College programs turned content into revenue
Clemson and LSU have scaled content ops into revenue engines with 100+ staff and studio setups — a playbook showing how content teams can become commercial partners, not just marketing arms. That level of scale is a benchmark for teams chasing sponsor dollars through owned media. (x.com)
In 2023 Clemson added a 12,000‑square‑foot extension to the Poe Indoor Practice Facility that houses two photo studios, two video studios, a podcast studio and rows of editing bays and conference rooms. (frontofficesports.com)) Clemson created a separate commercial entity, Clemson Ventures, in mid‑2024 that reports to an internal CEO and board rather than the athletic director and university president and sells sponsorships tied to its in‑house programming. (frontofficesports.com)) Clemson Ventures has amassed roughly 900 hours of content across documentaries, athlete‑focused originals like “House Call,” and branded series such as “Clemson Versus presented by Gatorade” in under two years. (frontofficesports.com)) Michael Drake, a longtime NBA and NFL executive, was hired as Clemson Ventures’ inaugural CEO on Jan. 16, 2025, while Kevin Richardson is listed as Clemson’s vice president of content leading production and monetization efforts. (wspa.com)) LSU launched a consolidated storytelling division called “The Brand” on March 10, 2025, designed to unify social, videography, photography, podcasting, marketing and NIL support under one unit. (lsusports.net)) “The Brand” operates from expanded space on the third floor of Tiger Stadium and is staffed by roughly 100‑plus employees including student workers, with dedicated photo/video studios, an NIL recruiting lounge, an LSU+ studio, a podcast lounge and an LSU Radio Network studio. (dandydon.com)) LSU’s communications setup produced nearly 2,500 news articles and press releases in the prior year, signaling the volume of owned content the department is now generating regularly. (louisianasports.net))
