VISION IN MOTION: THE CREATIVE POWER BEHIND A TEAM'S IDENTITY

In the evolving world of sports media, one creative is redefining how college football athletes are seen both on and off the field. As a videographer and graphic design specialist, Jonathon Diaz uses his lens and design tools not just to capture motion, but to envision what could be—echoing the very agility and energy that define the athletes themselves. His work goes beyond highlight reels; it's an intentional visual narrative that elevates players' stories, showcasing their talent to recruiters, fans, and the broader sports community.

By blending technical skill with a deep understanding of athletic performance, he transforms every frame into a platform for opportunity. Whether it's a slow-motion cut of a game-winning catch or a dynamic graphic overlay that mirrors a player's explosiveness, his creations bring the game to life in a way that resonates far beyond the field. In a competitive era where exposure is everything, his art becomes a crucial link between raw talent and real opportunity—constantly redefining what sports storytelling can be.

Jayla Jackson – How do you approach storytelling when creating visuals for athletes trying to stand out?

Jonathon Diaz – “What I first think about is who they are as a person. There’s a lot of athletes out there that are very talented. What makes them stand out is their personality and how their mentality affects the way that they play on the field. So, I always try to think about that. For example, we have players that are only about “football, football, football”. Then you have players who have some juice to them, energy – for those guys…anytime they make a play I always want to have (capture) their reaction. If you have a personal connection with them, it’s easier to get them to make content with you.”

JJ – Let’s backpedal for a moment. You appear to wear many hats! Go ahead and give your spill about what you do with Middle Tennessee State University's football organization.

JD – “So my title is Director of Football Creative Media. To keep it simple, I overview and oversee the creative branding for social media, videos, designs, photos …anything that’s football related. I work hand-in-hand with a few people – it’s not just me. We have a great staff! We have a student staff, athletic department staff … Matthew Posey and his crew. We all work together so it’s a team oriented deal. Posey and I have control over what the brand of Middle Tennessee football will be, along with Head Football Coach Derek Mason guiding us on what he wants his vision to be, which is a blue-collar, hardworking program.”

JJ – Can you walk me through what a typical gameday looks like for you?

JD – “As far as home games, we usually have a 6 p.m. kickoff. I usually get here around 2 p.m. so I can set up all the cameras and have them ready for our students (creatives). I go over the gameplan with them such as what their assignment is and what they’ll be doing for that day. We usually go outside about an hour and a half before kickoff so we can get clips and photos of the warm-ups. Once we get that, we send that over to whoever’s running social media for the day. Whoever is running social media usually gets the pre-game content. Once the players get done warming up, my team waits for the players to do their tunnel entrance. Once that’s done, it’s game day! Everyone has their own assignment and all their roles are very important in terms of what we produce on social media..”

JJ – Football is fast-paced, where does your mind go when you’re trying to capture a photo or video or even a play of the day?

JD – “When I go to a game, I have in mind a few shots that I want to get. However, you should never restrict yourself. The game moves so quickly and it’s so unpredictable! I’d rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. I always try to overshoot because you never know what you’re going to get. When I’m shooting video, if a player makes a big play … I don’t want to stop recording after the play is over. I continue to roll it until the next play starts because you never know how they may react. That’s my mindset – always be adaptable, keep shooting, and pay attention to your surroundings.”

JJ – When designing a highlight reel, what’s your process for translating raw, athletic potential into compelling visual narratives?

JD – “It kind of goes back to what I do in my pregame process. We always need to have some sort of planning. Without a plan, you’re setting yourself behind with the work you do when it’s time to actually create stuff. I plan everything as far as what shots we need. Once the game is over, we go into our office and edit the files, label it by quarter, what type of catch it is, what type of play it is, and what player it was. This allows me to quickly figure out how to tell the story of the game. It’s really making sure you’re organized and able to go back into your archives to tell that story.”

JJ – Fairly recently, you created a National Football League announcement graphic for former Blue Raider athlete, Alex Williams, talk a little about that.

JD – “He hit me up on one of the last days of the NFL draft, right? He was like ‘Hey JD, I think I’m about to get signed with the Minnesota Vikings so can you make me a jersey swap graphic?’ So I was like yeah, for sure let’s do it! He was telling me that he was about to literally sign with them right now. That was probably the quickest jersey swap graphic I’ve done in my life. I wanted to make sure he got a piece of content that represented all the hard work he’s put in over the years. Alex was out of football for about two years and became a personal trainer. The fact that he came here (MTSU) and was able to accomplish his dreams while I was able to be a part of that process was a very humbling experience. His reaction when I sent him the graphic was probably one of my favorite reactions I’ve ever seen from a player. That’s another reason why I do it – I do love seeing players get excited about their branding, their name, image, and likeness and my role with putting their name and branding out there. That was a really cool experience!”

JJ – There’s thousands of athletes trying to make it, professionally … working with players on a college level, how do you create content in an effort to stand out among other creatives in this industry?

JD – “We’re all fighting for time and content. There are over 100 Division One programs. It’s a lot of programs out there that have their own social media teams. What differentiates you from others is capturing the personal aspect of each player’s story. This generation favors Tiktok style content so we have to be quick and concise with what we create. I like to create content that has a lot of action and movement that’ll keep the audience’s attention. For example, when I’m editing, I usually allow each clip to only go five to eight seconds. If you’re constantly creating three to four second clips it’s showing the viewer “hey this is constantly moving … it’s keeping my attention. That’s my objective – quick, concise clips that show a lot of personality, passion and other details.”