Commanders Julie Donaldson: A lifetime of preparation and development
Part three and the final segment of Commanders Wire interview with Julie Donaldson, the Commanders senior VP of media and content.
Julie Donaldson was driving home one night after doing a postgame show listening to the radio. Catching the middle of a discussion she heard this guy talking about the Washington game earlier that afternoon and she instantly realized he was quite informative.
“I was driving, and I was thinking, ‘I am learning things listening to this guy that I didn’t even learn in our one-hour post-game show.'”
Hearing it was Logan Paulsen she contacted him for interest in future shows. Paulsen is a veteran of 120 NFL games and four teams including his longest stay which was with Washington from 2010-2014.
“He is so coachable. He takes his work in the studio work seriously. He went out and bought a suit, and I think Bram had to tie his tie for him the first time. He has cut his hair; he really gets into it. I enjoy watching him grow in the studio. He keeps hitting it out of the park.”
Donaldson has been in the business for two decades now. She knows intelligence and talent when she sees it. Regarding Paulsen, she openly offered, “I just hope he doesn’t leave us.”
In becoming the department head, Donaldson quickly learned the hard way she could attempt to micromanage and do all the shows and interviews herself, keeping control.
“I really want to use a lot of people; let them do what they do well. I don’t want this to be “The Julie Donaldson Show.” It’s definitely going to be a much different conversation when Santana Moss is talking with Terry McLaurin than myself.”
“It’s great when we permit our alumni Logan, Santana, Fred Smoot, London Fletcher to dialog with each other, and the conversations that come out of that NFL experience they share.”
Part of leadership is hiring. So when DeAngelo Hall decided after two years to pursue things outside of radio, Donaldson looked for Hall’s replacement.
“London had done the postgame show the first season 2020 and voiced he really missed the game, missed being at practice, being on the field game day.”
“During his audition, he was so coachable, and I could see his desire, his willingness to work. Hey, London is in our Ring of Fame. He is a great ambassador for the team and embraced by the fan base.”
“Taking on this job I have learned you really need the right people around you, making sure you hire people who share your vision, your work ethic.”
Donaldson readily acknowledges it is also the people never on camera who are vital to a department’s success and productivity.
“Executive producer Ryan Yocum knows how to deal with the operations, and make things happen. He has really helped in what we’ve accomplished and where we are going as a team.”
“I knew I needed someone to help me, set the vision, keep us focused and let me focus on what I need to do. Ryan has really provided structure and practices into place, helping us operate much more efficiently.”
For Julie, there was more than a decade in broadcasting and reporting previously. She was studying the business of broadcasting at the University of Florida, she was competing in Miss Florida and Miss USA pageants, graduating with honors in high school, and her mother was an elementary school teacher.
“Mom taught us, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ She also taught us ‘God gives people different skill sets, so grow that, take advantage of that.”
Perhaps Julie Donaldson was prepared all along for such a time as this.
