Women are rising up the ranks throughout professional football, earning positions of power in a space that for too long was ruled almost exclusively by men. We're seeing more and more women breaking barriers in the sport, but what are the stories beyond the headlines? Who are the women shaping and influencing the NFL today? Answering those questions is the aim of the Next Woman Up series. While the conversational Q&As are edited and condensed for clarity, this is a forum for impactful women to share experiences in their own words. Without further ado, we introduce:
Maleah Pearson, Minnesota Vikings
Position: Producer, Lifestyle Content
How did you get your start in a career in sports?
I was a college athlete at the University of California, Berkeley. I was on the gymnastics team but I got injured. My coach asked me if I wanted to do social media for the team during competitions, and I figured it would be something for me to do since I was injured. I started doing Instagram stories for our team, and our athletic department's video production team reached out to me about an internship. I was studying biology at the time, but it wasn't a huge passion of mine. That said, I didn't necessarily have working in sports or in a creative capacity on my radar either. I took the internship and my academic advisor helped me pivot to media studies as a major. It was a lot about being open to opportunities.
When I graduated, I applied to different jobs in the sports industry in social media and video production, and I landed an associateship with the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans doing social media. I did that for about nine or 10 months before getting a full-time job with the Denver Nuggets. I was there briefly before getting the opportunity to come home to Minnesota to do video production and lifestyle content for the Vikings. Honestly, this opportunity with the Vikings was kind of the perfect storm because it's exactly what I wanted to do, and it was near family.
And what does your specific job entail?
My position was a new role with the team, and though this is my third year, each one of them has looked a little bit different in terms of my responsibilities. Simply put, I would say my job is to create content around our players and brand that doesn't have anything to do with the game of football -- so, who they are as people off the field, their work in the community, their interests in music, fashion, food ... things of that nature. With that, I will also make content with their families because they are huge contributors to who our players are as people.
I've done a couple of different content series with players' families, whether the player is included in that content or whether it's just about their families. I also do brand-related lifestyle content, which includes our cheerleaders, mascot, community engagement and other areas. Even though we are a football team, I feel like lifestyle content is a big part of the content we make.
My content goes everywhere but primarily lives on TikTok and Instagram in reel form. Some of my longform projects also live on the Vikings' YouTube channel and website.
It sounds like you cover a lot of different areas. Do you have a favorite project?
My favorite project that is out right now is Family Mic’d Up, in which I mic up a family member during the game and create different social clips of them. Those perform well on social media and it's always fun to see the family members enjoy the game as a fan but also the ups and downs of watching their son, husband or sibling. It's hard to relate to what they are feeling because they have so many added emotions. It's so unique. This year, I am also working on a series that spotlights different jobs within the Vikings organization that contribute to fan experience on game day, including game presentation, equipment manager and guest experience manager. That's been fun because I get to learn so much about what roles my co-workers have, as well. There are so many different jobs in sports that people don't realize, so I love that I have the opportunity to highlight some of my awesome co-workers while also hopefully opening a door to people looking to work in sports.
What would you say is the most challenging part of your job?
It has to be choosing what to do. Like I said, lifestyle content is a massive umbrella when you think about it. I am getting pulled in a lot of directions. And though most of the ideas are things I want to create, I am only one person. I do work closely with another one of my teammates, but still, that is only two people doing this content. It's a process deciding what content we actually want to accomplish, along with organizing our schedules to make sure we don't burn out.
That makes a lot of sense and seems to be a common challenge for content creators. Next, what is your week like during the season and during the offseason?
The amount of content that I do is dependent on the time of year. During the regular season, I am editing content. Sometimes I'll have a shoot with a player -- usually after practice on Fridays -- and I'm doing interviews with different staff members throughout the week. During home games, I'm working on our "All in a Gameday" series following staff members around and filming them. During away games, I am essentially filming the game for social content, cutting big plays like touchdowns, sacks and turnovers to send to our social team. My job isn't necessarily social content producer, but I fall under that umbrella on game days.
The busiest time of year is any time our players are in the building. There are things I work on without them, but a lot of the content is player dependent. There is a bit of a lull right after the season is over, but it picks right back up with free agency. We do a lot of content with free agents who sign with the Vikings and we do a lot of fan-related content during the NFL draft. Training camp is a day-to-day grind and my personal favorite, the regular season, is a consistent grind but it's not all at once. You know what to expect week to week.
Let's pivot to mentorship. Do you have any mentors and what advice have you received from them?
I have some mentors going back to college -- Bobby Thompson and Mara Rudolph, who worked in Cal athletics when I was there. They have always been people who I can talk to and look to for guidance in my career. Then my manager with the Vikings, Heather Larsen, is the best manager I've ever had. She is super supportive and has never told me "no" when it comes to a project or idea. She's always willing to back me and help the idea come to fruition. She always makes the best out of a bad situation, so I really appreciate her positivity.
In terms of advice, I think about where I was five years ago and they helped me recognize that I can't plan for everything. You have to be open to opportunities.
If roles are reversed, what advice do you have for women interested in a career in sports?
Don't shy away from the fact that you're different. Use your perspective as a positive and an advantage. I take pride in being a woman and mixed race, and I lean into that when creating content. Be proud of who you are because that is what makes you unique in your specific job.
What is next for you in terms of what you want to accomplish?
I am always trying to find a way to make an impact with cool, relatable content. That's always been the goal. Hopefully that will eventually transform into whatever opportunities become available down the road. Ideally, I would love to work with athletes specifically on their own content and help them recognize and identify their brands.
Lastly, what are you most proud of in your career?
I'm most proud of where I'm at; I am four years out of college and a content creator in the NFL working on projects that haven't been done before. I am proud of who I am and how that has contributed to my career, and I am proud that I have the platform to help women and people of color break into sports.
