Business
From Sports Reporting to Corporate Communications at SBT
Fernando Henrique Ahuvia details his journey from covering Brazilian soccer to TV corporate communications.
In an interview with Bruno Gimenes on Marketing - The Podcast, Fernando Henrique Ahuvia shares how he launched his sports journalism career with Sylvinho's retirement scoop and transitioned into PR. He reflects on covering the Brazilian National Team and building his career at SBT.
Fernando Henrique Ahuvia, a communications officer at SBT, spoke with Bruno Gimenes on Marketing - The Podcast about his professional journey, looking back at his beginnings in sports reporting, covering major soccer clubs and the Brazilian National Team, and his permanent move to public relations.
In the video above, Ahuvia shares behind-the-scenes details of sports coverage and explains how his newsroom routine shaped his strategic communication approach before he took on corporate projects and variety TV shows.
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The Sylvinho Retirement Scoop at the Start of His Career
Ahuvia began his sports journalism career while still an intern in 2011 at the French website Sambafoot. He recalls that his first major exclusive interview happened unexpectedly with left-back Sylvinho, whose contract with Manchester City was ending at the time. The connection was made possible through a college classmate who lived in the same apartment building as the player.
The conversation lasted nearly two hours and ended with breaking the news of the athlete's retirement. "Towards the very end of the interview, I asked, 'Sylvinho, what about your future?' He replied, 'Fernando, this has been a great chat, so I'll tell you something: today I went down to the building's gym to stay in shape, gathered my thoughts, and decided just today that I'm retiring,'" Ahuvia recalled. The scoop made headlines across major outlets including Globo, UOL, Lance, and Celta de Vigo's official website.
Covering the Brazilian National Team and Beat Reporting
Following his time at Sambafoot, Ahuvia worked as a reporter for Goal from 2012 to 2019. Over seven years, he covered the daily beat of Corinthians, Palmeiras, and São Paulo, in addition to traveling with and covering events for the Brazilian National Team. His first on-field assignment was Ronaldo's farewell match with the national team in a friendly against Romania.
"It was a two- or three-day event, with the Brazil vs. Romania match, but during those days I was still a student in my third year at Mackenzie, where I studied journalism," he said. Ahuvia highlighted the hands-on learning experience alongside seasoned professionals covering the national team. Notable assignments during this period included the opening of Arena do Grêmio, the Superclásico de las Américas, and a 40-day stay at Granja Comary in Teresópolis to cover training sessions for the 2014 World Cup.
Transitioning from the Newsroom to Public Relations
The move to PR began in 2017, when Ahuvia started balancing reporting for Goal with drafting press releases for the agency Triple Comunicação. He maintained this dual routine for a year and a half until leaving the newsroom in 2019 during a team restructuring.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of training facilities to beat reporters, Ahuvia shifted his focus entirely to managing PR clients at the agency until 2021. He notes that the traditional daily club coverage changed profoundly in the post-pandemic era.
Joining SBT and Working in Entertainment PR
In 2021, an opportunity arose to join the SBT communications team to cover a six-month maternity leave. The temporary role turned into a permanent position, broadening Ahuvia's scope of work well beyond sports journalism.
"At first, it was supposed to be a temporary six-month job covering a colleague's maternity leave. But I loved it—I initially came in for my sports background, but it really broadened my horizons," explains Ahuvia. At the network, he began handling communications for entertainment and variety programs, managing publicity for shows such as Domingo Legal and Programa do Ratinho.
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