Sons of Saturday- Pat Finn, Billy Ray Mitchell, and Grayson Wimbish
Pat Finn, Billy Ray Mitchell, and Grayson Wimbish are three Hokie Alums in three different cities (ATL, LA, DC) who jointly host a Virginia Tech themed podcast that started out talking all things VT Football in the Fall of 2019. Football moved into basketball...and after basketball season with COVID19 they have hosted a multitude of superstars in the VT community, whether it be students, professors, alumni, or athletes. They also engage with the NRV Community through Ut Prosim and raised $3500 for the Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry and the New River Community Action - Montgomery Food Bank.
Check out the VT Marketing Departments Interview with the Sons below to learn about their inspiring career and podcast experiences!
When did you graduate from VT, and what were your majors?
Pat Finn - Marketing with a Professional Sales Concentration, 2017
Billy Ray Mitchell - Consumer Studies, 2018
Grayson Wimbish - Multimedia Journalism, 2018
What inspired you to start "Sons of Saturday?"
Sons of Saturday began as somewhat of an accident. The idea for the podcast stemmed from weekly phone calls between the three of us that Grayson facilitated. Pat would call in from Arlington VA, Grayson would call in from Los Angeles, and Bill would join from Atlanta. On these calls we discussed all things Virginia Tech football - whether it be coaching, recruiting, facilities, road trip memories or upcoming games. Billy Ray had been active in the podcast game for a while at that time, and pitched both Pat and Grayson the idea of starting one centered exclusively around Virginia Tech Athletics - however, it garnered only minimal interest at first.
That all changed over the course of one weekend. On a fall Saturday in Athens, Georgia, Pat and Billy met in dawg town to watch the Georgia Bulldogs take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The game was a spectacle to behold, and an atmosphere that every die-hard college football fan dreams about. Soon after the game, an announcement from Virginia Tech’s athletic director Whit Babcock declared that Virginia Tech would be playing against SEC opponents in upcoming series spanning over the next two decades, with match-ups against the likes of South Carolina, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Vanderbilt. Absolutely ecstatic about the time spent in Athens and the announcement from the athletic department, the three of us decided to combine our unique personalities and perspectives into what would eventually become the Sons of Saturday. The rest many would say, is footballery.
Explain how your podcast journey has been rewarding and how it has challenged you?
It’s been incredible! The most rewarding part is a combination of a few things. Bringing out distinguished student/alumni voices in a whole new medium to the Virginia Tech community is really cool. But ultimately, the best part has gotta be the people that we’ve connected with over the past 9 months we’ve been doing this. This platform we have built is the result of countess other Hokies' support and contributions. Getting the opportunity to meet so many other incredible people with different backgrounds and experiences with one common parallel, our love for Virginia Tech! New relationships have formed because of one thing that brings us together: being a Hokie!!
The biggest challenge is coordinating schedules. Grayson lives in Los Angeles and Pat and Bill are on the east coast. Sometimes it can be hard to be on the same page with the time difference, or for when we are picking a time to record our next episode, whether it be on a weekend or late on a weeknight (EST!).
What are a few of your favorite "Sons of Saturday" interviews and why?
So many to choose from! The John Iezzi interview comes to mind, he gave some real insight into the state of the Virginia Tech Football recruiting department. Early in quarantine we got to create our own Laze-isms when we sat down with Voice of the Hokies Jon Laaser.
Over the summer we’ve had the privilege to spend some time with the head guardians of Cassell Coliseum: Mike Young and Kenny Brooks! (Not to mention a student interview with the Cassell Guard)
Sitting down with alums who have conquered some pretty cool feats in Science: Miss America Camille Schrier and Homer Hickam! Those were so much fun.
Faculty members: Pamplin’s own Professor Donna Wertalik, and Hokie Legends Bill Roth and the Plaid Avenger John Boyer (that we will be posting soon!) Hokie Star Student-Athletes: Oscar Bradburn, Dalton Keene, and Tré Turner were FANTASTIC (and great ambassadors of VT athletics)!
Our favorite football episode has to be the Six Overtime Instant Classic Extravaganza, recapping the Homecoming UNC game won in 6 OTs. Absolutely Epic.
Do you have any exciting plans or guests coming up with the podcast?
We JUST launched our website! Sonsofsaturday.com. There you can find our podcasts, bios, social media handles, and most notably, the ‘Scribes of Saturday’, our group of writers and content creators! Our mission is to have a space where writers (alums, students, lifelong fans) can present their thoughts on a blank canvas - with just one criteria - their content has to do with Virginia Tech! We are really excited to have some talented writers bringing their pieces together on a platform that promotes the positivity and community of Hokie Nation. Check out our first series, which have labeled the Top 50 Hokies of All Time!
Upcoming guests, you ask? We have some superstars in the pipeline, you’ll have to subscribe and find out! :)
Where are you now in your career, and what are your future career goals?
Pat and Billy Ray: We are in similar roles! We both work in business development for tech companies. Pat at Salesforce, Billy at Twilio. We are looking to grow sales careers for these incredible, innovative companies that are doing great work in automating & enhancing the modern world and the way we do business!
Grayson: I am currently an Executive Assistant to an Executive Producer in Los Angeles. The production company I work for produces alternative television (reality TV). While my end goal isn’t in reality television, I have been able to learn how the entertainment business works on a level few people ever get to see. My end goal is to be a comedic actor/writer of some kind...and if i could model my career after anyone in the business, it’d be fellow Virginian Danny McBride.
In terms of the Sons of Saturday, we would love to continue to spread positivity and find ways to allow the University’s incredible community and alumni to have a platform to share their own talents and opinions. Beyond that, we’d be lying if we didn't say we want this to grow past Virginia Tech and get more schools and talented individuals on board.
How has Pamplin (classes, extracurriculars, etc.) prepared you for your career?
Pat: I’ll take this one as the Pamplin guy! Pamplin was great because it helped me develop my skill set for working in a team environment. I spend so much time collaborating with my peers in the workplace and it is an invaluable skill. We find the same thing in Sons of Saturday. It’s really important to play to each other's strengths. I have to give special shout-outs to Professor Wertalik and Professor Brian Collins! The MKTG 3104 personal brand project, and sales presentation assignments helped strengthen my business acumen, and helped me become more of a strategic thinker.
Would you like to include any pieces of advice for VT marketing students?
Pat: Get outside of your comfort zone. On my first day of my current job, I was told to ‘Get comfortable with being uncomfortable’. Connect with your peers and professors. Build a personal and professional brand. Express yourself creatively. Create your own road map. Don’t feel like you need to check boxes in your academic life or in your career. In fact, think outside of those boxes! Find what your strengths are, and continue to build and build and build on that foundation, it will take you a long way!
Billy Ray: Never say no to an experience! You are at one of the most beautiful campuses in America, getting a World-Class education, and sharing this experience with incredible people that come from different backgrounds and experiences. Take this opportunity to expand your horizons and do things you never thought you’d be open to. There is no time like you are in now, and once it's over there's no going back. Enjoy every moment and embrace the opportunity!
Grayson: You as a person are your own brand. It takes a long time to build a reputation and one move in the wrong direction can offset the whole body of work. Take care of your brand!