Hard Knocks PODCAST

• Role: Writer, Producer, Project Manager

• Genre: Narrative, Interview, TV/Film, Sports

• Format: Audio Podcast

• Episode Length: ~35min

• Frequency: Weekly, Seasonally

• Project Dates:

  • Giants + Bears: June 2024 - September 2024

  • Bills: July 2025 - September 2025

  • Seahawks: July 2026 - September 2026

Watching a TV show for my job, I was already planning to watch felt like some sort of adult cheat code. This was truly so much fun to contribute to such a creative and supportive team, and to an institution like HBO’s Hard Knocks.

I worked as a writer & producer for two connective years seasons of the podcast. My first year featured double season installment of Hard Knocks, featuring the New York Giants, and the traditional training camp season, which followed (my team!) the Chicago Bears. Year two I got a front row seat into the table-smashing world of Bills Mafia. Year three, I added to my duties as writer & producer and served as the project manager as we covered the reigning Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks.

The day before or the morning of an episode’s debut, our production team would get a rough cut of that week’s installment from HBO and NFL Films, and the race was on! It felt like the podcast version of working the triage unit of an Emergency Room.

I’d take notes as I watched the episode and hammer out an outline with the senior producer (the whip-smart and incredibly talented Buffy Gorilla). We’d mark the clips that were most interesting to us, and hopefully our hosts, NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, and Browns radio voice and former RedZone host Andrew Siciliano. I’d write his VO for our recap, insider reactions, and guest interview questions. Each episode was capped with an exclusive interview with the likes of Giants Head Coach, Brian Daboll, long-time Bear Kyle Long, fan-favorite Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Seattle super-fan (and Jeopardy! master) Mina Kimes.

It was a fast-paced environment to make sure the podcast was written, recorded, produced, and ready to release as soon as the credits rolled on the TV show. I QC’d, fact-checked, and edited audio drafts, penned episode titles and SEP metadata, and selected social media assets for distribution on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, all while overseeing audio and video edits through to final delivery.