I loved HBO’s Hard Knocks, and I wanted to make something like it for our local high school football teams. There was one problem, and it was a real one: I worked on the advertising side of the newspaper, and there was no clean way for an ad guy to wander into the newsroom and start making content. To this day, I know those editorial folks are suspicious of me.

So I found the door I needed. We sold a sponsorship deal with Vista Honda for a site called VCSPreps.com, and that gave me a lane to go make video as part of the ad package. Suddenly I had my show.

The weekly rhythm was relentless, and I loved it. Midweek, I’d interview the teams at practice and cut a “Game of the Week” preview. On game night, I’d shoot with a colleague, and my future wife would come along too, logging timecode and key plays. Afterward, I’d interview the winning team. Then I’d edit a highlight reel of the big moments overnight and have it published by dawn.

And yes, at one fateful game, I got completely tackled on a play. I bounced right back up. No damage to me or the camera. The next day was rough.

Looking back, getting run over definitely stands out. So does following the careers of some of our local star athletes. But the real story is a pattern I’ve repeated for years: I wanted to do something that didn’t have a path, so I went and made one.