By Ashley Grimmer

More than 170 people in-person and virtually joined Creative Con April 14, the first-ever student sports creative conference held at Ohio State.

Creative Con was coordinated by the Sports and Society Initiative in collaboration with the College Creatives Collective and Ohio State Athletics.

The full-day event featured 22 different speakers discussing the ins and outs of careers in sports creative fields including graphic design, photography, videography and social media.  The day also included time for resume, portfolio and social media channel reviews as well as networking.

“The most informative sessions for me were resume review and interviewing for jobs,” communication major Holly Wintering said. “I learned to utilize all of the space on your resume and to make it my own. I also learned to incorporate your story while applying for a job. Sammy Silverman mentioned how to sprinkle a little bit of your personal life in some of your interview questions to allow the employer to get to know you better.”

Notable sessions throughout the day included panels discussing mental health in the sports creative industry as well as knowing what you are worth when negotiating for jobs.  

“If you keep running for that next--like that next retweet--to be like somebody else, you will be running forever. What matters is running after what makes you happy,” David Aaron, co-founder of Envision, said.

“There is so much opportunity out there and most of it you won’t get because of your fears,” freelance designer Chris Charizopoulos said. “Don’t let this happen, there is a lot out there.”

The Sports and Society Initiative thanks everyone in attendance on Thursday, both speakers and our guests in person and virtually. 

Plans are already underway for the 2023 edition of Creative Con. To get put on our invite list or to suggest a theme, please email us!

Recordings of the event will be posted soon.