Sam Friedman of the NFL on Creator Collabs and Reaching Gen Alpha Fans

Plus Baltimore football fandom and the evolution of NFL 'Creator of the Week'

Sam Friedman is the senior director of content partnerships and creator strategy at the NFL. She guided the launch of the league’s first YouTube creator programs, as well as the first Super Bowl concert on Roblox featuring Saweetie. 

Sam previously held marketing roles at Peloton, Red Bull, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment and CBS Sports.

We spent two minutes with Sam to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired.

Sam, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Pikesville, Md., and now call Brooklyn home.

Your earliest sports memory.

My dad was a massive Baltimore Colts fan and idolized Johnny Unitas. I grew up hearing all about the Colts leaving Baltimore in the middle of the night in the ’80s. In the early ’90s, Baltimore had a very short-lived Canadian Football League team, the Stallions. My dad loves telling the story of how he would carry me into those games. I got my first taste of football and never looked back. My dad went on to become a season ticket holder in year one of the Baltimore Ravens franchise, 1996. 

Your favorite sports team(s).

The Baltimore Ravens are my no. 1. I went to the University of Michigan, so I am a massive Michigan football and basketball fan. Go Blue! 

Your favorite athlete(s).

Lamar Jackson

Your favorite sports show or podcast.

Some of my favorites are Pardon My Take, New Heights, Calm Down, Smartless, Armchair Expert and Prof G.

Your favorite sports movie and/or video game.

Friday Night Lights

A recent project you’re proud of.

The recent work we have done on Roblox. It’s a huge growth platform for us—we’re reaching our next generation of Gen Alpha fans on the platform where they spend their time. For one initiative, we partnered with Nickelodeon around the last Big Game to build an on-platform activation to drive football education and excitement around the first-ever Super Bowl Alt Cast. We utilized both Nick and NFL IP to host quests, including football trivia, which unlocked rewards. It played a part in making Super Bowl LVIII the most watched Super Bowl by kids.

Someone else’s project that you admired recently.

I really respect the work that Gap is doing. It’s impressive for long-standing brands to gain relevancy with younger customers, and they have found the way. They leveraged creators, musicians and artists that Gen Z connects with and empowers to develop campaigns and social content. It was unavoidable on TikTok to see people replicate dances from commercials with Tyla and Troye Sivan.

Something coming up for your organization that you are excited about.

We are in the thick of Pro Bowl and Super Bowl planning. I am excited by the upcoming social content and creator activations aimed at connecting with a younger and more casual fan.

What sports can do that nothing else can.

There’s really nothing else in the world that can unite people from all walks of life around a shared passion. I think as a country we have never needed sports more.

One of your most rewarding campaigns at the NFL.

One collaboration we just did was with Jimmy Darts around our cause initiative “Salute to Service.” For this partnership, Jimmy surprised a veteran in Tampa Bay with what he thought was a day at the Buccaneers practice facility and tickets to the upcoming game. Little did the fan know he was about to meet Baker Mayfield and receive Super Bowl tickets.

A creator partner you were most excited to work with.

We want to make sure that we are bringing mutually beneficial opportunities to creators that provide unique content opportunities that their audience would want to see. We want to enhance creator content, not just work with them because they are a big name. It really has to make sense on both sides.

A fun example is part of our YouTube Creator Program when we worked with Bodega owner turned creator The Ocky Way. The creator became popular over the pandemic when he started making content and developing new menu items with a twist, which he coined “The Ocky Way” for this partnership, we collaborated with the New York Giants and brought Eli Manning to the bodega.

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How has the NFL ‘Creator of the Week’ program continued to evolve.

In year two of the program, in partnership with YouTube, we focused on expanding the storytelling opportunities for creators. The game-day experience is incredible. But there is so much more to highlight for the clubs by showcasing the practice facility, mascots, cheerleaders and communities. We are working with 10 new clubs this year, with a total of 30 over the next two years.

I’m so proud of what we have built with this program. It’s a ton to manage on a week-to-week basis, and we continue to push the boundaries of short-form content. We have worked with some of the top creators on YouTube and recently finished collaborations with Dude Perfect, Anwar, Adam W and Haley Kalil, The Can Family and the Hulett Brothers.