Nadja Riggs Captures Football History with NFL Films

Nadja Riggs ’18 first picked up a video camera to film one of her brother’s football games. Now, the Communication Studies graduate just worked her fifth Super Bowl with NFL Films.

Her journey from that first football game to NFL Films is defined by practice, internship experiences and always wanting to learn more. She also had the courage to knock on doors to prove her willingness to earn a coveted spot on the sidelines of an NFL game behind a camera.

At �鶹��ý��վ, she dove into coursework focused in mass communications and minored in Africana Studies. Internships led her to the Fox Philly and NBC Philly sports departments, and a live broadcasting internship with The Press of Atlantic City at �鶹��ý��վ’s TV studio allowed her to get experience in a control room and behind the camera.

When a job opened for a video media vault librarian at NFL Films, she was ready to tackle the opportunity.

Video of every single NFL game is stored in a film library. “If you want to see the first touchdown, we have that clip,” said Riggs.

She is now a film archive assistant responsible for preserving football history in the form of digital assets. But she wanted to get closer to the action.

She knocked on the head of the camera department’s office door one day to show him some of her film work she captured for Next Level Greats, a local travel 7-on-7 program. He shared advice and an old camera.

The more she filmed and listened to critiques, the closer to she got to her dream. Eventually she began shooting NFL games as a freelancer.

“The sideline isn’t as scary as people think. You have to stand your ground. History is happening in front of you. It feels surreal and sometimes I still can’t believe I get to be there capturing it,” she said.

One of the highlights she witnessed was the longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback in Cincinnati Bengals history, 47 yards, by Joe Burrow.

Seeing the “raw emotion of the players, what happens behind the scenes and the preparations is the coolest thing ever,” she said.

She gets inspiration from seeing other women working in her field. “Just because the guys are doing it doesn’t mean that we can’t do it too,” she said.

At the Super Bowl, she is part of the domestic broadcast compound team that helps local and national news outlets capture pre- and post-game coverage. On game day, she’ll be supporting ESPN with their live coverage.

The compound location provides a set and all the technology needed to support broadcasting.

Riggs describes the Super Bowl as “grand, amazing and the craziest two weeks ever.”

“So much preparation and hard work goes into one game. It takes a year of planning,” she said.

For students looking to break into the field, she has a few pieces of advice. “It can be harder if you don’t see people who look like you, but don’t stop,” she said.

“It’s up to you to show initiative and that you want to learn more. Never give up on yourself just because you’re told in that moment that it might not be the right fit for you—that doesn’t mean it won’t ever be the right fit in the future. If you have a goal you want to accomplish, do everything you can in your power to reach it,” she said.

Story by Susan Allen