From UTK to the NFL: Alumni Spotlight on Filmmaker Grace Olen
Ask many people to describe their dream job, and they might say it involves watching NFL games from right on the 50-yard line. That’s a reality for cinema studies alumna Grace Olen, who has worked with NFL Films since her graduation from UTK in 2024, helping with everything from production on shows like They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce to running SD cards up the field at quarter time.
We caught up with Grace, a freelance filmmaker based in Philadelphia, PA, to chat about how her time as a cinema studies major at the University of Tennessee helped her get to where she is today.
What’s it been like working for the NFL, first as an intern and now as an employee?
During my internship, which I got after graduating from UTK, I was in the producing department at NFL Films. We were assigned a handful of shows to work on. They produce many shows and documentary-style sports content, which catered to my interests in narrative and documentary filmmaking. I wasn’t always planning to be in sports, but the film aspect is what drew me into that area.
My day-to-day involved talking to producers on different shows, logging footage such as interviews and games to prep them for editing, researching storylines, pitching show ideas, and editing videos for social media. Fortunately for me, I knew that I really liked live production, and at the time they were starting a new show they’d never done before, a nighttime talk show with Jason Kelce in Philly. I was fortunate enough to be a production intern on that show. Even though interns didn’t do audio or color grading – I might edit a piece, but I’m not the person finishing it – we got to explore everything about the production workflow.
I’m currently working for NFL Films as a media runner, which was also something I experienced during my internship. Every game has a minimum of two cameras, and usually they need an assistant. I get to be at those games on the field or on the 50-yard line. After the first quarter, I’ll take the media, such as the SD cards, from my camera person, and run it off the field so that they can immediately send it out and start working on editing. It’s very quick-paced!
What was your experience at UTK like? How did it help prepare you for your current career?
I went into UTK as a broadcasting major in the Department of Communication, but I just always knew that I loved the idea of TV and film. I didn’t really know what broadcasting entailed, and once I did, I quickly figured that it just wasn’t my area. But when I discovered that the cinema studies major existed, I immediately switched over during my sophomore year. The major is divided into two parts: a production aspect and the cinema studies aspect, where we’re studying how films are made, in what ways they’re affecting people, and why they’re being made.
For instance, I took a German film class, and I while I don’t have a terribly big interest in German film, it was really interesting to learn about how people interpret what’s going on in their lives and put it into a film that can still be understood and translated in today’s world.
Then there’s the production aspect of the major, where we’re learning how to turn on a camera, how to light, what goes into making these films. One of my favorite classes was my Narrative Filmmaking Class. We were assigned a group project for the duration of the semester, which is pretty unique, and it helped us learn to work together. Teamwork is really important in the film industry, so that was a great experience.
One thing I love that [Cinema Studies Chair] Paul Harrill always said is that the people in the room with you are the first people in your networking career. Networking isn’t asking, “what can I gain from everyone?” It’s just being a person and connecting with others.
Did you do any internships as a student?
I was never really able to go to a different city in the summer for an internship. My family’s from Nashville, so during my junior year, I started applying for internships in my city. I had an internship with the Grand Ole Opry – technically, it’s called Ryman Hospitality Properties. I was there for the summer, my junior to senior year. During senior year, I also had a production assistant part-time job at a local TV company called Red Arrow.
I think these internships were probably the reason that I landed the role at the NFL. It’s not always required that you have experience beforehand for these types of positions, but it’s a really competitive job market. I did a lot of historical research at the Grand Ole Opry, and in the NFL, the job that they were hiring for involved archival history and understanding how to pull information. So that was a skillset that I had gained without even realizing it.
What advice do you have for students interested in studying Cinema Studies at UTK?
I would say take an Intro to Cinema Studies class, and go in with an open mind – even if you don’t like something like German or French film, you can learn a lot from those classes. Also, take advantage of resources like the Media Pool, where you have a lot of very expensive equipment at your fingertips for free.
I also think it’s important to keep in touch with people – not even along the lines of networking, but just having a strong support system. In this industry, there’s a lot of rejection, so it’s important to remember why you love what you do. I reach out to my friends a lot, to see how they’re doing. The ones that I’ve made in my film classes, even though I only saw them during class time, we still connected over our love of film, remembering the basics of how watching a movie made us feel. That’s my goal as a filmmaker – not forgetting that love of film, and making work that inspires other people.