NFL cinematographer started his career as a high school football videographer at Ohio University and WOUB

Being on the sidelines of a professional football game as a cinematographer for NFL Films was something young Tyler Rosten thought he could only dream about. But because of WOUB Public Media and the connections Rosten made in the media industry, that dream is now a reality.

“I’m not where I am today without WOUB,” said Rosten. “You really are getting a professional working experience between the ages of 18 – 22. What you are getting is such valuable experience.”

Rosten grew up in Poconos Mountains, Pennsylvania. When he graduated from high school, Rosten knew that he wanted to study journalism. He looked at several well-known journalism programs, but when Rosten came to Athens to visit Ohio University, he knew he found his college.

“During the welcome tour at Ohio University, you could tell the people you were talking to were interested in helping you figure out if this was the right place for you,” said Rosten. “You could tell that these people care and that was different than any other place I had been.”

Rosten and his family also went on a tour of WOUB while they were on their campus visit.

“I went walking through the newsroom, and that’s when I knew I wanted to be in Athens for sure,” said Rosten.

Almost as soon as Rosten arrived on campus, he got involved with WOUB.

“I was living in a dorm filled with journalism students,” said Rosten. “So, I was around a lot of people who were motivated to get involved right away, and we all jumped right in. I started out doing sports radio updates and then moved into TV and started working on Gridiron Glory and Hardwood Heroes. Sports journalism was really where I was focused.”

Rosten originally thought he wanted to be in front of the camera as an on-air reporter or anchor. He also had a passion for writing. But by the end of his junior year, Rosten realized being behind the scenes was the perfect place for him.

“I still did stuff on the air,” said Rosten. “I anchored sports for NewsWatch. But I started doing more behind the scenes work. I was the producer/editor for The Bobcat Sports Showcase, and I was a videographer covering high school football games for Gridiron Glory.”

After graduation, Rosten’s first job was at the University of Mississippi as a video content producer in the athletic department.

“Without question, my WOUB experience had me prepared for that job,” said Rosten. “I understood what to do. I understood the language and hopped right in to using their editing software. It was all because of my experience at WOUB.”

During his third year in Mississippi, due to some connections Rosten had made in the industry, he got the opportunity to become a cinematographer for NFL Films. It’s a gig he has been doing on Sundays during the NFL season for the last five years.

“It’s really an honor to be able to be a cinematographer for an organization as prestigious as NFL Films,” he added.

After about four and a half years at the University of Mississippi, Rosten decided to move on and accept a job at Saatchi & Saatchi X, a global leader in shopper marketing. Rosten started there as an e-content specialist and has worked his way up to an associate director of e-content position. He works primarily on basic and enhanced content best practices for product detail pages on eRetailer websites.

“WOUB led me here,” said Rosten. “I’ve won several regional Emmys in my career but the one I’m most proud of is the student production award we won at WOUB for The Bobcat Sports Showcase during my senior year. Some of the most memorable moments I had at Ohio University were centered around WOUB.”

About WOUB Public Media

As a member station of both NPR and PBS, WOUB Public Media is a trusted source of news, local content and educational resources that have proven to be worthy of the time, effort and support of our users. WOUB, an experiential-learning unit of the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University, is a non-profit, community-supported multimedia organization which provides online and broadcast services, along with non-broadcast educational services and student professional development. WOUB serves 55 counties throughout southeastern Ohio, western West Virginia and eastern Kentucky with its broadcast signals. WOUB Radio’s FM Network has transmitters in Athens, Chillicothe, Ironton, Zanesville and Cambridge, while WOUB AM serves the immediate Athens area. WOUB TV is made up of seven television channels (WOUB HD, WOUB Classic, WOUB World, WOUB Create, WOUB Ohio, WOUB Kids and WOUB Voicecorps Reading Service) which are broadcast from two transmitters.

Through its support of public service, teaching, research and administrative missions, along with its high-quality local content and programming, WOUB enriches, enhances and expands the lives and horizons of the people in the communities it serves, as well as Ohio University faculty, staff and students.