Career summary

Since childhood, Marc McGowan dreamed of working as a journalist covering elite-level sport. After graduating from Monash in 2006 with a Bachelor of Communications (Honours), Marc knew he had to gain a variety of experience across different forms of journalism in order to make his dreams a reality. Having enjoyed a diverse career as a sports writer and editor, elite tennis journalist, freelancer and business owner, Marc has secured a role at The Age as a sports journalist.

Career pathway

2022 – Present Sports Journalist, The Age
2020 – Freelance Sports Journalist, inkl; Sports Journalist, News Corp
2017 – AFL Media Reporter, Australian Football League
2015 – Sports Producer, Crocmedia Pty Ltd; Sports Editor, News Corp (NT News)
2013 – Founder and Tennis Journalist, Aceland Tennis
2009 – Sports Editor, Shepparton News
2006 – Sports Journalist and Sports Editor, Star News Group
2002 – 2006 Bachelor of Communications (Honours), Journalism and Communications

When did you know you wanted to become a sports journalist?

Since I was 12 years old, I wanted this career. I was obsessed with sport and I loved writing, so it was obvious to me that’s what I would do. I had my career path mapped out from a young age but I knew I had to go through uni in order to get to my goal.

You step into a uni degree pretty green and the first thing you are exposed to is a lot of other people trying to chase the same career path as you. You think you know everything already, but you quickly realise that you don’t. Over the course of the degree, I got a great understanding of the different elements and paths of a career in journalism.

What experiences at Monash gave you the skills to take through your career?

During my degree I took varied subjects, from editing and feature writing to media law and international journalism. The units gave me a real breadth of knowledge of the industry and what I was getting myself into. They gave me an outstanding foundation for when I stepped into the industry.

Did you engage in any extra-curricular experiences while at uni?

Towards the end of my degree I got involved as a media volunteer with the Commonwealth Games. There were some test events before the Games where I got to expose myself to sports writing. I was covering the swimming and I got to put into practice what I had been learning – it was really exciting.

Something I would recommend to current students is to do other things outside of your degree. I have been a sports editor a couple of times during my career and I had the job of reviewing the resumes of students graduating uni. If I was looking at a resume and that person didn't do anything outside of their degree, there's nothing that differentiates them from the next person. You might write a nice cover letter, but that doesn't tell me who you are or how hard you've worked.

That’s my biggest piece of advice – whether it’s starting your own blog or something else, you need to show you’re putting in extra.

What did you learn from your Honours year?

What prepared me for my career was completing my Honours year working under Brett Hutchins. It was one of the toughest years of my life. There were only about ten of us and I was studying alongside some very impressive people.

The reason I did my Honours was to differentiate myself from other young people entering the field. I wanted a competitive edge. The year taught me about deadline pressure, being prepared to take feedback, the need to have a strong work ethic, and how essential it is to commit to accuracy and being diligent in gathering information. It took me right out of my comfort zone.

Brett really challenged me. If I produced something that wasn't good enough, Brett would would send it back with copious notes. It was pretty confronting, but the experience served me well. It taught me to be prepared to take feedback on the chin, which is a skill you need in your career.

I was balancing the second half of that year working my first job at a newspaper three days per week. It was a tough year but if you can qualify for the course, it's definitely worthwhile.

You launched your own digital platform, Aceland Tennis, where you were an elite-level tennis journalist. What was involved in this venture?

That was one of the toughest experiences of my life. I don't regret it, but it was very tough. I learnt where my strengths and weaknesses are.

I had worked at The Shepparton News for four years. I moved my life up there and I was away from my wife the last three of those years. I always wanted to be advancing in my career and covering elite sport. I saw a niche that wasn’t being covered in tennis so I moved back to Melbourne and I spent the money to get Aceland Tennis up and running professionally.

The first tournament I covered was in Sydney and I went from there. I was trying to find advertising and do freelance reporting while I was travelling from Sydney to Western Australia to Tasmania to follow the Australian Pro Tour.

It was an eye-opening experience for what the industry as a whole is dealing with. When I pulled the pin I had more readers than ever, but I just couldn’t find a way to monetise my work. Even The Age and The Herald Sun are still trying to figure out how to make money online.

It was important for me to step out on my own and expose myself to the career path I knew I wanted to go down. I worked every day of that 18-month period, but it was invaluable. I got accreditation to cover the Australian Open and I developed great contacts. I'm now covering only football, but I established a reputation in tennis.

You have experience across different forms of journalism including broadcast, print and digital media. How do you keep up with a changing industry?

Media has changed so much since I started my career. At the beginning, I thought I was just going to be a print journalist and that's all I would have to do. But as I’ve gone through my career, I realised having a variety of skills is vital.

I always want to be able to differentiate myself. There are job cuts happening everywhere and the more value you offer to your employer, the better chance you have of surviving. These days, you must have an active social media presence, and you have to be able to speak on a podcast or on video.

It’s a tough industry. You just have to be prepared for speed bumps along the way, and develop the ability to pick yourself up and continue to better yourself.

What is your advice to journalism students?

Don't give up. If this is what you want, then don't give up.

Sometimes you might feel like you’re getting stuck. However, my experience has shown that  for each step you take, you can get something out of it for the next step. From my time in Shepparton, I still have contacts there. One colleague convinced me to go up to Darwin and take the job with News Corp. When I went up there, someone I met helped me get to the AFL.

Always see every experience as a chance to learn and develop. Never think that you're too good for a job, particularly at the start. You have to be willing to move interstate or into the country. If you're not willing, you probably don't want it enough.

Interviewed by Lilly Walsh, journalism intern, Monash Arts, 2020