BEVERLY, Mass. — Endicott College graduate Chris Gogolos '12 M'16 (Newburyport, Mass.) never expected to become a full-time videographer and associate producer for the New England Patriots social media team when he first arrived at The Nest.
Here's how Gogolos, who earned his bachelor of science in physical education and master of education in athletic administration at Endicott, found his way onto the field at Gillette Stadium and more.
But first, let's look at some of Gogolos' favorite content he has produced to get you ready for the 2020 Patriots season.
It?s official! Worked on this with @Quis_Harper who continues to bring the heat ? crushed that jersey swap at the end too ? pic.twitter.com/D5LCg5FUGF
— Chris Gogolos (@chris_gogolos) July 8, 2020
— Chris Gogolos (@chris_gogolos) May 25, 2020
Over 1000 pictures for this one! @Quis_Harper and I got collab on this project. So happy with the results!! pic.twitter.com/Eqd5XXhk82
— Chris Gogolos (@chris_gogolos) May 22, 2020
1) How did your career working as a videographer/video producer get started?
A: "This is kind of a longer story. I always loved movies growing up and I started filming snowboarding and skateboarding way back in middle school. I made plenty of school projects in video form, but eventually, that took a back seat to school and athletics.
Fast forward to being a graduate assistant at Endicott, and the football program looking to up their social media presence, I volunteered to take the lead on video and graphics. This led to once again filming and editing video content, and this time it would stick around.
Once I graduated, I continued to make videos for the team, and then went out and started doing commercial videos and music videos. It was never something that I intended as a career. I was fitting this all in while still being a full-time physical education teacher.
In the summer of 2019, I accepted a part-time role working for the NFL on game days for both teams competing at Gillette Stadium (even though I was rooting for the home team all the way). Then, in the fall after four games, I accepted an offer to join the Patriots social media team full-time as a videographer and associate producer."
2) How did Endicott have an impact on your career?
A: "This is a tough question because there are so many things that I learned at EC that I took with me on my journey. Being a full-time D-III student-athlete means making school a priority as well as football. Not to say that D-I and D-II student-athletes don't have to do the same thing, but in D-III there aren't athletic scholarships. You have to balance football with academics and find what works best for you. I learned how to be a good teammate, how to think critically and problem-solve, and that if you need something done by a deadline, the best place is the Halle Library."
3) How did you get connected with the NFL as a live content correspondent?
A: "As I mentioned before, you never know which connections will lead you to certain places. I connected with Mike Lago, who at the time reached out to me to talk about video editing, and we got to talking about a Slack group for video creators in sports. I got set up with an account, and over the next few months, I was in it and connected with others on random topics related to the field. In June 2019, I received a message asking if I was interested in applying for a Live Content Correspondent (LCC) at Gillette Stadium. The program supplies two LCC's to the teams competing in the stadium on game day, one photo-heavy LCC and one video-heavy LCC.
I was shocked about the offer because I wasn't sure if the message was spam or real, but after a few exchanges back and forth, a phone call, and an in-person interview at Gillette, I was the new video LCC for the 2019-2020 season."
Here's some of the content Gogolos produced as an LLC:
4) What's your day-to-day like with Kraft Sports + Entertainment and the Patriots?
A: "It definitely varies. During the season, I will shoot media availability at practice and in the locker room as all media outlets do. I'll edit video in between those times, and then I could be off to a community event at night to shoot, either in the stadium or out in Boston. Every day is a new day to an extent, there could be a transaction, or an interesting storyline leading into the weekend. Gameday is fast-paced and just an absolute thrill ride. It's truly an honor to be a part of such a great group.
5) Best experiences working Kraft Sports + Entertainment and the Patriots, so far?
A: "I think one of my best memories is my first real game day. It was the home opener and the banner raising for the 2019 season. I was in position to capture the team entrance for the Steelers, and then heard Ozzy Osborne Crazy Train (home team entrance song), and it happened that the home team was coming out first. I quickly positioned myself to capture a shot on my shot sheet, which was Edelman's entrance. I think that moment, with the strobing lights, the roar of the crowd, and 11 jumping around like crazy, will forever be ingrained in my mind."
6) What's been your challenge in your current role?
A: "I think the biggest challenge was stepping out of the classroom and transitioning to a day-to-day that didn't involve teaching. On another note, media scrums definitely surprised me. It took me a second to get comfortable 'fighting' for position to make sure we capture players in the locker room after practice or a game, but I'm a quick learner, and I'm lucky I have broad shoulders..."
7) This might be overlooked by some, but talk about how important it is to be a good teammate in the workplace?
A: "I think that it is incredibly important to operate as a team in the workplace. Being genuine, willing to go above and beyond to help others, and truly caring about not only your job, but also the success of the team is something that goes a long way. I think getting to know your coworkers and developing those relationships help bring out the best in a team setting."
8) Advice to current Endicott students looking to work in sports?
A: "The sports field is growing like crazy right now. There is such an emphasis being placed on social media, that the best advice I could give to someone wanting to break into sports would be to just go out and create. It doesn't have to be sports-centric to start. Truly, some of the best ideas come from collaboration, and experimentation, especially across different industries, like fashion, music, etc. Try something new on a daily basis. If you see something you like, learn it. Adopt it. Put your own spin on it. Constantly try new things and don't be afraid of constructive criticism."
