Gavin Cote

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“Proud Mainer and Emmy-winning producer passionate about storytelling, empathetic leadership, and creative and personal growth.”

Hometown: Dexter, Maine

Fun Fact About Yourself:  I’m a lifelong ice hockey fan, having grown up in central Maine during the heyday of the University of Maine team. However, I never played the sport because of my love for basketball (you can find me at State Farm Arena when the Celtics come to Atlanta)! A year-and-a-half ago I joined an adult hockey program for the first time, then the intramural Connecticut Hockey League, and quickly fell in love with the game all over again. I’m excited to find a league in the Atlanta area to keep playing this winter!

Undergraduate School and Major:  Ithaca College – Sports Media

Most Recent Employer and Job Title:  ESPN – Producer, ESPN Originals

What makes Atlanta such a great place to earn an MBA? As a major metropolitan city, Atlanta offers many benefits for earning an MBA, including networking, internships, and full-time job opportunities with the many major companies based here. What truly draws me to Atlanta, though, is its vibrant culture, strong sense of community, diverse restaurants, exciting sporting events, and wide range of activities. The city offers endless opportunities for entertainment and growth beyond the classroom at Goizueta.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Emory Goizueta’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? After spending 13 years at a highly collaborative company, it was imperative for me to find an MBA program that mirrored that same culture and learning environment. Within hours of visiting campus and speaking with staff and current students, it was clear that Goizueta was the perfect fit. From its intimate class sizes and individualized career coaching to the tight-knit cohort structure, the program fosters a collaborative community—exactly the environment I was seeking. I’m excited to build meaningful, lasting relationships with peers where we support one another and grow together, both as a group and as individuals.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Emory Goizueta? There are two components of the Goizueta MBA I’m most looking forward to joining. The first is a new addition to the curriculum this year: Growth Week. This week-long project at the end of the semester gives teams a real-world challenge from a company partnering with Goizueta. It’s designed to be a culmination of the entire core semester, allowing first-semester MBA students to apply everything they’ve learned to a practical business problem in a collaborative, competition-style format.

Additionally, I’m excited to get involved with the Goizueta Association for Media, Entertainment, and Sports. I hope to bring my 13 years of experience in the sports media industry to help grow the club and expand learning opportunities in this space.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: During my career at ESPN, I was fortunate to win two Sports Emmy Awards as a Director and Producer for my work on the network’s SC Featured brand. Creating the high-quality storytelling expected from ESPN requires tremendous teamwork, communication, and creativity—and even more to stand out in a competitive industry. Winning a Sports Emmy is a reflection of the collaboration, dedication, and passion behind each project, and that personal connection is what I’m most proud of.

I also received an Emmy nomination for my SC Featured profile of former UCF and NFL linebacker Shaquem Griffin. While it didn’t win, it remains one of my greatest career accomplishments. Telling the life story of someone as inspiring, humble, and charismatic as Shaquem was an honor I’ll always be grateful for.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your Emory MBA experience a success? My two biggest goals for a successful MBA experience are leadership growth and the development of strong business acumen. Through coursework and Goizueta’s leadership programming, I hope to build on my existing skills and unlock my full potential as a leader through professional leadership development. I also aim to strengthen my strategy, business, and marketing expertise—skills I can apply to my 13 years of content production experience to make a meaningful impact as a business leader in the sports, media and entertainment industry.

DON’T MISS: MEET EMORY GOIZUETA’S MBA CLASS OF 2027

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