Taylor Bisciotti is a female sports reporter for the NFL Network and a journalist based in Atlanta. She has been the youngest on air talent the NFL Network has ever hired. Beyond working on female empowerment for male industries, Bisciotti supports health care centers actively and each year her family hosts a fashion show to support Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House.

Bustier by Pritch London @pritchlondon
Jewelry by Lilou @lilouparis.us
Hat by Gladys Tamez Millinery @gladystamezmillinery

Tell us about your career?
I’m an on-air host and reporter for NFL Network. I’m finishing my 7th season with them. Crazy how fast time flies!

How did you first come into the entertainment industry?
I went to the University of Georgia and was a double major in Business and Broadcast Journalism. I started off working at our school station in Northeast Georgia covering hard news. In my final semester ESPN had a program where they allowed students to create their own packages. They sent you a mic, and you did the rest. I would shoot, write, report, and edit my own package. If they liked them enough, they would publish them to their website on ESPN/ESPNU. As crazy as it sounds, those packages really helped define the rest of my career. After college I started free-lancing for SEC Network, ESPN, Sporting News, and Bleacher Report. After about a year of doing that, I got a full-time job at NFL Network in Los Angeles.

How was your first appearance on TV?
Just as you’d expect: a mix of excitement and nerves but probably more so nerves. As with everything in life, you need practice and reps. Once you have that, that’s when your real personality can come through. You can hone in on your craft. Communication is such a dynamic, powerful tool. Broadcasting makes you self-aware of all forms of communication; it’s just as much nonverbal as it is verbal.

**Left:**
Suit by Chiara Boni @chiarabonilapetiterobe
Jewelry by Lilou @lilouparis.us
Shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti @giuseppezanotti
**Right:**
Dress by Maet @maet.co
Jewelry by Natalie Mills @nataliemillsofficial
Shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti @giuseppezanotti

What was your big break in your career?
I don’t know if there’s been one defining moment. Definitely landing my full-time job at NFL Network was huge but there’s been a lot of “monumental steps” throughout. I got my own show about 2.5 years into working at NFL Network, “ICYMI all 32”, my first time on Game Day Morning, NFL Honors, I could name several “moments” that stand out to me. Sometimes this business can feel like you're moving one step forward and then two steps back but I think that’s what keeps you driven and working hard. I never feel “comfortable” or “complacent.” I always feel like I’m working towards more goals.

What is the thing you enjoyed the most in your job?
The incredible people I meet and get to work with. I truly do feel so blessed to have such a great group of friends here at the Network as well as players, coaches, GM’s, PR staffs, etc. that you get to know when you’re out in the field covering teams. It sounds cliché, but the NFL does feel like one big family.

Suit by Nicholas @nicholasthelabel
Jewelry by Lilou @lilouparis.us
Shoes by YSL @ysl
Hat by Gladys Tamez Millinery @gladystamezmillinery

What would you recommend to someone who wants to start working in the entertainment industry?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Be prepared for a lot of rejection but don’t allow it to discourage you, use it as motivation to work harder and get better. “It doesn’t matter how many “no’s” preceded it, all you need is one “yes” to make your dreams come true.”

Whom do you admire the most?
My parents. As you get older, you’re able to see all the sacrifices your parents made in order to give you the best life possible. That's what my parents did for my brother and me. They were truly the most incredible parents. They never missed my soccer games or my brother’s basketball games growing up. They wanted to be at everything. This question has me in my feelings right now so I will share a little story that I’ll never forget. I was never the best swimmer but I was on the swim team every summer. I somehow qualified to be in a six-person race doing the IM (Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, free style) I probably shouldn’t have qualified. Anyways, I was very nervous about it, and I’m sure my parents could sense it. My dad met me at each side of the pool near my lane before I would flip so I could see him there. He probably doesn't even remember this, but it's something that I’ll never forget. I’m sure I came in last place but I knew I had already won the ultimate first place ribbon in my Dad’s eyes. I feel so beyond blessed to have such a wonderful family. I don’t know what I’d do or where I’d be without them.

What has been the most challenging event of your career so far?
Hmm, probably the days where you find yourself wondering if it's all worth it. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE what I do. I feel so blessed and grateful to be in the position I am but it doesn’t go without sacrifice. I miss almost every family birthday, friends’ weddings’, so many important monumental moments that you can’t ever get back. I chose this career and I don’t regret It, but missing those special moments only gets harder as you get older.

**Left:**
Bustier by Pritch London @pritchlondon
Jewelry by Lilou @lilouparis.us
Shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti @giuseppezanotti
Hat by Gladys Tamez Millinery @gladystamezmillinery
**Right:**
Dress by Maet @maet.co
Jewelry by Natalie Mills @nataliemillsofficial

How is it to work in a male industry?
I grew up with an older brother so I have always been comfortable being around a lot of guys. I think any industry presents its challenges and you learn how to navigate them and most importantly what you let affect you. I learned pretty quickly to not care about things I can’t control. I work my hardest and come as prepared as possible because those are the things I CAN control. If I make a mistake on-air or mess up, I'll let that eat at me a lot more than someone else's opinion of me who I don't know or who doesn't know me.

How do you prepare before a report?
SO much preparation. It’s always frustrating to me when you come home on a Sunday night after a game and see the hundreds of pages of notes sprawled out that you spent all week prepping with. You really only get to say and use about 20% of what you wanted too on-air. As a reporter it’s your job to be prepared to know everything but then condense it down to about 15% of what you want to say. That’s the toughest part for me. I find so many interesting storylines and connections in every game and I have to cut it down to “the most interesting”. I always feel like I have 100 “most interesting” things to say or report but know I’ll only have time for about 15% of it.

What are your future career plans?
Who knows! I’d love to continue growing into bigger roles, but I also want to make it a priority to be content with where I am on the journey. It’s natural to want more and to find ourselves comparing our careers to others, but it’s also important to enjoy the process: embrace the challenges and ups and downs. There are no “ups” without “downs.” No two career paths are ever the same, so instead of trying to follow in someone else’s footsteps, be focused on making your steps the one you care about. As one of my favorite podcasters Tinx says, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Social Media.
Instagram: @taylorbisciotti

CREW CREDITS:
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director: Mike Ruiz + @mikeruiz.one
Photographer: Sequoia Emmanuelle
Talent: Taylor Bisciotti
Fashion Stylist: Bianca Agrusa
Assistant Fashion Stylist: Geena Lacca
Hair: René Maldonado Cortez
Makeup: Eileen Sandoval
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Associate Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Julieta Guerra, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine