Author: Clay Bollinger
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Spotlight Insights – November 17: Taste and Timing
Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff is headed to Cincinnati this weekend, creating another high-value opportunity to expand our gameday content plan and elevate the Bearcats brand on a national stage. Two national shows in three weeks is an awesome opportunity to showcase all the great things happening here. We’re also looking forward to welcoming our friends…
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Spotlight Insights – November 7: From Attention to Attachment
This week marks 6 months as the Director of Content Strategy for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats! I’m motivated to start sharing more insights again like I was last year! I really enjoyed doing that and hope that someone can take just one thing away from these posts to help them in their own paths.…
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Spotlight Insights – April 8: Structure Over Chaos and Building Creative Teams That Last
This edition of Spotlight Insights is about something some creative leaders overlook: structure is what actually protects creativity. Great content doesn’t come from talent alone — it comes from clarity, consistency, and systems that let people do their best work. Whether it’s building a monthly content calendar, defining roles, or investing in student assistants the…
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Football Guy Guide To Creative Content Strategy
In the world of college athletics content, most teams focus on the day-to-day — reacting to the next game, announcement, or viral moment. But what if you approached content like a football program? Just like football has offense, defense, and special teams, your creative strategy should include real-time content, evergreen content, and storytelling. Real-time content…
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Spotlight Insights – March 31: Visibility, Value, and the Shift That’s Changing College Sports
This week’s Spotlight Insights covers how to grow Olympic sports through consistent visibility, why NIL should be treated as a business opportunity for all athletes — not just stars, and how content quality now matters more than follower count in today’s algorithms. It also highlights the importance of engaging alumni and former athletes, not just…
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How to Build a Creative Operation That Moves the Needle
In college athletics, content has the power to do more than fill timelines — it can define a brand. The most effective creative departments today aren’t just “making things.” They’re aligning with athletic directors, coaches, and collectives to move the needle in recruiting, NIL, sponsorship, fundraising, and fan engagement. In the latest episode of The…
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Spotlight Insights – March 24: Building a Modern Athletic Department in the NIL and Revenue Sharing Era
College athletics is in the midst of its most transformative decade. NIL, revenue sharing, private equity, and digital disruption aren’t just headlines — they’re redefining how departments must operate. In this edition of Spotlight Insights, I’m breaking down the mindset shift required to build sustainable, athlete-centered, and brand-savvy departments in a rapidly evolving landscape. From…
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Why Athlete-Driven Media is the Future of College Sports
For years, college sports content revolved around team brands—highlights, press conferences, and behind-the-scenes clips curated by institutions. But the game has changed. Today, fans want unfiltered access to the athletes themselves. Authenticity, relatability, and personal connection are driving engagement in ways that traditional team accounts simply cannot replicate. The numbers do not lie, content posted…
Clay Bollinger 