{"id":193723,"date":"2023-01-03T07:45:47","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T12:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=193723"},"modified":"2023-06-27T12:57:42","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T16:57:42","slug":"creative-partnership-gives-a-win-to-both-dmd-and-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/01\/creative-partnership-gives-a-win-to-both-dmd-and-athletics\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Partnership Gives a Win to Both DMD and Athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"

While fans of UConn Athletics<\/a> fill stadiums to watch tackles, dunks, and dangles, they may not realize part of creating a fevered experience relies on those sidelined with a camera in hand to post instantly on social media and record sensational moments.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a job several dozen Digital Media & Design<\/a> students have enjoyed over the last 18 months through a partnership with Athletics that aims to give students real-world experience in the sports entertainment industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to have an internship like this is so important, especially as a DMD major, because we\u2019re presented with so much knowledge and training on how to be creative. This is just one way to use those skills,\u201d says Jared Beltz<\/a> \u201923 (SFA). \u201cIn my classes, I\u2019ve learned about social media analytics for my concentration, as well as graphic design and motion animation through other classes, and in this job, I\u2019ve been able to implement everything I learned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"This
This photo of UConn women’s basketball junior guard Nika M\u00fchl, taken by Jared Beltz ’23 (SFA) during a media day event, is Beltz’s favorite from the shoot. (Photo courtesy of Jared Beltz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The partnership started in fall 2021 when a DMD Agency class took on Athletics as a client to create the motion graphics for the Wall of Champions in the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center<\/a> and revive the UConn Students<\/a> social media channel that had gone quiet during the pandemic, says Heather Elliott-Famularo, head of DMD.<\/p>\n

Then, in spring 2022, DMD offered a special topics course to develop projects like motion graphics for the video boards in the athletics facilities, she says. This fall, students created a new design for the UConn Traditions webpage and a fight song video, as Athletics employed more DMD students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more sports-related jobs out there than you can imagine,\u201d Elliott-Famularo says of the professional industry. \u201cConnecticut is the sports entertainment capital of the world, with WWE, ESPN, and NBC Sports all in the state. We have alumni running the cameras for replays, creating live graphics, and putting together sponsorship packages. Some of them work for individual sports teams and some even develop stadium halftime shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cMotion graphics and video content have become a ubiquitous part of the stadium experience,\u201d she adds. \u201cYou might not realize it, but if it were missing, you\u2019d notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experiential Learning Opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n

About 18 months ago as UConn Vice President for Communications Tysen Kendig started formulating plans for UConn+<\/a>, a University-centric yet athletics-heavy streaming service set to launch early next year, a recurring question kept coming up: how to create content.<\/p>\n

Kendig says he connected with DMD through UConn Provost Anne D\u2019Alleva, who at the time was dean of the School of Fine Arts<\/a>, and thought there would be much to gain for both Athletics and students, who\u2019d have the experience of documentary film production and motion graphic design.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever you get a chance to provide education and experiential learning opportunities for students you need to seize that,\u201d he says. \u201cHaving faculty expertise to guide them as part of their curriculum is invaluable for us. We can talk with DMD about what our needs are, outline a project scope, and the work comes back in a turn-key fashion. That\u2019s exactly what Athletics needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beltz, who\u2019s been working in Athletics since before the formalized partnership, says he\u2019s particularly proud of his 2022 men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball media day photos, starting with the design and fashioning of a paper backdrop against which he placed players to take their picture. It\u2019s a gallery used on social media to portray UConn\u2019s grit, spirit, and dominance.<\/p>\n

\"UConn
UConn men’s basketball senior guard Nahiem Alleyne poses for a photo during a media day event organized by Jared Beltz ’23 (SFA) through a partnership between the Digital Media & Design and Athletics departments. (Photo courtesy of Jared Beltz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cOne of the most important things I\u2019ve learned is how to take this kind of content and make a story out of it,\u201d he says. \u201cIn DMD, we learn how to tell a story through our work. That\u2019s an important part of what we learn in DMD. Using that skill in a job like this is great because it\u2019s using it for real-world applications.\u201d<\/p>\n

While UConn+ has been in development, Kendig says DMD students like Beltz have geared their work mostly toward social media, graphics, photography, and some video. Once the streaming service goes live, though, their projects will include more film production.<\/p>\n

\"Jared
Jared Beltz ’23 (SFA) poses for a photograph during a media day event he organized recently for the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams through a partnership between the Digital Media & Design and Athletics departments. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jason Reider \u201915 (CLAS), Athletics director of creative content, has worked with many of the DMD students over the last three semesters, pairing them with projects that accentuate their strengths or gain them experience in areas of interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cJared came in as a freshman working on graphic design, and one day he was talking to me about some ideas he had for social media and we realized he\u2019s interested in more than just graphic design,\u201d Reider says of Beltz. \u201cHe blossomed into more of a social media and content intern for us. So now, he\u2019s doing graphic design, he\u2019s doing photography, he\u2019s running our student social media account, and he helps on game day on some of our team accounts as well. He\u2019s a true testament to the benefits of DMD and Athletics working together.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the last decade, Reider says, social media has grown more important, especially for individual teams who use the digital world as a recruiting tool. Having interns to manage those accounts means they can get the same attention as basketball, football, and hockey.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to have students learn their way around Athletics because getting a job in this industry is all about connections and getting experience. Being able to say they helped run some of our Athletics social media accounts on game day is going to give them a leg up when they graduate and look for a full-time job in the sports industry or even outside that field,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u2018Big responsibility moment\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The students\u2019 ability to tell players\u2019 stories on and off the field gives Athletics something it was missing before the partnership, Reider notes.<\/p>\n

\"Emerson
Emerson Ricciardone ’26 (SFA) is part of a creative partnership between the Digital Media & Design and Athletics departments. The collaboration allows DMD students to build their skills in social media design, video production, and motion graphics. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe talent level of the freshmen is amazing,\u201d he says. \u201cOne of our new interns, Emerson Ricciardone<\/a>, is an extremely talented videographer, photographer, and he also knows graphic design. Even just a few years ago finding students who had these talents was a difficult task and now they come to UConn with portfolios already built up. They\u2019re just tremendously talented.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elliott-Famularo says that\u2019s in part because the DMD\/Athletics creative partnership has now become a recruiting tool.<\/p>\n

Ricciardone \u201926 (SFA) says he always wanted to attend UConn and when he learned about the opportunity to work in Athletics, his decision was cinched. In his first 15 weeks, he\u2019s done video, social media, and graphic design work. He\u2019s created content for the jumbotron at men\u2019s hockey games and has contributed content to their accounts during games.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things we focus on in DMD is how to make your designs effective in solving a problem or presenting a solution through your creative skills. Being able to apply that concept to the sports world is something I\u2019ve always dreamed of doing and now I\u2019m finally learning how to take a professional approach to something I love doing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

One of the projects he\u2019s most proud of \u2013 and was a \u201cbig responsibility moment,\u201d he says \u2013 was when he was charged with covering the men\u2019s hockey game against Providence. He alone was videoing the game and shouldered the weight of collecting footage of the shootout after the game went into overtime.<\/p>\n

\"The
The video board in Gampel Pavilion displays graphics designed by DMD students working in Athletics. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy I was able to capture the team\u2019s reaction to winning that game and record the actual live game moments, along with getting the fan experience as well. That was a test for me to see how well I could handle a high-stress environment and be trusted to do good work,\u201d he says, adding, \u201cIt all goes back to storytelling. You want to make sure, especially when you\u2019re documenting certain events, that you capture all the emotional moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

The effort benefits UConn, but there\u2019s an eye to the long term.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we already have an incredible number of alumni in the industry, as word gets out that we are intentionally building a sports entertainment path within UConn Digital Media & Design, it will be exciting to see the positive impact the program will have both on the student experience and the industry as a whole,\u201d Elliott-Famularo says. \u201cBy providing an experienced talent pipeline, we will support the business demand and Connecticut\u2019s economy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Connecticut is the sports entertainment capital of the world’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":193754,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,1712,2226,1914,2235,2227,2234],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2368],"class_list":["post-193723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-athletics","category-clas","category-sfa","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-edu-homepage","category-university-life"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-29 07:23:20","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193723"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":193870,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193723\/revisions\/193870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/193754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193723"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=193723"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=193723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}