Hollis contributes to NHL history with the launch of the Seattle Kraken
Lipscomb alumna Savannah Hollis works her dream job, a career that combines professional expertise with a love for hockey
Cate Zenzen |
The 2021-2022 NHL season is highly anticipated as fans will not only celebrate the return of professional hockey, but welcome a new team to the ice. This July, Washington announced the long-awaited name of their new professional team, the Seattle Kraken. The moniker characterizes Seattle’s nautical ties and mysticism. Lipscomb alumna Savannah Hollis (‘14) is particularly excited because she is no ordinary hockey fan, but a major contributor to the launch of the team. With experience in several states and work in a variety of communication roles, including public relations, broadcasting and social media, Hollis has worn many hats. Throughout it all, she continues to work within a unique industry centered on hockey, a sport she has loved since childhood.
“Hockey was the first sport I ever saw live. In third grade, my parents took me to a Philadelphia Flyers game. I loved the energy, the fans, the intensity - something about the speed of the game made me fall in love with it,” said Hollis.
Despite her love for the sport, Hollis didn’t anticipate hockey to be a part of her career. She started her undergraduate degree at Lipscomb as a Psychology major, but learned more about Communications from an upperclassman while on a mission trip. She realized she could use the parts of psychology she enjoyed, like learning about what motivates people, while still having some creative freedom.
Hollis decided to minor in Psychology, and switched her major to Public Relations within the School of Communication. She loved the emphasis on relationship building, writing and creativity, and developed a great appreciation for her professors - particularly Alan Griggs, Mark McGee, and Jimmy McCollum.
“The three of them were extremely helpful. I had a really good experience because they understood the media mentality, which I think is really underrated about this program. Even if you are on the PR track, you have to understand how the media works,” said Hollis.
During her time at Lipscomb, Hollis was introduced to the VP of Communications for the Nashville Predators. He talked to her about what it was like to work in sports and offered her a position to be a game night intern for a semester.
“I’ve always been a big hockey fan, but I don’t think I realized you could work in that sport. One of the most impactful things I took away from that meeting was when he told me that working in sports is not super glamorous because I think there’s an idea that sports are glamourous. At that point, I realized it was my dream to work for a hockey team, and I was so excited to take that opportunity,” said Hollis.
Hollis worked with the Nashville Predators for about four years in total, holding positions such as Game Night Intern, Communications Intern and later a Hockey Operations Graduate Assistant. In 2017, she got her Master’s degree in Sports Administration at Belmont University, which was flexible enough for her to focus on her internship. Hollis felt she didn’t build enough external relationships beyond the team she worked with during her first few seasons, and made that a priority during her last season with the team.
“I think it’s really important that people remember it’s not just about having experience in one place. I didn’t want to fall into that trap,” said Hollis.
Hollis went on to work with the Texas Stars Hockey Club with a role in media relations and broadcasting and later the Florida Panthers as their social media coordinator. In 2019, she moved to Washington as the social media lead for the Seattle Kraken, the first professional hockey team to play in Seattle since 1975. The team announced its name for the first time this year, and Hollis helped to build the launch from the ground up.
“It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of something that’s a lot bigger than yourself. I think I was one of the first 50 employees here, and it’s super exciting to be part of helping build it,” said Hollis.
As the team’s social media manager, Hollis maintains messaging and audience growth for the team. She monitors fan sentiment to determine what they want, and then relays the information to the Public Relations and Marketing departments for the Seattle NHL. This integration between departments is important to Hollis, as it gives fans a voice.
The announcement of a new team name is a big event for hockey fans, and Hollis and her coworkers planned the launch long before the COVID-19 outbreak. She said they were strategic about how and when to execute the launch, so as not to take away from the importance of current events.
“You have to be sensitive to the community and pay attention to what is happening in the world around you. While we want our team to be a bright spot, we have to be aware of people going through tough times,” said Hollis.
Much of Hollis’ job is to be attentive to the community. Fans turn to social media to express themselves, whether good or bad. Sentiment depends entirely on the success of the hockey team, and Hollis said the highs are really high and lows really low. While the negativity on social media can at times be intense, she cherishes the high points in her career where she could celebrate the team she helped support. Moments like when the Predators won a playoff game after going into triple overtime or when Hollis worked the 2016 all-star game in Nashville will stick with her forever.
Despite working in the professional hockey industry since her junior year of college, Hollis continues to love the sport. Not everything is the same however -- she is no longer only a fan, but an insider who understands just how much work it takes to support a professional team.
“I’m not a hockey fan in the sense that I can be super critical of everything, I now know all the different factors that went into it. You look for ways to make the fan experience exciting so fans get to be part of something bigger than themselves,” said Hollis.
View Hollis’ work by following Seattle Kraken on social media. Click on these links to view: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Website.