WHAT I LEARNED FROM MY SPORTS MEDIA INTERNSHIP
Learning to capture the moment and contribute to something bigger in real time.
How did this opportunity come about?
This came through a connection with my late father’s friend, Jonathan (Jon) Lopez, a basketball photographer who built a following by capturing games across New York City.
He started by posting photos from well-known courts across the city. Some of those images went viral which led him to work with clients like the National Basketball Players Association.
He brought me in to support on the social media side during two separate live events.
What was your role on the ground?
I was capturing content, running interviews, and grabbing sound bites - focusing on what would work best for social in real time.
I’ve grown up online. I started a YouTube channel when I was in elementary school, and while I’m not a full-time creator, I study what works, what people respond to, what gets - and keeps - people’s attention, and what feels right visually.
I was applying that instinct on site... looking for moments that could translate immediately into strong social content.
What did you learn about capturing live moments?
In sports, timing is everything.
There are only a few peak moments and you have to be there, ready, and able to capture something that’s actually usable. It’s not just about being present. It’s about getting the shot or the clip that tells the story.
I started mapping the court in my head... where I could stand, how to move without getting in the way, how to keep a clear line of sight.
Everything was vertical. Everything needed to be quick, 10 to 15 seconds, ready for stories or reels. Clean visuals, good lighting, strong action.
You don’t get a second chance at those moments.
How did you approach working within a fast-moving team?
It was fast-paced, and there was a clear system.
There was an approval station led by Toni and watching her work was a big moment for me. She was decisive, quick, and clear about what worked.
That pushed me to build my own system while I was shooting.
In between plays, I was reviewing what I captured, favoriting strong shots with good composition and action, deleting anything blurry or off. That way, when it was time to share, I already had a point of view.
It made me faster and more useful to the team.
What did you take away from seeing the full production come together?
What stood out most was how my piece fit into something bigger.
There were real-time moments, content going live during the event, reaching fans immediately. I had to capture the entire day from a storytelling point of view from morning to evening, not just document it but build the day almost like a story arc would with peaks and falls. I feel it is easier when you’ve already got the story and you're piecing it together, but I was capturing it live and expecting the unexpected which happens a lot with basketball – you never know what's going to happen next.
And then there was the larger story like photos, videos, and edits that would be used later for the client.
Seeing both sides helped me understand that it’s not just about capturing content. It’s about contributing to a system where every piece plays a role in telling a larger story.
What did you take away personally?
I learned to put myself out there especially in interviews, even when I felt intimidated.
I learned to trust my eye and to move quickly when the moment is there.
But what stood out most was something bigger.
There’s so much focus right now on individual creators... building their own platforms, creating content about themselves, growing an audience around a single voice.
Being part of this changed that perspective.
I saw what it looks like to work as a team. Capturing different angles, building a story across photos, video, and social, and shaping content for different audiences in real time and after the fact.
It showed me that there’s another path. One that’s less about being the center of attention, and more about contributing to something larger, where the output is stronger because it’s built together.
Developed in conversation with friends and mentors.
