MAITLAND, FLA – There are any number of ways to get from Croton, New York to Orlando, Florida: by car, bus, plane, train, etc. When that trip has stops in Boston, Las Vegas and Ontario, California, the mileage adds up quickly.
Jesse Liebman will be calling Orlando Solar Bears games this season
In the case of new Orlando Solar Bears Director of Communications and Broadcasting Jesse Liebman, it took all that travel to end up in Central Florida. He will be behind the microphone when the Solar Bears open their fourth ECHL season on October 17th.
“Of the two teams I kind of set as where would I love to break in at the ECHL level, it was Ontario and Orlando,” Liebman said in a recent interview. ”
Liebman has always had the “hockey bug” in him. Growing up in Westchester County just outside of New York City, he was immersed in the sport thanks to being able to watch and listen to some of the game’s best announcers like Sam Rosen (TV voice of the New York Rangers on MSG), Howie Rose (New York Islanders TV voice), Kenny Albert (radio voice of the Rangers) and of course Doc Emrick who called games for the New Jersey Devils.
Liebman’s first personal brush with “working” in hockey came about during his early teen years. He answered an ad in The Hockey News for a summer intern for Stan Fischler, the foremost historian and author of books related to hockey. Fischler was looking for a college-age intern but decided to take Liebman on.
“I reached out and even though I was very young (13 or 14) and he was looking for college aged individuals, I kind of started assisting over the summers,” Liebman said. “That kind of led me to the realization that okay maybe I can pursue working in hockey, working in sports as a career.”
When it came time to head to college, Liebman was focused on the print side of the media. He chose Emerson College in Boston, a small school less than a handful of miles from Fenway Park in the historic city’s Back Bay area.
“It (Emerson) had that distinction where you actually had to have your major pretty much decided upon entrance,” he said. “I wasn’t necessarily considering broadcasting for a career at the time. Even though it’s a very niche school – the student population is less than 5,000 – the people who are involved in sports [are numerous] including Sam Presti of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder (general manager), Rob Hennigan who is the Orlando Magic general manager and Wayne Larrivee (NFL Green Bay Packers radio play-by-play announcer).”
Liebman and his roommates took advantage of Emerson’s internet audio channel (ETIN – Emerson Talk and Information Network) to launch a sports talk show titled “Last Call”. Over time the show, which he called “a lark” at first, became a popular and recognized program on campus. They were able to draw guests from many of the pro teams in the city, turning it into a must-listen show.
Following graduation, Liebman and roommate Ian Tasso read about the ECHL’s Career Fair in Las Vegas. The pair set out looking to just get their feet in the sports business door doing whatever they could. Tasso managed to land a ticket sales position with the Las Vegas Wranglers – a position that eventually became the pathway to becoming the team’s radio broadcaster.
Liebman returned home but later went back out to Vegas to assist Tasso on the air. Jesse’s keen knowledge of the sport and ease behind the mic made him a natural. Tasso was so impressed that when the Ontario Reign needed an intern to work games on-air with broadcaster Nathan Barnett – who ironically had also started in ticket sales – and suggested that the Reign give Liebman a call.
“I had enough money saved up where I figured I could do this (broadcast intern) for a year and if nothing comes of it at least I have a good resume builder,” Liebman said.
In March of 2013, Barnett took a job as a baseball broadcaster in Texas, leaving the Reign without a play-by-play man. Realizing that the Reign were in the midst of what would be a playoff run, team president Justin Kemp asked Liebman to take over. Following the post-season, Kemp offered Liebman a part-time ticket sales position (which later became a corporate sales spot and PR/Media Relations) and asked him to continue to call home games and road contests where the Reign traveled by bus.
Liebman is joining the Solar Bears to fill the void left by Bob Mills who has gone on to become the play-by-play voice of the AHL Rockford Ice Hogs. Liebman admitted that Mills left a lasting impression on him when the two first met during the 2012-2013 season in Ontario.
“I met Bob Mills [in Ontario] and I was blown away with how he conducted himself and how he represented the Solar Bears organization,” Liebman recalled. “I said to myself that if I am ever working in the ECHL, I would not mind working for a team like Orlando.”
Liebman will still be called upon to do some sales but his main focus will be on media relations and bringing the games to fans. When asked whether he prefers sales or broadcasting, Liebman said that he enjoys both.
“I can’t really say that I have a favorite. Being on that side of things – selling tickets then selling corporate – gave me a great appreciation for that side of the busines,” he said. “I love broadcasting the games. As time went on (in Ontario) there was the realization that OK I did this in substitution for Nathan that first year, the second year I did it all by myself and the third year I was doing it that maybe I can pursue this as a career. As long as Jason (Siegel, Solar Bears President) says he wants me to call the games, I plan on calling the games.”
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