Zion Cruz is a 21-year-old junior majoring in sports communication and media (Sports CaM) with a concentration in radio, television, and film (RTF). Cruz does a lot of different things regarding his content. He makes sports mixtapes and lifestyle shoots. He currently works for the Delaware Blue Coats. After getting hurt multiple times while playing high school basketball, he slowly made the switch to taking pictures of his teammates, which was the spark of Cruz’s flame and passion for content creation.
“I had a passion for sports but I would get injured too much. I would train hard during the summer but once the season comes around, I would end up getting hurt,” Cruz said. “In my junior year when I got hurt, I decided ‘Why don’t I do something else but still be valuable to the team.’ I used to use one of my friend’s cameras to take pictures of my teammates. That’s what started my content creation journey.”
Cruz wanted to remain involved in sports going into college but it became a struggle during his first semester. He originally thought he wanted to become an athletic trainer. After his first semester went poorly, Cruz decided to switch to Sports CaM and he benefited from that tremendously. In regards to Cruz’s content creation checklist contains: research on the player he is recording, going to the game, recording their highlights, and finding the right song based on their play style. Even though his content may seem relatively smooth, Cruz himself has some ups and downs when it comes to his content creation.
“The process has its ups and downs. Some I can do it in 30 minutes but there are other times where I need a few days to get the creative juices flowing,” Cruz said. “I look at other creators in the same industry as me to get inspiration from them. I just want to add my little flavor.”
One of Cruz’s most memorable experiences while in the content creation field is working with the Delaware Blue Coats. Another one would be when Cruz and the Delaware Blue Coats went down to Florida for the NBA G-League Winter Showcase. The school has affected Cruz, especially with his content creation.
“It’s times when I have to put my business to the side just to lock in and focus on school. I am using the school for the opportunities presented to me, like the internship I got with the NBA G-League. School is more like a stepping stone to get my foot into the professional world,” Cruz said.
Some advice Cruz has for new content creators is,” At the beginning, when I first started, I had to do a lot of free stuff. You can get your name out there and get great practice at your craft. Shoot everything and anything; it doesn’t have to be about sports.”
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