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By Khiyah Griffin, Sincerely, Southern staff
Frank Sulkowski is a Georgia Southern University alumnus who graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in broadcasting.
He grew up in Tifton, Georgia, which is about three hours from Statesboro, Georgia. He played sports in high school and played college football for two years at East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tennessee.
When he stopped playing football, he knew he was going to come home for college and he decided to attend Georgia Southern.
When he got to Georgia Southern, he wanted be either a special education teacher or go into television. He wanted a way to still be around sports, so he chose broadcasting over special education.
Sulkowski said that what he enjoyed most about his time at Georgia Southern were the people he came into contact with.
“Having the opportunity to meet such a variety of people, you really learned a lot of your communication skills right there in college dealing with classmates who were very interested in the same things you were,” Sulkowski said.
He has been working in television in Georgia since 1997. Sulkowski said that attending Georgia Southern made it seamless for him to go into the television industry. Growing up and working in Georgia for so long opened up many avenues because people know him and he knows the state so well.
He has been told by viewers that they enjoy watching him because he’s the same person whether he’s on or off camera.
“That’s the big thing, and I think that if I ever get away from that, I will feel that I have failed. The thing I want to continue to do is to keep being me,” Sulkowski said.
Sulkowski has worked at Northland Cable News, Georgia Public Broadcasting and WFXL. He is currently an anchor and reporter for WJCL in Savannah, Georgia, covering news and sports. He is also on the Georgia Southern campus at least once a week covering sporting events.
Sulkowski said that what he does is not a normal 9 p.m. to 5 p.m. job and that there is no such thing as a typical day for him.
“That’s what makes it fun, and I think one of the things that keeps me in television is that you don't get stagnant because there’s always new things happening and it keeps your job fresh each day,” he said.
He has received multiple awards from the Georgia Association of Broadcasters and the Georgia Associated Press. He has been recognized for outstanding media coverage by the Special Olympics of Georgia and has been named the Connect Savannah Readers choice for best sportscaster for eight consecutive years.
“I think the biggest accomplishment is that I’m still here. I’m still standing in an industry that can be tough at times,” Sulkowski said.
Sulkowski said the biggest piece of advice he can give to journalism students at Georgia Southern is to make sure it's what they want to do for the rest of their life.
“Make sure you're passionate about it,” he said. “Whether it's writing, being on camera, running a camera, directing, producing - make sure you're passionate about it because that’s what’s going to show.”