Blazing a Trail

The realm of computer gaming public relations is relatively new. One Texas Tech University College of Media & Communication alumnus has pioneered in the field and still gives back to the college today.

David Swofford (BA Journalism, 1979) received the Media & Communication Hall of Fame Award this past fall. This award recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves in the fields of media and communication and who have also made significant contributions to the educational programs in the college. The recognition ceremony took place on Oct. 10.

Swofford began his career in mass communications by working at Texas Tech’s student-run radio station, KTXT-FM, while an undergraduate. He said his first professional job was directly due to his position at the campus radio station.

“That really opened my networking,” Swofford said. “Because of my job at KTXT, I was able to meet my future employer who hired me at KLBK-TV. Between my junior and senior years, I was working full-time at KLBK, which was my first job.”

Swofford became involved with the college’s radio station soon after he came to Texas Tech. He originally started working at the station because he was interested in sports broadcasting, and some of his favorite memories include covering Texas Tech baseball games for the station.

“I knew I wanted to do something along those lines of broadcasting,” Swofford said. “The thing I appreciated about what Tech had to offer then was it had this radio station that was totally operated by students. If you had something you wanted to do, they gave you the opportunity to just walk in and run a radio shift.”

“We also traveled,” Swofford said. “I did a baseball broadcast from College Station. We went to Houston to do the Rice and Texas Tech baseball series. We also covered junior varsity football games. We had a lot of fun and learned a lot.”

Swofford met his wife, Cathy Conley Swofford, while both were students at Texas Tech. Cathy graduated from Texas Tech in 1980 with a degree in journalism and a degree in political science. She was recognized as an outstanding alumna of the CoMC in 2013. Currently, the couple runs Conley Swofford Media, an Austin-based public relations company.

After working at KLBK-TV for four years, David then moved to Austin and worked at KTBC-TV for 11 years where he worked as an investigative reporter, covered national political conventions, and anchored the news. He was also sent to Mexico to cover a story on Africanized bees and traveled to Washington, D.C., to cover the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit.

David said that it feels wonderful for his peers to recognize him. He said he still feels very connected to Texas Tech, and he could not wait for the reception in the fall and the chance to get back to Texas Tech.

“I am the fourth generation in my family to get a degree from Texas Tech,” he said. “I am the first one with a journalism degree. My great-grandmother, my grandmother, grandfather, mother, dad, sister and I have degrees from Texas Tech. I have been a Texas Tech advocate, student, supporter, alumnus and donator.”

David and Cathy both said they are still greatly involved with Texas Tech. He is involved with various Texas Tech organizations in Austin and makes multiple trips back to Lubbock each year. They also made a donation toward the broadcast studio in the CoMC.

“Cathy and I are season ticket holders,” David said. “We come to Lubbock at least a couple of times a year to watch football games. I have also met with Dean Perlmutter and previously Dean Hudson when they come to town. We talk about what the College of Media & Communication is doing and how we can help out.”

Cathy said, “David has been involved with Texas Tech for so many years. When we moved to Austin, he became involved in and became president of the Austin Red Raiders Club and the Austin Texas Tech Alumni chapter. He has been a member of the Texas Tech Mass Communications advisory board. He has always made time for Texas Tech because it is so much a part of his DNA.”

Cathy said her husband makes a great recipient for the Media & Communication Hall of Fame Award due to his success in the field of public relations. She said he has made a name for himself in a growing field and made crowdfunding history.

“He was a pioneer in computer gaming and public relations,” Cathy said. “He went on and produced some of the most effective global media campaigns in that industry. He is continuing to make history crowdfunding for ‘Star Citizen,’ which is globally recognized. Each stage in his career, he has truly made a mark. So, he is a great role model and helps to inspire other students at Texas Tech.”

David said he became involved with crowdfunding due to his relationship with video game designer Chris Roberts.

“Chris Roberts and I put together a whole campaign to launch his crowdfunding campaign for this new space simulator that he wanted to make,” David said. “That was October of 2012, and we have raised very close to $45 million. This has come solely from the public who have always liked the games that Chris Roberts makes.”

Cathy said David has always put their family first during his career. Their older son, Will, works as a certified public account in Austin. Their younger son, Wade, is a senior at Auburn University. Cathy said both sons chose to attend college out of state but claim Texas Tech as their Texas school.

“David has had to travel extensively for his work,” Cathy said. “But, he has always found a great balance for his family. Whether it was coaching one son’s soccer team and another son’s basketball team, or just being there for an award ceremony, he was always there.”

CoMC Dean David D. Perlmutter said an informal committee selected David for the award. That committee included Perlmutter, the management committee of the school, the chair of the advisory board, the school development officer, and the former dean. Perlmutter said David is a prime example of a successful Red Raider alumnus.

“David Swofford, to us, sums up in his career and life thus far, the creativity and adaptability of the ideal CoMC grad,” Perlmutter said. “He has had several successful careers, reinventing himself to lead in new times and with new technologies. Charging forward, Guns Up, pioneering new territory, whether in branding or digital gaming, David is among the best of the best Red Raiders.”

(Preston Redden graduated in 2015 with a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communications and in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. Eli Ramirez is a freshman electronic media and communications major from Donna, Texas.)