Nashville is the home of several Division I universities and over the past three years, I've had the privilege of working with the athletic departments of two of them, Belmont University and Lipscomb University.  The two miles between the two campuses on Belmont Boulevard is the closest distance between any two DI programs in the nation.  In conversations, both schools have affectionally referred the other as "the other school" but it's always been in the spirit of good fun and respect.

The great part is these two schools and the people I get to work with at each are first class, both as people and as professionals.  While some schools might have a problem with a vendor working for their crosstown rival, thankfully neither has ever given me a hard time about it.  They each do things a little different from the other, but both are doing fantastic work in promoting their respective institutions and athletic programs as my images are used for schedule posters, social media, website, programs, university media, signage, and billboards.

Over the course of several dates from late July through the fall, I just finished up all of the promotional work for Belmont and several teams at Lipscomb.  Most of the Bruins and Bisons I work with do so behind the scenes, working long hours and wearing many hats.  Going at this alphabetically - at BELMONT in the Athletic Department, David Fish, Greg Sage, and Kenisha Rhone all make working with Belmont very enjoyable.  Natalie Smith and her design team at University Marketing and PR help out with creative direction on the shoots and everything I send them always looks better once they put the finishing touches on it.  This years "locker room" series were a result of all of these people coming up with a theme for all 15 athletic teams.

I don't want to leave out Mike Strickland (recently retired AD) who first hired me over three years ago.  I first met Mr. Strickland in his office when a mutual friend helped arrange for a meeting.  I was a bit nervous going in but confident I could do a great job if given the opportunity.  He told me he had seen my website and really liked my work and then asked if I had brought anything with me to show him.  I had my iPad but I also had brought my portfolio which is housed in an industrial metal enclosure along with a 150+ page book which I had made a few months earlier documenting the soccer season at Christ Presbyterian Academy where I help coach soccer.  I went with the portfolio and book rather than the iPad.  He stopped and looked at me and said "I'm really glad you brought in something tangible, because it just doesn't feel as 'real' when it's only on a screen."  So word for the wise, it doesn't matter if you're meeting with a baby boomer or a millennial, he was right... presenting your work physically in addition to digitally is always a good thing.

A few miles south at LIPSCOMB, Paul Nance (Director of Athletic Creative Services) and Jamie Gilliam (Assistant AD and a great photographer as well) are two of the people I work with regularly.  I don't know how he keeps up with everything but Paul is the lead design person on everything coming out of the athletic department and always makes my work look better with the graphics he adds to what I give him.  One of these days, I'm hoping Jamie and I can collaborate on a shoot together!

My first gig at Lipscomb came about a result of my high school soccer team coming to the Lipscomb soccer team camp three years ago, headed up by Head Coach Kevin O'Brien and his staff.  We were all at lunch on the first day of camp and I was talking with Kevin (everyone calls him OB) and his wife Shannon who is also the goalkeeper coach and an excellent graphic design artist.  They asked me what I did occupationally and we began discussing the prospect of a photo shoot for the upcoming fall women's soccer season.  Apparently I did alright because they keep calling me back each year!  What started out as one team has grown as I now do both women's and men's soccer programs, softball, volleyball, and women's basketball.  Special thanks to coaches Greg Brown, Brandon Rosenthal, Charles Morrow, Kristin Ryman and the O'Brien's for having me back each season, and to Clay Crothers for making the WBB shoots run smooth.

As I said earlier in this post, each does things a little differently.  At Belmont, the Athletic Department and University Marketing team oversee and provide direction for the shoots for all 15 athletic teams.  With Lipscomb, the direction comes more from the coaches and Athletic Department staff member who oversees that particular program, and Paul Nance.  One way isn't better than the other, they are just different, but both seem to work really well for each school and that is what matters.

An interesting note, the Directors of Athletics at Belmont and Lipscomb are both former standout student-athletes who competed against each other in the late-80's in both institutions' NAIA eras:  Scott Corley (Belmont) and Philip Hutcheson (Lipscomb).  Having people in these positions who understand the culture each institution is wanting to provide for their student-athletes is a wonderful asset for both.

I have another post or two coming later in the month including an extension of this conversation into talking about the "Battle of the Boulevard" an incredible rivalry between these two which dates back over 60 years and will feature the 141st meeting between the schools on November 27.