About Jay

About Jay F. Hicks

In 2007, Jay F. Hicks made the decision to pursue his passion – writing about the sport in which he’d excelled throughout his high school and college career. He began with a simple blog called PreRaceJitters, focusing on amateur and professional track and field. At the time, he had no idea the opportunities that this simple decision would provide.

He is currently the Director of New Media at CBS affiliate News 10 On Your Side (KWTX), which also broadcasts CW Texas.  In his position, he oversees all of the station’s efforts in online and new media involving developing and executing content on multiple-platforms including KWTX.com and the station’s mobile Web site.

PreRaceJitters started small. It was more of a hobby than anything else at the time. Hicks continued to work full-time in corporate sales and marketing, but soon found that he was increasingly interested in the potential of the Internet. The obvious place to hone his skills was PreRaceJitters. He began to learn everything he could about new media and expanded PreRaceJitters.com to an online magazine with live blogging of key events, audio and video podcasts, and becoming an affiliate of NBC’s Universal Sports. Today, PreRaceJitters.com is one of the sport’s most-visited online resources for fans and athletes alike.

Today, Hicks is a professional new-media producer focusing on interactive marketing. He continues to expand his reach in the online world, establishing Raffinitē Interactive Web with partner Aaron Jones, a company focused on building online brands and communities. Raffinitē has three divisions: Raffinitē Business, which focuses on the needs of small businesses and non-profits; Raffinitē Athletics, which caters to athletes and athletic organizations; and Raffinitē Public Affairs, which specializes in political candidates and causes. Through Raffintē, Hicks helps a variety of clients harness the power of effective on-line communication, brand development and community building.

As an African-American, Hicks is personally focused on helping diminish the impact of the digital divide and helping young people of color discover Internet-based opportunities and careers. To this end, Hicks is founder and director of a day camp dedicated to teaching at-risk and economically disadvantaged teenagers the basics of web development and design. The camp, which will launch Summer 2010, will on the campus of Texas State Technical College – Waco.

Since his beginnings as an amateur blogger to his role today as a web developer and advisor, Hicks is focused on bridging the gap between traditional and new media, effectively using social media as a way to build community, and encouraging online literacy among audiences who may not have exposure to this technology in their daily lives.

Hicks holds a B.B.A. in Management from Baylor University and Web Design and Web Development degrees from Texas State Technical College Waco.

Contact Jay F. Hicks at jay [at] jayfhicks [dot] com.