IN THE SPOTLIGHT
BROADCASTER, MEDIA PERSONALITY & SPORTS NATASHA STANISZEWSKI
ENTHUSIASTS by Lee Ann Atwater
W e had the absolute pleasure to chat with Edmonton, Alberta born and raised, Natasha Staniszewsk about her personal and professional journey. We learn about how her early years as a small-town journalist and broad- caster shaped her craft and passion for sports and lead to her being a pioneer in the industry as the host of TSN’s SportsCentre, the channel’s flagship news programme, for the better part of a decade. We also look into what the future holds for this amazing and truly genuine broadcaster, media personality and sports enthusiast. Spotlight: Tell us a little about yourself and growing up in Edmonton, Alberta? What do you like to do in your spare time when you are not in front of the camera or covering an event? Natasha Staniszewski: Well yes I was born and raised in Edmonton like you said. I played a lot of sports growing up from an early age. My parents always wanted my brother, sister and I to be active so we were always at the gym or at the hockey rink. So I guess that is kind of where I
a big Oilers fan; I like the Eskimos and I just remember watching ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ every weekend and thinking you know I could probably ask a few valid questions during the intermission. I think I could probably be a decent reporter, but I never seriously considered it at the time. It just seemed like a wild dream to try and be on tv in any capacity and there were not that many women on tv covering sports at the time, so it just didn’t seem like a great idea really. So, I did the practical thing and went to the Uni- versity of Alberta and got a business degree and I worked for a few years doing HR and marketing and I just didn’t like it. I was pretty unhappy, and I did not want to be unhappy any longer and so at that point I obviously had a degree under my belt and I really felt like I had nothing to lose so I decided to change it up. I was 25 or 26, quit my job and went back to NAIT and got my tv broad- casting diploma.
developed my love for sports. I guess currently as an adult my sport now would be golf. I just started playing about five or six years ago and I absolutely love it. I still like to run and in my spare time I like to bake a lot, to read and I like to travel. I have a nephew who I love to spend time with. He lives in Edmonton so that is one of the reasons I moved back to Alberta as I am looking forward to spending time with all my family not just my nephew. So ya I guess that is me in a nutshell. Spotlight: We understand that you earned a business degree from the University of Alberta but then decided at the age of 26 not to pursue a career in business, but rather a career as a sports broadcaster and went on to complete your broadcasting degree at NAIT in Edmonton. Can you tell us what motivated that change in career path? Do you find having a business degree has
helped you when it comes to branding yourself? Natasha Staniszewski: Well, I would say the seed had been planted when I was in high school like I mentioned I really enjoyed sports. I was
“My parents always wanted my brother, sister and I to be active so we were always at the gym or at the hockey rink. So I guess that is kind of where I developed my love for sports.”
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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021
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