Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer Porter
Hi Summer, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. Growing up in my household my parents made education very important to me. Starting from a very young age, I was always tough on myself about doing good in school. Nobody in my family had ever gone to or finished college so I knew I had to do whatever I could to break generational curses. In my adolescent years, I was involved in various activities such as band, track, cheer, volleyball, and dance. Going into high school I continued cheering which grew my love for sports. I quickly realized I enjoyed watching sports on the sidelines rather than cheering. When I wasn’t cheering or doing homework I would sit up and watch SLAM high school and Overtime videos on YouTube. I remember the first video I watched was called “SLAM DAY IN THE LIFE OF PAIGE BUECKERS”, which made me realize I wanted to do something in sports. I became interested in “Overtime Megan” and knew I wanted to do exactly what she did.
Going into my junior year of high school, I started learning more about sports marketing and different jobs in the sports field. I would sit up day in and day out learning more about football, basketball, etc. My teachers began learning about my love for sports and contacted me for different opportunities. Throughout my junior and senior years of high school, I connected more with people who worked in the career field I was interested in. In my senior year of high school, I got the privilege to produce my school’s yearbook football & basketball spread which felt great! Since Arkansas had very few opportunities I knew I wanted to go out of state for school. Mizzou originally was my dream school mainly because of its journalism program, but something kept pulling me to Clark Atlanta.
My family was super nervous about me going out of state but I had a feeling deep down that God had a plan for me. I always told my parents everything would work out and if not I would come back home. Me coming to Clark Atlanta was by the grace of God and took a lot of sacrifice, so I knew I had to work hard. Starting my first semester of college I joined the organization “SEMA” (SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION) which had internship opportunities. I quickly realized that there were so many kids at Clark that were just like me and getting opportunities wouldn’t be easy. But with a lot of hard work and God’s timing, I got the privilege to start working with Clark Atlanta’s marching band which allowed me to meet rapper J.T. Before going into 2025 I had a talk with God about all the plans I had for myself, which led me to work with ESPNs First Take, College Football Playoffs, Atlanta Hawks G-League, and even Overtime Elite.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Getting to where I am now hasn’t been easy. In the beginning, I didn’t think Clark Atlanta was for me, so many people were from the same areas and had the same interests and I just felt different. I also had one of the most popular majors at Clark Atlanta which I felt was hard. Many students at Clark Atlanta are interested in social media and broadcasting so I felt it would be hard for me to stand out. Also being a black woman who is interested in working in sports is very hard, especially in a white male-dominated field. The main thing I had to do was surround myself with people who supported me and lifted me to continue growing.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love anything that has to do with digital marketing, whether that be videography, photography, or even graphic design. Unlike most people, I do some of everything to keep my pallet open. I never want to limit myself so I continue to learn new camera or graphic design skills every day. My favorite thing to do is create videos because I feel videos tell more of a story and you have a lot of creative freedom with editing. My biggest accomplishment was getting the chance to shoot for the college football championship in Atlanta. I got to meet so many cool people and being able to reach out to the athletes and send their videos and photos always feels good.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned along my journey is to never be afraid to ask. Every opportunity I’ve received is all because I connected with others, told them exactly what I wanted, and asked. Most people like to play the waiting game but I personally don’t, the more I ask the more opportunities I’ve received.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @summercyana
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/summer-porter-779233279
Image Credits
@summercyana
