Both the School of Design and the MEIM Program Contribute to the NFL Draft
MEIM Alumni and First-Year Students at Work on the NFL Draft
Master of Entertainment Industries Management
written by
Emma Foults
Hundreds of thousands of football fans descended on Pittsburgh for the National Football League (NFL) Draft April 23–25, eager to watch the league’s 32 professional teams add new players to their rosters from a pool of talented collegiate athletes.
Several Heinz College alumni were involved in preparations for the event, which comes to a different U.S. city annually. The alumni lent their talents to everything from researching fan behavior for the NFL to coordinating logistics for draft-eligible athletes.
Ensuring Athletes Have A Seamless Experience
This year’s draft is not the first rodeo for Olivia Green, who graduated from Heinz College’s Master of Entertainment Industry Management (MEIM) Program in 2019. She has supported draft-eligible athletes for roughly five years through her work at Athletes First, a premier, full-service agency representing players, coaches, executives and broadcasters in the NFL.
Green is the agency’s director of client relations, and she works behind the scenes with several up-and-coming athletes to ensure their draft experience runs smoothly. Depending on the clients’ needs, she may coordinate their travel, transportation and lodging, manage their schedule, help prepare them for interviews with coaches or make reservations for family members.
“We handle a lot of the athletes’ questions about logistics,” Green said. “And then, of course, we're dealing with 20, 21-year-olds, so we're also getting questions like, ‘How do I check into my flight?’ We want to provide a safe space for them to ask questions, to be curious, to be a little nervous. It's a lot to handle, especially at that young of an age.”
Typically, the NFL invites athletes believed to be first-round picks to a green room for television filming. The selected athletes traveled to Pittsburgh and spent two days before the draft taking meetings and speaking with the media. Eight clients of Athletes First received invitations, including two players Green works closely with, so she was in Pittsburgh for the draft.
Following the event, Green and the agency support the athletes throughout their subsequent NFL careers. She helps the drafted athletes connect with realtors and acclimate to their new team’s city, whether by providing a guide to the area’s best restaurants and attractions or assisting them in getting discounted furniture.
“It’s such a busy process — they barely get a break between when they get drafted and the end of their first year. We want to take as much off their plates as possible,” she said.
Green managed seven draft-eligible athletes this year, with the agency overall working with about 40. Each draft cycle, she values seeing her clients grow as they transition from the collegiate to professional level.
“No matter when they’re picked in the draft, we always remind them that this is such a blessing. They are one of a very, very small percentage of people who get this opportunity. We remind them that it's not where you go, it's the opportunity and what you do with it,” she said.
Heinz College has given Green essential industry connections that can benefit her clients, she said. Recently, Green was able to help an athlete deliver a panel at the South by Southwest film festival by contacting Dan Green, director of the MEIM program.
Beyond the industry connections, Heinz College helped Green feed her curiosity, meet people of diverse backgrounds and gain hands-on experience in the entertainment industry.
“You can only learn so much in the classroom. Being in that world and seeing your coursework applied in real life made this program so worthwhile,” Green said. “It really helps you hit the ground running after graduation, rather than being like, ‘I learned all these things, but I don't know what to do with them.’”
Researching And Analyzing Fan Engagement
Football fans are frequently top of mind for Jennifer Schaefer, a 2008 graduate of Heinz College’s Master of Public Policy and Management program. She leads the NFL’s global insights and research department, which serves as the voice of fans helping to drive league priorities. The department’s insights were particularly valuable as the NFL prepared for the draft, a marquee event for the league.
Ahead of the draft, Schaefer and her team tracked people’s awareness of and interest in the event. “With this monitoring, my team is able to say, ‘Hey, excitement is looking high. This messaging is clicking. People are finding this content and latching on to it,’” she said.
Schaefer and her team attended the draft to interview fans about their experience. After the event, they surveyed people who attended and watched or followed news of the draft to inform how the league shapes future draft experiences and engagement strategies.
“That first night is the one that really gets people excited. We work to understand what keeps fans engaged after that initial surge,” she said. “We look at, ‘What were people drawn to, and how can the league further pull those levers so we can drive engagement throughout the experience?’”
Watching momentum build for the draft is one of Schaefer’s favorite parts of her job. She enjoys seeing the energy of the broadcasters, the optimism of the fans, and the dreams that come true for the drafted athletes.
“Every team truly has a chance this season. Everybody has the same opportunity. The draft is really that first step for fans to say, ‘Ooh, did my team make the right step? Are they putting themselves in the best position to have a great season?’” Schaefer said. “As you can imagine, fans are very opinionated about that.”
Schaefer particularly values the analytical and problem-solving skills she gained from Heinz College. Her professors taught her to use data for decision-making and problem-solving, which is a skill she uses often at the NFL.
"After graduation, it’s our responsibility to take those tools and apply them in organizations where data needs to drive smarter, faster decisions."
In addition to the alumni involved, several first-year MEIMs worked as part of the NFL Draft Experience at the draft. They are: Theo Bookey, student manager; Tirzah Duncan, teammate; Regina Gamboa, student manager; Madison Hill, student manager; Jake Rohr, student manager; Emma Romero, brand ambassador; and Philip Yin, student manager.
When Pop Art Meets Pigskin
School of Design
written by
Jennifer Rignani
Carnegie Mellon University alumnus and renowned pop artist Burton Morris also played a role in the NFL Draft by creating bespoke artwork, commissioned by the NFL. Morris produced a monumental art installation of 32 individual NFL football helmet wall sculptures to highlight the league’s larger commitment to art-driven storytelling.
Built on a steel frame to honor Pittsburgh’s history, each 20-by-20-inch piece was customized with Morris’ signature steel colored ”energy shards” that highlighted unique team colors. Authentic team helmets were seamlessly attached to each background, creating dynamic, 3D mixed-media work celebrating all 32 clubs.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Dan Rooney Jr. and other football luminaries viewed the work in the Prospect Green Room, where anxious recruits and millions of viewers, listeners and spectators alike experienced Morris' art in a form never before seen.
Pittsburgh connections take Morris from the basement to the small screen
Morris, now a modern pop art phenomenon, started out in Pittsburgh after graduating from Carnegie Mellon with a bachelor of fine arts degree from the School of Design in 1986. Before cell phones, social media, digital footprints and mainstream artificial intelligence, Morris was hard at work as an art director in advertising, creating commercials by day and designing t-shirts and creating illustrations for magazines at night. He couldn’t have known, as a newly minted CMU graduate, that his life would soon change forever.
In 1992, Absolut Vodka selected Morris’ artwork to represent Pennsylvania for its prestigious Absolut Statehood campaign, aligning him with global pop artist and CMU alumnus Andy Warhol. In 1994, his paintings began to hang on the hit NBC television sitcom “Friends,” which continued to showcase his artwork for over 10 seasons to millions of viewers worldwide. His original works would hang in the fictional cafe, “Central Perk,” with his vibrant imagery of coffee cups, King Kong, toasters and playful pop objects, becoming embedded in one of television’s most recognizable cultural settings. The exposure launched Morris onto the global stage and cemented his reputation as a leading voice in pop art culture.
A long history of combining sports and art
Fast forward to the draft, where his kinetic spirit was on display for a whole new audience.
“I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with many athletes and sports organizations, but I never expected that my art would be a part of the NFL draft in my hometown,” said Morris. “I’m proud to represent the robust Pittsburgh art scene and be a part of a monumental day for these athletes.”
Though Morris now resides in Los Angeles with his wife and three daughters, his connection to Pittsburgh remains deeply rooted. Raised on Steelers football, he spent his childhood watching games alongside his father, moments that helped shape his passion for sport. As a young artist, Morris was equally captivated by comic books, later drawing inspiration from pop art pioneers such as Keith Haring, Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. While echoes of those influences can be seen in his bold line work and vibrant palette, Morris has developed a visual language that is entirely his own, one that naturally lends itself to the energy and movement of sport.
“I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with many of the world’s premier sporting events, from the Olympics, MLB All Star Game, to the FIFA World Cup and the USGA U.S. Open, with even more partnerships on the horizon,” Morris said. Among his most meaningful commissions was a piece created honoring Franco Harris’ legendary 25th Anniversary of the “Immaculate Reception,” a moment Morris vividly remembers witnessing as a child. “Years later, I found myself standing next to Franco as he held my artwork. It was a full-circle moment, completely surreal.”
A career defined by vision, independence and impact
While Morris is quick to credit luck, it is his talent, relentless work ethic and entrepreneurial independence that have defined his rise. Operating outside the traditional gallery system, Morris has built his career managing his global business alongside his wife and business partner, Sara Morris.
“I was raised by my parents to be kind, respectful and to give back,” Morris said, citing Fred Rogers and Stan Lee as both personal friends and lasting inspirations. “Over the years, we have helped to raise millions of dollars for charities worldwide through my art.”
His work is exhibited in galleries and institutions around the globe and is held in the collections of prominent figures including Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey, John Travolta, Ralph Lauren and Barack Obama. Morris’ artistic influence transcends the canvas, with commissioned works adorning prestigious institutions including the White House, the United Nations, Coca-Cola Corporation, Ford Motors, Sony, Chanel Corporation, Rolex, Warner Bros. Discovery and others. His artwork is also prominently featured in the collections of esteemed institutions like The Albright-Knox Museum, The Carter Center, The Elysée Museum and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
At the 2026 NFL draft, Morris found himself at the center of a defining cultural moment. Positioned within the Prospect Green Room, his work became part of the emotional landscape for first-round draftees, each piece serving as a symbolic marker of their entry into the league.
To return to my hometown and contribute creatively to an event of this magnitude is incredibly meaningful. It’s a lifelong love of football and a lifelong passion for drawing coming together in one moment.