From Paris with Love, an Olympics Special Episode with Raghav Khosla '26
About this Episode
Episode 163: Published on Sep 19, 2024
Raghav Khosla, an undergrad in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, came back from Paris with a lifetime of memories after working as an intern for NBC Universal at the Olympic Games.
[THEME MUSIC] MAX HERTEEN: Welcome back to Northwestern Intersections, a Northwestern Alumni Association podcast. We'll be talking to alums about their career paths and the lessons they've learned along the way. Our guest today is current Medill student Raghav Khosla. He returned from a summer dream job in France, working as an intern for NBC Universal at the Olympic games. We will dive into his experiences working the games in this edition of Northwestern Intersections.
Raghav, thank you so much for joining us.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Thank you for having me, Max. It's an honor.
MAX HERTEEN: We're happy to have you. You're our first ever undergrad student guest. How does it feel?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: It feels pretty cool. It's-- you mentioned it's almost been 160, 165 episodes. I'm glad to be the first student.
MAX HERTEEN: Yeah, there's always got to be a first, and we're really excited about your story. We just had so many discussions in the office about the Olympics this summer. Northwestern did really well at the Olympics, and obviously with our connection to communications and journalism, you knew we'd have a big connection there as well. I'm going to ask you tons about your experience, but let's just kick it off. What brings you to Evanston? Why did you enroll at Medill?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: So I've always had a passion for journalism, specifically sports journalism, I would say since my middle school days. I've been reading columns on ESPN and other sports websites for almost 10 years now. And then I thought what better way to live my life than get paid to watch sports, so that's what initially kicked off my passion for journalism in high school.
And I'm from the Chicagoland area, so Northwestern was right there. And I'd always see just people I watched on TV every day whether that's Mike Greenberg, Mike Wilbon. They're idols of mine, and they came here. So I thought if I want to follow in their footsteps, what better way to do that than coming to Northwestern.
I'm happy to be close enough to home where I can go home if it's needed. Otherwise, I can also stay in Evanston. It doesn't feel like I'm living at home, but just the combination of a world-class journalism program near a big city in Chicago with so many notable alumni in the sports journalism field, it was just a perfect combination for me.
MAX HERTEEN: Talk to me about the projects that you've done both in high school and in your first couple of years here that helped lead you into your internship eventually. What other kind of stuff do you work on?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah, so in high school, I did work for our school paper, but it's really been the experiences of Northwestern that really I think set me up for getting this internship. And that was with my involvement with WNUR Sports, which is our student radio station, and the Northwestern News Network on the sports side. I'm an associate producer for that. I'm the sports director for WNUR Sports.
So just being heavily involved in these communities, getting to cover games-- I got to go to March Madness in the spring. Got to call those games. I got to be on the field for when Northwestern beat Illinois in Illinois in that football game. So just being in that atmosphere, being in that environment taught me so much about how hectic it can be but how rewarding and fulfilling it can be, too. And I would say those communities, not just the work I do but the people within them, has really just set me up to be the person I am today and allowed me to get such a phenomenal opportunity.
MAX HERTEEN: I feel like we always talk about in the office the and-- the power of and at Northwestern. Students are always doing so many different things. When you think about those experiences being on the field and doing the radio and doing production, did any one of those things stand out, or do you having that broad spectrum of stuff?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Honestly, I would definitely say it's just having the broad spectrum, but also adding on to that, not to keep just like talking about things I do here at Northwestern, but I'm also a tour guide coordinator, so I help run the tour guide department. And I'm a peer advisor, so I help out with Wildcat Welcome. So those are more very fulfilling experience for me where I'm talking to people, really helping out with the freshman orientation process, and then essentially helping sell Northwestern to a wide variety of people from all around the world.
And those experiences really taught me how to connect with people in a short amount of time, and the journalistic experiences have taught me so much about the industry. And I just think the combination of all those experiences worked out perfectly because I found so many skills whether that's being a tour guide-- you need to be able to think on the spot to answer questions versus working in a production studio, working in a big team, trying to deliver something-- I found all of those skills being used in Paris. So really just a combination of all the things I was able to do, I have been able to do. And my first two years at Northwestern really bore fruit when I was in Paris.
MAX HERTEEN: You're perfectly leading me to the next question. Let's just talk about the internship. How did it come about in the first place, and what was the reaction when you learned I'm going to be in Paris for a month for the Olympics?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: It was-- it's still a dream looking back on it. I was-- it was early in September actually. I was just talking to my parents about what I wanted to do next summer because we were figuring out what we wanted to do as a family this summer. And I was kind of getting stressed because I didn't do anything last summer internship wise, and I wanted to get some experience and really see if this is something I'm passionate about.
And so my mom-- I was talking to my mom about it, and then I was on Handshake, the portal that Northwestern students have access to. And I saw this internship where it was like intern at the Paris Olympic Games, and I was like, first of all, it seems way too good to be true. So I went through it and saw it was from NBC Universal, and then they said you have the opportunity to work in Paris or in Stamford, Connecticut. And they preferred current juniors, so I technically was a sophomore at that time, so I obviously didn't think I had a good chance that.
But I just threw my name in the hat. I applied, didn't know anyone at the company, just a blind application, wrote a cover letter, double checked with my dad, who's worked in HR for a long time. It was a very long process. I had a virtual interview, which was really weird to me. It was a one on zero interview. They had pre-recorded questions, and I have to talk to essentially myself. And it was just a weird feeling.
And then I luckily got past that stage, and I had a Zoom call with one of the operations leads at NBC Universal. I should mention there were various internships on offer. I got selected to interview for the runner position, which is the position I ended up getting. And then a couple of weeks later, I was actually about to start broadcasting a woman's basketball game in Philadelphia. I was setting up the broadcast, and I got a call from New York saying I got the internship. And first thing I did was call my parents, and I just led with your son's going to Paris for a month in the summer.
MAX HERTEEN: Oh, that's just crazy.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah.
MAX HERTEEN: Take-- and anyone listening, please, please take notes. You've got to shoot your shot.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Definitely. And not to cut you off there, but it's-- it said juniors preferred. I had had no professional experience. This was my first professional experience, but I thought I brought something special to the table. I backed myself to at least have a chance, at least get an interview, and ended up being the best thing ever. So, yeah, definitely shoot your shot.
MAX HERTEEN: I tend to close with this question, but I'm going to ask you this now as someone that's been through a couple years in Northwestern doing this experience. What's your advice to someone who is in a position like yours with similar interests?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: I really-- just maximize the opportunities you can get. While classes are great-- don't get me wrong, classes are a very important part of your university education-- there are so many things you can take advantage of while you're a student at a university like Northwestern. We're currently sitting in our brand new studio.
Being in here for the last two years, I've learned so much about the production business, working for a radio station, learning how to broadcast. I never call it a game before college, and getting to do that-- actually in a couple hours, I'm broadcasting a men's soccer game at 6:00-- so maximize every out-of-classroom opportunity you can get and form genuine relationships with the people you're doing it with. All of my best friends do journalism, and I'm just honored that I get to work with people I find so lovely and who have helped me through so much.
Once I got this internship, these were the people who were the happiest for me. There was nothing in their minds that are like, oh, I wish I got it. Stuff like that. They were just genuinely happy for me. It's very easy to tell when someone isn't versus when someone is. They were just clearly happy for a good friend of theirs, just as I was happy for them for whatever experience. For whatever they tell me, I'm genuinely happy for them. So really form genuine connections with people who are passionate about the same things as you and maximize all those opportunities.
MAX HERTEEN: Yeah, strong circle. That's really--
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Very crucial.
MAX HERTEEN: Wise beyond your years. I appreciate that.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: It's something I've come to-- I've learned over my few years that I've had these experiences.
MAX HERTEEN: That's awesome. That's awesome. So you mentioned being a runner at the games. For anyone who might not know, talk me through the specific responsibilities you had and maybe the not so specific responsibilities. What were you doing on the day to day, and what were some of the fun projects you got to work on?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah, so honestly, my day to day looked different every single day. So my primary responsibility, I was the runner for-- I was one of two runners actually-- for the late night show in Paris. It was called Late Night in Paris. Maria Taylor hosted that show. So I was the runner for that show as well as the daytime two coverage. We call it a daytime two-- that was hosted by Mike Tirico-- that would air in the US from around noon-ish to 3:00 Eastern.
And being a runner is pretty much doing whatever for whoever, especially in the early days. So I got there nine days before opening, and I think maybe 15 different people gave me tasks. I was-- if you saw any fake plants on any of those studios, just know I opened maybe 100 of those boxes.
I was talking to Max about this earlier. During the opening ceremony, it started raining. We had to scramble. I was just there watching Mike Tirico, Peyton Manning, Kelly Clarkson do their thing. It started raining, so I ran inside, grabbed an umbrella, and I was just standing there over Peyton Manning's head for 30 minutes with an umbrella. But once the show started, I was really looking after Maria, whatever she needed for her show to make sure she's present and able to do Late Night in Paris to the best of her abilities.
The more fun responsibilities I would say, getting props for the show. So the producers would let our boss know, the broadcast manager, what they wanted for the show later on. So with the shot put gold medalist Ryan Crouser, they did a segment with him where he had to pick essentially sports balls out of a bag and blindly guess what they were.
So I had to go to Decathlon, which is one of the main sporting goods stores in Europe, and buy whatever ball I could find. So I bought a hand ball, bought a water polo ball, a rhythmic gymnastics ball. And he was just blindly picking those out. So buying props for the show, helping set up, helping the crew out because there are some people like the camera people who are going to be at their stations for six consecutive hours.
So if they need a water, if they need a meal, providing them company-- I became really good friends with some of the cameramen because they would just be there doing nothing. These are cool people who work in the industry and I work, and so I'd talk to them.
But the coolest thing was getting to go on shoots. My show was lucky enough where because it aired in the US from 11:30 to 1:00 Eastern, that's 5:30 AM to 7:00 AM Paris time, so they weren't going to make us do it live. So we got to pre-record a lot of stuff.
So we got to go-- me and the runner I was working with Scarlett. She's from the UK-- we would swap off shoots to go on, so I got to go to a Team USA volleyball practice. I got to go to Versailles for a shoot with Katie Ledecky, probably the coolest thing I've ever done in my life. Yeah, that was incredible.
And she's actually the sweetest person. I got to speak with her, have actual conversation with her at the Palace of Versailles. So getting to go on those shoots with Maria, she was pre-taping those.
But what's cool about being a runner is that you get to see every aspect of the production. So as someone who was at the time 19 just first time in such a high scale production, getting to see all the different aspects of a production, learning about all the different roles I could potentially have in the future was just a phenomenal opportunity.
MAX HERTEEN: Every name that you're listing, I'm like hey.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah.
MAX HERTEEN: You're working with legendary athletes obviously, current, past. When you think about on the broadcast side, who do you think you'd learn the most from watching? Were there things that you were picking up on or even just direct advice from any of these people?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: I really-- on the more personal note, watching Mike Tirico conduct himself every day was just the coolest thing ever. He is maybe the nicest person I've ever met. Before I even got the chance to introduce myself to him, he introduced himself to me. He's like, hi, I'm Mike like I don't know who Mike Tirico, one of my heroes, is and just got to know him over--
He would never need anything. He would feel bad asking me for a coffee. I'm here to help you. But just watching him with all of the guests, whether that was Carmelo Anthony, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for some basketball players, or even Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee's president, watching him develop relationships with these people in 10 minutes before a hit, allowing the guest to become comfortable, wanting to talk more with Mike was just so much fun to watch.
He really just made everyone, whether it was the guests, whether it was the crew, whether it was interns like myself, feel like the most important person even though he's arguably the most important person. So watching him conduct himself, I learned a lot of things about how I want to conduct myself moving forward.
But more of the broadcast side, just the amount of roles that aren't visible to the regular public, you're going to see Mike Tirico. You're going to see Maria Taylor. Maybe you'll see-- you'll see the guest, maybe a cameraman's accidentally in a shot. But there's I think NBC had sent 1,300-plus people to Paris for-- in all different capacities. It's like a whole city is making this production happen for the millions watching back home.
Something I personally enjoyed and really want to continue working towards is the more guest management booking talent side because all of these guests, whether it was Shai, Katie Ledecky, all of these people need to be booked to come on the show. So that's very front facing. I love talking to people, love connecting with people. That seems like a really fun role with me-- to me because I get to be in the field. I get to be interacting with these super cool people while also doing something really important for the broadcast. So I found it really fulfilling to learn so much, especially about the guest management, the talent booking side.
MAX HERTEEN: Flip side of the question that I asked you about being behind the camera, in terms of the athletes themselves, outside of obviously the GOAT, Katie Ledecky, who are some of the names that you either got to work with or see live, and were you able to go to any of the events as well?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah. So whenever we needed-- whenever a guest was coming on the show because I was a runner, I had to run down to the gate and get them their credentials. So I got to meet Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder player, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Kerr, Dawn Staley so a lot of basketball people.
It was really cool seeing Carmelo. His son was actually staying in a hotel right across the street from our studio, so he wanted to go to the roof of the studio. So he could wave to his son. It was really wholesome. He seemed like he was just a super nice guy to work with.
I got to work with a lot of the track athletes whether it was long jump. I mentioned shot put. I got to meet the-- in Beijing 2022, the figure skating team initially got silver, then they got gold. It got announced a couple months before Paris, so it was announced that they would get their medals in Paris. They all came on our show, and I got to talk with some of them. One of them needed a phone charger, so I provided that.
So really just unique experiences in that regard. I got a fist bump from Snoop Dogg, so that was also incredible. Helped escort him into our studio one night. And then I got to go see beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower. That was the one event I got to go to. Because of our hours, we would always have tickets available for the night events, and because I was working on the later show, my hours were typically from 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM so I wouldn't be able to go to the later events.
But I got to go to beach volleyball in the day, got to see the US, and that was insane. That's a venue that's never going to happen again underneath the Eiffel Tower. And I really did not realize how the Olympic atmosphere really encompasses a city. Seeing people from all over the world-- even at those at that game, the first game was between Spain and the Netherlands, but there was like Americans cheering for Spain. There was Japanese people cheering for the Netherlands. It was just the whole world was just together, and it was just so cool to see.
I got to go to the venues for track. I got to go to the Stade de France once and got to see the press conference for triple jump-- for the medalists for triple jump I should mention. And I also got to see the venue for 3 by 3 basketball, which was also super cool. But the only event I got to go to was beach volleyball. But if there was one event I'd want to go to, it was beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower.
MAX HERTEEN: That scene-- that's-- the scene was just crazy seeing it on TV. I'm like, oh, when they say under the Eiffel Tower, it's literally under the Eiffel Tower.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah, but I was just like-- and my seats were not the ones with my back to the Eiffel Tower in front of me. So sometimes I just catch myself looking up. It's like, oh my God, there's a volleyball game going on, too.
MAX HERTEEN: It's crazy. That's crazy. Let me ask you-- I could ask a thousand questions, but what was your favorite part about Paris? You're in this amazing city. You're working. You're just getting to live there for basically a month.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah.
MAX HERTEEN: What do you miss about it?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: I am a huge fan of being-- living in a city. I've lived in the suburbs for the last two years, so just being in a city where I could walk anywhere, I wanted to, take the metro anywhere I wanted to. We were given free metro passes for the whole month, so I would just get on the train, go to a neighborhood based on a recommendation or something I googled. And essentially I just put my phone away and just walk around because Paris is committed to maintaining their 18th, 19th century style of architecture.
It's just so beautiful walking around. I just-- because I was working from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM, I'd get back, go to bed until 11:00, then I'd have essentially the afternoon to myself to explore some of my favorite days. I went to the Luxembourg Gardens, just sat there, put some AirPods in, had a little croissant. It felt very French.
And then had some phenomenal pho. And then other days I just walked around the neighborhoods. The Les Marais district is great, great food, great shopping. Did a bit too much shopping that my wallet liked, but it's just so hard. Everything's so nice there.
And then just having world-class bakeries. Three within a 50-meter walk was super nice. So--
MAX HERTEEN: Croissants are like $1.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah, I know. And they're the best croissants you've ever had. With all due respect to Starbucks, I don't think I'd want to go and pay like $3 for a Starbucks croissant versus what I've had in Paris. So many lemon tarts. Way too many lemon tarts. But it was so nice. It's just a world-class city. And during the Olympics, even better because just the atmosphere is so nice.
MAX HERTEEN: Man. I'm just-- the theme that I've picked up that I'm just-- I'm just loving this for you is the side quests.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah, literally.
MAX HERTEEN: That's like--
RAGHAV KHOSLA: It was an internship of side quests because I mentioned every day wasn't the same because the producers would want something different. Another story I can tell is it was-- if you're familiar with Europe, you know that everything on Sundays closes at 6:00, and our producers weren't the most aware of that. And they told us at 6:00 on a Sunday night that they needed four baguettes for the fencers that were coming on because they were going to have them fence with baguettes. And then I got caught up in other work. It's 9:00. They're coming at 11:00. I need four baguettes.
So I went on a two-mile run of Paris in my work clothes, looking for four baguettes and then tried every grocery store. All were out because they all get their fresh bread in the mornings. Went to cafes and then finally, there's a restaurant.
The guy was closing up. I was like do you have any baguettes. He's like I'm about to throw them away. I was like I'll give you 10 euros. He took my 10 euros, gave me the four baguettes, and the baguettes were never used. That happened.
Maria Taylor wanted to be the team mom for volleyball, so we brought some snacks for the volleyball team. So I was sat in our office for 30 minutes cutting up 50 orange slices that I had bought earlier in the morning with a butter knife. So really just a lot of versatile skill development you could say in this internship both for my career and for my life.
MAX HERTEEN: Dude, that the resume just got extended by four pages.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah.
MAX HERTEEN: Every-- anything you need, I got it. I got.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: I can do it. It's honestly, on a serious note, it really helped me develop the mindsets like never say no to a task. You can figure it out. You got to put your mind to it. You got to get some help. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
You-- I had a phenomenal team of interns I was working with, some great relationships I've made from people around the world because we had some local French hires. I mentioned Scarlett, my coworker from the UK, people from all around the States.
So I really got to meet some cool people my age who all had the same mindset. So you just get 10 people who are all geared towards getting things done. It's just a really cool team to be a part of.
MAX HERTEEN: For sure. And let me ask you this. Obviously this is going into year three, got a couple more years. You've gotten great experiences at Northwestern. You've had this Olympic experience. What are the current projects that you're excited about for the year, and what's the end goal? What's the dream job?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah, so this upcoming year, I'm going to be continuing in my roles as sports director for a WNUR sports, associate producer for the Northwestern News Network Sports. So just continuing to elevate those in this coming month. We have Wildcat Welcomes. All the freshmen will be coming in. I want to make sure we get a lot of cool freshmen who are really as passionate as our current members are continuing to broadcast games.
I mentioned the soccer game tonight. I've done two games in the last three days. So getting to do-- continue doing that stuff but I also mentioned being a peer advisor, helping out with the orientation process, being a tour guide coordinator. These are just such fulfilling experiences that means so much to me. So just continuing to expand on all the roles I'm working in currently, something I always talk about with my dad, and he's really helped me just got this into my head as once you commit to doing something, you got to do it to your 100% no matter what, no matter how hard it gets.
And I'll be juggling a lot of responsibilities, but I've committed all of these because they mean something to me. They're all-- I'm very passionate about all of them. So just making sure I'm staying that 100% is going to be a big project because it's not an easy task. But it's something I'm so excited to do.
And I'm super cool classes this upcoming fall quarter-- sports marketing class, sports commentary class. So enjoy my classes but also enjoying all of the stuff I'm doing on the periphery. No real concrete project but just all the roles I'm working on.
And then career wise, I used to want to be a reporter. That's what I wanted to be a sports journalist reporting, writing, but I've really realized that working on the behind the scenes, working on the back end is just something that's so much cooler to me. And I just find that I'd be much happier in that capacity. So really just figuring out what I want to do in that realm, I'm really going to take that year-- this year, to reflect on Paris, reflect on other experiences I've had, and really think about what it is I want to do.
But the booking aspect, especially in the sports media side, seems really cool to me. Working as a researcher for these broadcasts, you see all the guys on TV, everyone, whether it's Tirico, Maria Taylor, they have a phenomenal team of writers and researchers behind them. That role seemed really cool to me.
Even production, just behind the scenes in the sports media sphere is something I want to look towards, but, again, I don't want to close any opportunities. I mentioned I'm taking a sports marketing class. That's something that's always appealed to me. So whatever I can get in the sports media industry, especially early on in my career, is something I definitely want to pursue.
MAX HERTEEN: Absolutely. And before I let you go, I always ask every guest this. Are there any Northwestern shout outs you'd like to give?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: I would say my best friends. I'll give you some names. The people I do journalism with, they were in my peer advisor group-- Ethan, Leo, and my girlfriend Kate. I think they're just my biggest supporters here at Northwestern, and if any of my other friends are listening to this, no disrespect to you guys. I love you guys, but these people have been with me since my first day at Northwestern.
And they've just meant so much to me. They've supported me through everything. Those are the biggest shout outs I'd want to give. But the whole WNUR sports and sports communities, they've just been so cool to work with.
None of my clubs are tasks seem like tasks to me because I'm having so much fun doing them, and that speaks to the people in them. So it's just the communities I'm a part of at Northwestern. They've really shaped me as a person, who I am-- as the person I am today both personally and professionally.
MAX HERTEEN: Last question. Your hero is sitting outside the room. 10 seconds you're on air. Who's the hero? What's the first question you ask them?
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Oh, man, that's-- oh, that's a tough question. There's a bunch of people that have inspired me, but if I'm really talking about my-- this very cheesy. My dad's going to make fun of me for saying this-- but my dad is my biggest hero, but I can talk to him whenever I want. So--
MAX HERTEEN: Sorry, dad.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yeah, I would say my parents actually, just my biggest sources of inspiration. But Zach Lowe, he's a columnist for ESPN. Been listening to his podcast and reading his articles since sixth grade.
I just want to ask him how'd he do it. Just how did he make talking about basketball such a fun and educational-- I've learned so much from him, listening to his podcast, reading his pieces, but he does it in such an entertaining and just captivating way. And if I ever somehow have a career switch and end up in front of the camera, I'd want that ability. Making something like basketball, which can be super complex, making those super complex things very entertaining and very captivating while also educating people, it just seems like such a cool ability to have, and that's what I'd ask Zach Lowe
MAX HERTEEN: Zach, if you're listening, what's up? DMs are open. DMs are always open.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Yep.
MAX HERTEEN: But, listen, Raghav, you've been fantastic, our first student guest. We have been so happy to have you on the show. We're so happy you got to live the dream. Go 'Cats.
RAGHAV KHOSLA: Go 'Cats. Honored to be a Northwestern student and honored to have this opportunity and thank you for having me, Max.
