Aaron Talasnik is a storyteller, content creator, and media strategist with six Emmy awards to his credit. And he is now the newest member of the faculty.
As the Rocco and Mary Abessinio School of Business Chair in Management and Entrepreneurship, Talasnik brings extensive expertise in audience engagement and emerging media trends from his time at ESPN, NBC Sports Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia 76ers.
He comes to campus via Nerd Street, where he has held multiple titles including the EVP - Commercial Operations and Content Strategy. During his tenure at Nerd Street, he was immersed in the growing and fast-changing esports and gaming industry,
His role at Neumann, he says, is to teach esports and marketing courses and to resuscitate the undergraduate marketing major.
“Esports is a start-up industry that is entrepreneur-focused,” explains the 25-year media veteran. “Students want to game, and you have to meet people where they are. There’s a huge thirst for esports from a student perspective. If you can give them something they want, it’s a great recruiting tool.”
Moving from the corporate world to an academic environment will be an easy transition, he believes, because teaching is in his DNA. “I grew up in a house of educators. My mom taught high school forever, and my stepfather worked as principal at Millville Alternative High School, then at the Board of Education before transitioning to Rowan University as an advisor for counseling MA and Special Ed.”
His previous leadership roles included mentoring and developing top talent.
Talasnik believes that small schools can become household names in esports. "Making a difference has always been my goal, and I believe we can do that here with all students and help first-generation students to change the course of entire families. The more I learned about Neumann and their student population, the more I knew this was the right opportunity for me"
Other than landing a job at ESPN right out of college, he is proudest of two Emmy-winning projects: conceptualizing and launching The 700Level Show with NBC Sports Philadelphia in 2016 and producing a feature on the Sixers Stixers drumline in 2018.
His Emmys include three national and three Mid-Atlantic awards for excellence in the television industry.
The Rocco and Mary Abessinio School of Business Chair in Management and Entrepreneurship Endowed Fund is the center of entrepreneurship education, activities, and programming for the School of Business and across campus. The annual lecture series is one of the outcomes of this endowed fund.