While many people were cooped up inside in 2020, Kyle Gardner spent weekends shooting video of NFL players. The Spider senior is a freelance videographer for the National Football League.

“It's crazy, just being on the sideline, up with the players,” Gardner said. “It's the best job that you could possibly have.”

Gardner, a film studies major, shoots photography and videos of the New York Giants and the Jets through the NFL Live Content Correspondent program.

He started out behind the camera as a teenager shooting videos of his high school basketball team.

“All my friends were on the team, and I wasn't the greatest athlete, so I just wanted to hang out with them,” he said. 

Gardner continued the hobby at the University of Richmond following around the Spiders and creating videos for the team. But he never thought he and his camera would be on the field shooting pro football.

“It's almost surreal, sometimes, but it's a lot of fun,” he said.

Gardner became a freelancer for VaynerSports, a sports media agency, in 2019, where he connected with top quarterback coaches in the industry, and eventually made promotional videos for players like Kyle Allen, a quarterback for the Washington Football Team, as well as running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Sterling Shepard of the Giants.

Despite COVID restrictions, he was able to work with the Giants making videos featuring route concepts and formations for the players. That’s how he connected with the Giants’ chief photographer to join the freelance videographer program.

Nearly every weekend during the season, Gardner is on the sideline, shooting and sending game video live to the networks. Then, his videos can get picked up anywhere, including social media and even national commercials.

“I’ve learned that you just always have to be prepared,” he said, “because at any time there's a moment to be captured, and you have the opportunity if you're there, with your camera, to get that historic moment.”

Photo credit: Josh Lobel