB&Js to make it by.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
So, I am the team Reporter/Writer/Producer for the Dallas Cowboys. I host their television programs (sometimes up to 25 shows a week in the regular season) and provide written content to the team website.
I dream of one day being a primary play-by-play announcer for either a professional sports team, college athletic department, or television network.
I joined the Cowboys in 2019 and have been in my current role since 2020. So, I’ll be entering my fourth season on-air and my fifth overall in the Fall.
I also call play-by-play for numerous sports at the professional and college level outside of my Cowboys duties as well.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
Most of the time it had to do with playing travel baseball and spending time with my family. My dad was always involved as a coach in my youth sports and was a great example for me and how I should treat others.
My mom is why I have the passion for sports that I do. She was always my biggest fan, and I could always hear her in the crowd. She showed me to never back down from a challenge or a cause that you believe in.
Contact Info:
- Website: KyleYoumans.com
- Instagram: https://t.co/9BLcBOqjTk
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-youmans-5691a5a1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kyle_Youmans
- Other: https://t.co/8BqhF8Ja6B
