Hear from NBCUniversal Employees On What It’s Like to Work On the Olympics

^{(LEFT) Paige Shepperly at her first Olympics in Sochi, Russia, (RIGHT) Patricia Vega at the 2014 Sochi Olympics} 

How many Olympics have you worked, and what was your first experience with the Olympics?

Alexa Pritting, Senior Producer: The Paris Olympics will be my 10th Olympics and 6th Paralympics.  In 2006 I was an intern at the figure skating venue in Torino, Italy. 

Kristen King, Senior Director, Consumer Engagement: Paris will be #8!  My first Olympics was Vancouver 2010 when I was an intern at the figure skating venue, which was a dream come true because I was a competitive figure skater and went straight from Vancouver to compete at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships for Cornell University. 

Ron Vaccaro, VP, Editorial: 10, Paris will be my 11^th! Hopefully at least that many more! My first Olympics experience was Athens in 2004. I was a programming assistant, working with Peter Diamond, the longtime Olympic programming guru. I helped on our on-air cross-promotion guide and tried to learn as much as I could about the entire operation.    

Brett Goodman, General Counsel, NBC Sports Group: Paris 2024 will be my 14^th Olympics! In June 1990, just days out of college, I was hired by the legendary Olympic programming guru Peter Diamond to be one of NBC’s two Olympic researchers for the 1992 Barcelona Games. The other researcher was none other than Molly Solomon, who has risen to the role of our Executive Producer!  It is incredibly rewarding to have shared a lifelong professional journey with Molly, one of my closest friends. We’re not done yet! 

Paige Shepperly, Senior Associate Producer: Paris will be my 5^th Olympics. 2014 Sochi Olympics was my first Olympics. I was an intern at the figure skating venue.    

Patricia Vega, Chief Financial Officer, Sports Production and Olympics: Paris will be my 10th Olympics!  My first Olympics was the Torino Olympics in 2006. I was a finance manager supporting Marketing and Client Programing and I handled our Rights Payments. I helped out the Client Program team during the Olympics.    

Lyndsay Signor, SVP, Consumer Engagement: 8 Olympics, Paris will be my 9th. My first Olympics was in 2008 in Beijing. I was a communications coordinator for NBC Sports. My role was to support our communications team, book talent radio interviews and keep an eye on any press around the NBC Olympics and our coverage. 

^{Alexa Pitting began her Olympics career as an intern at the figure skating venue during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino.}

What is your favorite NBCUniversal Olympic moment/memory? 

Alexa: My favorite Olympic moment was producing the figure skating venue at the 2022 Beijing Games. Amidst COVID, it was quite a unique experience, but we had an amazing team in both China and in Stamford and we were able to cover some amazing moments - from Nathan Chen’s gold medal to a dramatic outcome in the women’s event. 

My favorite Paralympic moment was the 2014 sled hockey gold medal match between Russia and the United States. The stands were so filled that people were sitting in the aisles. The crowd was electric cheering for the home team (Russia), while the Americans in the building were stressed hoping the U.S. could hang on to a 1-0 lead the entire third period – and they did! 

Kristen: I will never forget watching Nathan Chen win gold at the Beijing Olympics after shooting features on him since he was a kid. When you’ve personally witnessed what the athletes have dedicated to the pursuit of their Olympic dream, it means so much more when you witness it!  

Ron: The next one! The men’s swimming 4x100 relay in 2008 was spectacular. A few of us were watching that in the bullpen in one of the IBC corridors and the way Team USA rallied back to win gold from France, and what it set up for Michael Phelps, the sheer joy of that moment will be hard to top, but I hope we do! And then the last one, 2022 in Beijing. The Opening Ceremony in particular, being part of the team that was tasked with capturing all of the drama and context of that consequential geopolitical event that also served as the prelude to the Games, and feeling as if we were honest with our audience and to our mission while covering the moment, was a team effort I really appreciated the opportunity to be part of with so many colleagues.   

Brett: I am asked this all the time, and I always struggle with the right answer. It’s been an embarrassment of riches, to be honest. If pushed, I would say the women’s beach volleyball final at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I had become very close friends with Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May Treanor, and their gold-medal match, against a Chinese team playing on their home sand, in the driving rain, was incredibly memorable. Kerri and Misty triumphed, and it was one of a number of matches that established their partnership as the greatest ever. I think I’m still wet from standing for two hours in the monsoon, but it was worth it! 

Paige: My favorite Olympic Memory was my first Olympics. I was a figure skater growing up and always loved watching the Olympic Figure Skating. I grew up watching Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir compete. Getting to work with them in Sochi, Russia was a real pinch me moment. They were so kind and gracious and I loved getting Johnny his special lavender tea and making sure Tara had her dark chocolate Hershey kisses. I look back on that month in Russia so fondly. I know that experience helped launch my career and has lead me to where I am now. It’s a privilege to work with Tara and Johnny as their producer now and it is a real full circle moment. To see how far we have all come in our careers and to call them colleagues and friends is such an honor.   

Patricia: I have so many amazing Olympic memories but nothing beats being with the Olympic Team after the Closing Ceremonies end. Watching the recap of all the special moments makes you appreciate how talented the Olympic team is and how hard everyone worked to showcase the athletes victories and defeats. 

Lyndsay: I have two favorites: First was at my first Olympics in 2008 in Beijing and my shift was over so I stopped by the Water Cube to catch some swimming. I was able to witness the relay that Jason Lezak anchored and won in person and it was really exciting. I also was fortunate enough to watch TJ Oshie’s incredible Olympic Shoot Out run in Sochi.   

^{Kristen King working her first Olympics in 2010 in Vancouver} 

Why is NBCUniversal the best home for the Olympics? 

Alexa: Teamwork! We assemble such talented people and work together to produce amazing coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Kristen: It’s got to be the secret sauce - Symphony! The way the whole company comes together to support brings the Olympics to consumers in a way that is unique and meaningful to each individual. The decades of experience of our production group means that they have invaluable knowledge and relationships to produce the best show in the world! 

Ron: Because there is a core team that knows the ins and outs of the Olympic movement, and that allows expertise to inform the smallest details and even more importantly be informed enough to achieve bold swings and get them done. The blending of a culture of innovation, the backing of our broader company for technological innovation, and people who love evangelizing the Olympics makes NBCU an awesome home for the Games.   

A lot of our best sporting events are one climactic event per day. The Super Bowl. An individual game at an NBA Finals, World Series or Stanley Cup Final. One game per day. Now imagine 17 straight days where there are 20+ gold medals on the line one after another, after another, it can become a cavalcade of thrills unmatched anywhere else. 

Brett: The Olympics are in our corporate blood.  I love how Brian Roberts has completely embraced the Olympics, and everyone else has followed suit.  It’s so rewarding when your colleagues outside of the Sports division are as pumped as you are for an upcoming Olympics.  It’s very humbling, and it gives us a lot of energy to do our best as representatives for the entire company in Paris.   

Paige: NBCU is the best home for the Olympics because of the love and care that goes into the storytelling. We hire the best in the business to work the games across all jobs and every single person shows up to work ready to give their all. Every person that works for NBCU wants to cover these athletes and their stories in a way that makes the world fall in love with them because we know how much the Olympics mean to them but, it also means so much to us. 

NBCU spends years planning each games, hiring the right people, researching each athlete across all sports. There’s so much time and energy and care given to each games. The energy is so special and palpable whether you are in Stamford, CT or in Paris because of the hard work and planning that has gone into each Olympics. It’s a magical event that never ceases to amaze me. 

Patricia: The NBC Olympics team is the most dedicated, creative and passionate team that you could ask for. Our Olympic coverage, our athlete profiles, our features, and our promotion are all best in class. We have the best team in place to plan and execute everything involved with the Olympics. I am truly honored to work with such talented and wonderful people.   

Lyndsay: We have a legacy that has defined the Olympics in the United States for generations coupled with an innovative spirit that comes through with each Games. Those elements that are then amplified by Symphony, no other media company can do what we do every two years.