Lee athletics video coordinator Jonathan Murray gaining personal recognition
Photo by Reily Rogers courtesy of Lee Athletic Communications
Jonathan Murray, a junior cinema major, works for the Athletic Communications department behind the scenes, generating videography for Lee athletics’ social media accounts, chapels and special ceremonies. He was hired as a student worker during the first week of school of his freshman year, and when he first began the job at 18, he said he was “happy to get started” at Lee with a hands-on job.
“When I first got to Lee, I knew I wanted to work with the athletics department because I did it senior year of high school,” Murray said. “I’m naturally an introverted person, so hiding behind the camera was easy for me at first.”
In his inaugural season, Murray created a routine for each sporting event he’d cover. He’d get to the game an hour before it started to get a pregame video. He used pieces of pregame content in his postgame highlight video and end-of-year videos.
“I didn’t have time to really ease in. I jumped right into shooting media days, and then it was volleyball and soccer season. I’m grateful I jumped right in,” said Murray.
Murray continued to “hide behind the camera” and went home to edit several times a week. Despite his attempt to remain behind the scenes, he soon found himself gaining respect and recognition from the athletes he covered.
Lee senior public relations major and lacrosse player, Shayna Ryan, said her teammates have grown fond of Murray’s efforts.
“Jonathan does a great job highlighting our lacrosse team every year, and this year he feels like one of us,” Ryan said. “We asked him to come earlier than usual to a game, so we could hang out with him and braid his hair. That’s how much we feel like he’s one of us.”
Murray said he feels closer to the athletes as well.
“I feel like progressively improving at what I do and seeing teams appreciate me has made me come out of my shell a little bit. I enjoy what I do, highlighting student athletes, and it’s made me gain some real friends,” he said.
Director of Athletic Communications, Carman Lastoria, appreciates Murray’s contributions to the Athletic Communications team, and wrote in a tweet, “You can just call him the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). [I] appreciate all this guy does to tell the story of @LeeUFlames The future is bright for @JMurrayMedia.”
Murray believes he’s continuing to grow in his craft.
“It’s hard sometimes being the only videographer on the staff. I appreciate that I get all of the work assigned to me, but it gets hard sometimes,” said Murrray. “I know that when I’m stressed, it’s all worth it. It’s making me better.”
After graduating in May 2023, Murray plans to work full-time in the sports social media field. He said, “I’m going to throw my name everywhere and see what sticks.”
