Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Kenny Millar, football writer, journalist, and consultant. He talks of his journey in football writing and how players can harness social media effectively to maximise their brand and career.
“From the age of ten,” says Kenny, “I knew I wanted to be a football writer, and that was all-consuming. I’d be writing match reports from the TV.” By the time he began work at the Sunday Post a month after turning 17, Kenny had already done over 100 interviews with a wide variety of individuals in the Scottish sports industry.
After nine years with the Sunday Post, Kenny had the opportunity to join The Scottish Sun, where he remembers having to navigate Impostor Syndrome being one of the company's youngest journalists despite the years of writing experience he already had under his belt. To his pleasant surprise, however, he was given a great deal of freedom in going about his projects.
In late 2017, Kenny was unexpectedly offered a job at the SFA and, shortly after, the Scottish FA. Today, he writes for FourFourTwo Magazine as well as NutmegMagazine, in addition to his freelancing consulting work for football clubs and creative agencies.
Speaking on the role of social media in the careers of today’s players, Kenny says, “I think that social media should be a window into your professionalism.” He encourages them to exercise tact whenever they post. If done wrong, social media can ruin one’s career overnight. If done right, it can cause one’s career to skyrocket.
“What do supporters want to see? They want to see somebody who appreciates being a player. They want to see somebody who works hard and takes their craft seriously.”
TIMESTAMP:
[01:25] Are younger players missing out having not grown up playing street football with mates?
[03:29] Kenny’s football heroes
[07:08] How Kenny got into writing and journalism
[13:18] Working for the Sunday Post and developing his writing skills
[19:24] Moving on to The Scottish Sun
[25:30] Working for the SFA and the Scottish FA
[30:26] How today’s players can use social media to their advantage
[36:42] Why Kenny loves Scottish football
[41:23] Kenny’s advice to those who want to get into football writing
Connect with Kenny Millar:
Connect with Don MacNaughton:
· WEBSITE
· PODCAST
