When Bradley Pratt first stepped onto the CU Boulder campus four years ago, he almost certainly didn’t think he’d be traveling to Chicago and Arizona for freelance videography projects. He probably also didn’t imagine he’d spend the summer before his senior year as the only video intern for the entire National Football League.

“It was such a crazy summer and I loved every moment,” he said grinning widely. “I did a ton of work with the production team and learned about the business side of the league.”

Pratt has always loved being behind the camera. Growing up, he and his friends would document their adventures around their Hawaii hometown on a GoPro. As a teenager, the passion turned more serious, and he started making videos for local organizations and his high school athletics teams.

 

Bradley Pratt behind the camera during his internship with the NFL. A favorite project was a video about why Shedeur Sanders should be a starting quarterback, which aired on the league’s YouTube channel. Photo courtesy Bradley Pratt.

By the time he came to the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information, the media production major was soon immersed in the sports media world, picking up both a sports media minor and an internship with CU Athletics. A year later, the football team noticed his work and recruited him to produce videos specifically for them.

Finding interesting stories

As much as he loves sports, he also loves the opportunity to explore video storytelling in other contexts, whether that’s filming a freelance music video or a profile of a fighter jet and the pilots who operate it. The latter became You’re Gonna Live Right, a class project that earned an honorable mention at the DaVinci International Film Festival.

“I love that media production inspires me to go out, find interesting stories and try new things,” he said.

August Black, an assistant professor of critical media practices, has taught Pratt over the years and said he was hardly surprised the film received such recognition.

“You could tell he spent a lot of time outside of class making media, and that experience showed in the work he presented in class. Not only did he inspire students with the work he presented, but he often would assist other students, too,” he said. “Bradley knows how to put together media elements in enticing ways.”

Pratt’s editing skills also impressed Kallyn Ehlers Stewart, a senior producer of digital content and strategy, and one of his supervisors during his internship at the NFL.

‘A bright future’

“He has a great ability to find footage with limited direction—and a huge video library—and edit it into something dynamic,” she said. “The coolest thing about bringing students in to intern with the NFL is that we get to see different perspectives, and colleges are doing great stuff right now by giving them different opportunities. Bradley’s got a bright future.”

Though both Ehlers Stewart and Pratt were on the digital video team, they did not work together for the entire summer. Instead, Pratt was on rotation with various producers creating content for the NFL’s YouTube channel, streaming service mobile app and website.

Some of those video projects included recording interviews with players from the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. Other times, he worked as a production assistant or in the editing booth.

“I did a ton of research to develop storylines for the videos we made, but one assignment that was really exciting was to own a piece,” he said. “I had to make a pitch to my superiors, script it, write a voiceover and edit the footage. In the end, I made a video about why Shedeur Sanders should be a starting quarterback, and it went out on the NFL's YouTube channel, which was so cool.”

Pratt is bringing that detail-oriented enthusiasm into his senior year, and though he isn’t certain what awaits him after graduation, he’s confident he’ll stay in the media production world.

“I didn’t know what to expect before coming to college, but CMDI has really opened my eyes, in terms of career opportunities,” he said. “I love that there’s such a network of CU graduates who have gone off to do amazing things and who are willing to work with current students. I really feel like my skills have been nurtured with Athletics and, of course, my professors at CMDI.”

Hannah Stewart graduated in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news at the college.