Work-Life balance. It’s a term we’ve all heard. But, what happens when you’re married and work in the same Athletic Department? Today, we have Jen + Lijah Galas of the Georgia Bulldogs. Jen  is the Assistant Athletic Director of Social Media & Digital Strategy. Lijah is the Director of Creative Services & Recruiting. Although their work lives don’t always overlap, their home life does, and it’s become an incubator of sorts for bringing fresh ideas to their work lives.

From former college athlete to leading the creative department at BYU, today’s guest Tyson Hutchins has a strong voice in the digital space in college athletics. We talk about the WHY. Why is this content being created. Why do we need to change something. Why are we creating the teams social content in a certain voice. Creating with intention all comes back to strategy. 

TW: @tysonhutchins_

Dominique Nwoko started working with the University of Georgia as a student because she was looking for something to do. You will not find her watching sports outside of work, but that has allowed her to bring a fresh voice and an outside perspective to her sports work. She designed Jalen Ramsey’s signature chain, and is currently working in the agency world with VaynerSports. 

Site: https://dnwoko.myportfolio.com/
TW: dominique_nwoko
IG: dominiquenwoko

Nilay Shah is the SVP of Marketing and Brand Strategy for the New York Football Giants. He got his start with the team as an intern and has since helped guide the brand to becoming a digital first operation. He believes that planning, preparation, and data are essential to success on social!

NY Giants YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/NewYorkGiants
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nilay-shah-623ab5188

Kaila Pettis unleashes wisdom on us today. As someone who started out drawing on shoes, she has worked her way into a leadership role with FC Cincinnati. We talk about building a team, advocating for creative, and how to establish a culture of growth. 

Lckrroom: https://lckrroom.com/
Socials: @kpology1

Matt Lange is joining us today to talk about his journey from Rustin, Louisiana to becoming a full-time freelancer. You’ve seen his work as a graphic designer, but that’s not how it started. He’s seen it all after getting out of sports, reentering, and breaking out on his own...and he has stories for it all! 

Site: http://www.mattlange.com/
Twitter: @mattjlange

Amanda J Cain is joining us on this episode to talk about her path to the NHL. As the first black photographer in the league, she talks about the importance of creating opportunities for women photographers, and how her mindset has shifted to building a program just as much as getting the shot! 

Link to AJC's work: https://amandajcain.photoshelter.com/index

Paige Dall considers herself a multimedia designer. She brings together many skills to produce creative content. We discuss how she ended up in sports,  how her family has changed her priorities, and how she finds the balance between process and free flowing creativity.
 
Paige Vimeo portfolio: https://vimeo.com/paigedall
Cub studio: https://www.cubstudio.com/

What up, what up! Excited to relaunch the podcast with some new wrinkles, and exciting news. Matt Desmond joins the four of us to talk about how the sports creative community will be impacted by this news, and what the community can expect going forward.

Following that news, the four of us catch up about the last 6 months, and what we've been up to!

It's common to work long hours and many days without time off while working in sports.

LJ is a seasoned vet who has worked her way up from pee wee community leagues to the Super Bowl. She helped open the stadium in Phoenix, worked as a freelancer with Van Wagner, and is now with the 49ers. 

She takes PTO to freelance and work with other teams and venues to make new teammates and keep her skills sharp. 

We dive into work-life balance, the power of speaking up, and making sure you take care of you so you can show up and create memories for fans.

Links to work:

2021 Intro Video - https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1487832983495065603?s=20&t=lSMch75P2LJgXBmEgiZfLw
National Anthems - https://49ers.egnyte.com/fl/nJ93fms24Y#folder-link/