Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Williamson.
Christine, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started building my brand while I was in graduate school at Clemson University. I studied broadcast journalism at the University of Miami and went on to cover and report for Clemson’s Athletic Department. During my first week, I met Scott Van Pelt who at the time was doing a segment for ESPN’s SportsCenter called “Bald Man on Campus.”
It sparked the idea to make my unique look a focus of the brand I began building. I thought it was a great way for people to not feel confused or uncomfortable about the fact that I’m bald (even though it is a choice and I shave my head pretty much every day).
While at Clemson, I became known as the ‘Bald Girl on Campus’ and it the nickname has stuck ever since.
Great, 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?
The biggest struggle for me has also been the biggest blessing for me. It’s tough to get a traditional on-camera job when you look different than most of the people who are in your industry.
Even though I have been able to capitalize off of the fact that I am different, I still wasn’t able to land countless jobs that I was overqualified for because I look different than what traditional media outlets are used to.
The Bald Girl – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I currently work for the Big 12 Conference as a digital correspondent. The digital network was established when I started at the conference office, and we have since grown our digital media reach significantly. It’s tough because we are competing with conferences who have linear networks and big media companies, but that’s just not what our conference was looking for.
We definitely compete with our peer conferences in creating unique content. Since we are so small, typically the content that we specifically created for our institutions doesn’t necessarily share the same content as networks like ESPN or Fox Sports. Instead, we compliment their coverage with stories that they aren’t already telling. It allows us to add to the conversation.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The moments that are the most fun for me are typically the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship and Big 12 Football Championship. This last football season, the Big 12 hosted the highest attended conference championship game in the history of college football.
My responsibility during games is to host, so, during dead balls, I am on the big screen talking to the crowd about anything from what’s happening on the field to doing sponsored hits – sort of like commercials. Being able to see my bald head on the big screen in AT&T Stadium (LOL!) and to talk to 83,000+ people during a game of that magnitude is so fun!
Contact Info:
- Website: thebaldgirl.com
- Email: baldgirl@thebaldgirl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebaldgirl/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsthebaldgirl
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