Rising Stars: Meet Andrew Snorton of East

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Snorton.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It all got started during a summer camp (well, part of it).

One of the students in attendance pulled me aside and asked me if I could help him with one of his classes. Thankfully, it is a subject I’m well acquainted with and things worked for him. From there, it evolves to standardized test prep on the ACT, SAT, and for a few students, the ASVAB. Ranging from working with individuals to a few schools and community organizations, the tutoring/coaching piece develops and is a key component of what I do (and I’m grateful to all I’ve worked with).

As for the press and media end, it starts a little differently.

I am writing for a magazine which eventually shuts down in 2016. I still have an interest in covering what I can, so I start off providing coverage of community-based organizations and nonprofits. It evolves into being credentialed media for a range of college and professional sports to members of Congress, as well as working with multiple entities with their media engagement (from the traditional to the contemporary), including amazing platforms such as this one!

As they say, every great thing starts off small, but with a lot of prayer, patience, persistence, and adding to your skill set and “toolbox”, you never know where things can take you and what rooms you’re able to enter that others cannot.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not always.

There are peaks and valleys, and that can be said for any profession. On the education end, there are times that even with it being a priority, there are those who don’t see it or the work you do in that way, shape, or form.

That’s where you have to take a moment to pause and then keep going, as there are people who see what you are doing and the positive impact it can have in the academic development of those in K-12, let alone things beyond the classroom.

The same sometimes takes place in press/media; there are times you apply and don’t get accepted or never get a callback, but that means you pause, reboot, and build upon what you are doing.

Even during rough stretches, you can’t lose sight of your talents, work ethic, and work product. You always have to see it before others do and when you stop, so too does your potential for growth and simply expanding your reach. Again, you may revamp, but don’t let up.

You have to be your biggest advocate and cheerleader; otherwise, the “bridge” opportunity that’s right around the corner won’t happen because you decided to get off the road.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As noted, my primary work focuses on education-based services and press/media services.

On the education end, I’d say I’m best known for my work with students on their ACT’s and SAT’s. When you realize how these gatekeeper exams can be a tremendous hurdle for students to clear, my focus is pretty straightforward, as when you take time to slow down the moving parts, people can see things clearer and at least be in a better position to identify what to work on along with taking the time (or two, or three) to make it happen. When you see the student who struggled finally realizing success and moving on to their higher education path to the top HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) as well as our PWI’s (Predominantly White Institutions) and they still keep in contact with you (including referring you to others), it’s a good feeling and reminder of what you can do.

On the press and media end, there’s a number of things I’m proud of. I’m proud to have covered 3 bowl game since I started covering college football, covering hockey and a team who returned to the playoffs for the first time in 4 years, or coordinating media for one of the top Kentucky Derby themed events in the country, the #AlphaDerbyWeekend, and having a record number of media outlets serve as correspondents. There’s more individual and related stories, but these are good starting points for the time being.

What sets me apart is simply the time I take with each and every student or each and every coverage piece and/or when I am the point person for media for a given event or entity. I do what I can with what I have and look for ways to add to it; I take the students and entities I work with seriously and focus on getting the job done as well as possible or at least getting them multiple steps closer so they don’t have as far to go.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My advice is take a moment to observe those within the field you are working in. See how they go about their business and see if in principle, it’s in alignment with where you are trying to go.

Reach out to them and take a moment to talk with and listen to them. Be open to sharing and listening as both you and your mentor or those you network with can learn from each other. Credit those who help you so they’ll be open to helping others and as a way to say thank you to them, help others.

On the press end, for the 2025-26 ECHL season (professional hockey), I can say without a doubt the people I worked alongside with are not only sound professionals, but sound people. There are things I learned from them and when the season concluded, a few shared with me how I helped them out. That’s how it’s supposed to be so when you are in an environment where at times you do work in a silo (after all, you do have a job to do), yet people around you take time to come out of the silo and share something essential, it leads to a great environment and the potential for tremendous mentoring and networking opportunities.

When done right, it’s about building bridges. There’s enough for everyone, so it’s ok to share.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://asnortonccs.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/asnortonccs
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/asnortonccsllc
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/asnortonccs
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@creativecommunitysolutions6794
• Other: https://linktr.ee/asnortonccs