Alumni Spotlight: Jamie Palatini ’06 - A Life in Sports Communications 

As part of our Alumni Spotlight Series, Gill St. Bernard's recently sat down with Jamie Palatini, a GSB Class of 2006 lifer, whose professional path has taken him from debating world events in Mr. Ripton’s social studies classes to communicating large scale sporting events as the Director of Communications at NBC Sports. 

How did you land at GSB?  

My first year at GSB was Kindergarten. I was a Gill St. Bernard’s “lifer” and spent my entire schooling career, from Kindergarten through senior year, at GSB. When I began, the Lower School was still using the old campus at Stronghold, and I didn’t transition to the Gladstone campus until the second half of Second Grade—right after Winter Break.  

Do you have a favorite GSB memory?   

I have so many great memories from my time at Gill! It’s an incredibly special place, and what makes it so are the people—the classmates, teachers, and coaches.  

I had so many influential teachers in the Lower and Middle Schools; I’m sure students from around my time remember Mrs. Lowe, Mrs. Mershon, Mrs. Brescher, Mr. Bednarsky, and Mr. Grabowski, just to name a few.  

Perhaps it’s a recency bias, but the Upper School is where my mind goes to the most. I very clearly recall great conversations in Mr. Ripton’s history classes, always thought-provoking lectures from Mr. Bostian, and the time spent with my classmates on sports teams and in the theatre. I was lucky to have had the opportunity to do sports and theatre during my time at GSB, and I think it helped me to become a very well-rounded person. Without a doubt, GSB is a great community and environment for learning and growing. 

What was your favorite class? 

That’s hard to say! While I didn’t pursue history in any significant way in college, I think the social studies and history classes with Mr. Ripton were my favorite. They always felt different, and as I came to find out, they were structured a lot like a college class, where we would discuss and debate what we read or were studying.  

Mr. Ripton created an environment where it was okay to share your opinion and speak your mind, even if it might be different from what others in the class thought. I still really enjoy learning about history—and enjoy learning new things in general—and his class certainly contributed to that.  

Tell us about the Spring Units you took part in. What were they and when? What did you do? 

My freshman year unit in 2003 was a study on Quebec, which included a trip to Montreal. It was a really interesting unit and a great bonding experience for our entire class. And it was my first introduction to poutine! 

Sophomore year, in 2004, was a study on the history of rock and roll and featured a trip to Seattle and classes at the Experience Music Project. I bought my first Pearl Jam record on that trip—since we were in Seattle—and they became one of my favorite bands!  

Junior year was a study on improvisational comedy, where we practiced the craft at a studio in New York and performed for friends and family.  

Oddly enough, I can’t exactly remember my senior year unit. I believe it was a sports-focused unit, which I should have remembered, since I work in sports! 

How did GSB prepare you for college and the working world? 

Gill St. Bernard’s definitely prepared me for college and the working world. The school instills a sense of self-confidence and curiosity in its students, which has served me well. I believe that natural curiosity serves everyone well, no matter what career path you pursue.  

The classroom environment in the Upper School is very similar to what I experienced at Quinnipiac University. I think the way in which I carry myself with executives or partners within my industry can be traced back to how we as students interacted often in a collegial, but respectful, manner with our teachers and administrators at GSB.   

Tell us a little about what you do now. 

I’m the Director of Communications for NBC Sports, overseeing the strategic communications and publicity in and around some of our biggest events, including the Olympics, the NFL, Golf and motorsports.  

Golf is one of our main properties that I work on, and I lead the communications for our coverage of the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, USGA, and the Ryder Cup. Those responsibilities include managing media opportunities for our commentators like Mike Tirico and Dan Hicks, pitching business stories in and around our coverage, and managing crisis communications when appropriate. I’ve been with the communications team at NBC Sports since 2013. It’s an incredibly fast-paced but exciting industry, and we’re thrilled for the Olympic Games this Summer in Paris, which should truly be fantastic. 

What would be your advice to current GSB students?   

Don’t be afraid of failing. Taking chances and failing is often when we learn the most about ourselves. It’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s good to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.  

I would also say it’s important to be curious and to always ask questions. While my role at NBC Sports is rooted in communications, I need to communicate about a variety of things—production of our events, marketing, viewership metrics—and that requires a curiosity to understand them all so that I can appropriately communicate them to the press and the public. 

What are some hobbies you enjoy? 

My favorite hobby is spending time with my wife Lauren and our children Jack and Ruby. Watching them grow and experience new things is incredibly special.  

Outside of that, golf is certainly my favorite sport, and I love to play when I can. I’ve also recently taken up chess which is a lot of fun (and also very hard!). I love live music and always try to see my favorite band (and greatest live band ever), Phish, when they’re in the area.