Ballgame Banter: ESPN's John Korpics

Ballgame Banter: ESPN's John Korpics
John Korpics, VP/Creative Director for Print and Digital Media at ESPN the Magazine and a featured speaker at SPD's "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" event later this month at the Helen Mills Theater, shares his favorite sports moments:

In 1980, after suffering my entire life as a diehard Phillies fan, the Phillies finally won the World Series (with a little help from Pete Rose, freshly purchased from the Cincinnati Reds). On the day of the victory parade, I had a class trip into the city to go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to sketch. The bus dropped us off at the museum and I immediately left the class and went to the parade. Standing on the base of a street light for a better view, I saw Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, Garry Maddox, Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw. All childhood heroes of mine. I spent the whole bus ride home trying to sketch a copy of a Duchamp sculpture out of the brochure from the museum.

My other favorite sports story was the weekend I spent with Muhammed Ali while I was working at Esquire. When we called Ali's people about a shoot, they told us we could pick any photographer we wanted and Ali would give us one hour, or we could use Ali's old friend Neil Leifer, and we could spend three days with Ali as his guest, have lunch with him each day and shoot as many pictures as we wanted. We chose Neil. 

We also spent the weekend begging Ali to shave his thick mustache, so he would look more like the old classic Ali. He kept smiling and saying no all weekend. Two days after we returned from the shoot, I saw a picture of him online at a charity event . . . with no mustache.

Then there was the time I sent Joe Zeff the Pittsburgh Steelers toilet seat . . .

Korpics and Sports Illustrated Creative Director Christopher Hercik will share the stage January 26 to talk about their demanding jobs atop the world of sports. Both started their careers as magazine designers and evolved into much more, overseeing not only print but apps, websites, television and books. Learn from two All-Stars how venturing further from your comfort zone can take your further in your career, as the two share their experiences and participate in a moderated discussion. Tickets are limited, and available here:


Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Chris Hercik (Sports Illustrated) and John Korpics (ESPN The Magazine) face-off for some down and dirty sports magazine details.

Thursday, January 26, 2012
Helen Mills Theatre

Doors open for seating at 6:30 PM
Presentation begins at 7:00 PM


TICKETS: 
SPD Members, $15 in advance ($20 CASH ONLY at the door, if tickets remain)
Non-Members, $25 in advance ($30 CASH ONLY at the door, if tickets remain)
Full-time Students & faculty with valid ID, $10 in advance ($5 CASH ONLY at the door, if tickets remain)

RSVP early!  All tickets, seating, and cocktails are first come, first served. When tickets sell out, they're gone.


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