Kyle Conti has accepted a position with NFL Films to work on HBO’s Hard Knocks, a reality sports documentary series that focuses on a new NFL team each year. Kyle is a recent graduate of the UHart School of Communication’s MA in Communication program, and also earned a double major in Cinema, and Digital Media and Journalism after starting his academic journey in UHart’s Hillyer College.
Kyle had also been offered a job editing game footage for Major League Baseball, but decided on the NFL Films position. “I am so grateful to have two offers from such high-level companies in the world of sports,” said Kyle. “The NFL Film position is lined up with what I want to focus on, which is documentary filmmaking.”
As an undergraduate in the College of Arts and Sciences, Kyle was already an international filmmaker. He travelled to Lithuania three times with a team of UHart students and faculty to film the documentary, Finding Matilda, about Matlida Olkin, a college student who along with her family was killed during the Holocaust. His latest documentary, Gay Spirit Radio: Not Afraid to be Different—The Keith Brown Story, was completed in April, and will be shown as the centerpiece of Connecticut’s LGBTQ Film Festival in June. The documentary details the history of the Gay Spirit Radio program on UHart’s WWUH radio, which has been hosted Keith Brown for more than 40 years.
Kyle said he first heard of Gay Spirit Radio from Assistant Professor of Communication Susan Cardillo. “From there, I thought of how amazing Keith Brown's story is and it needed to be told,” he says. “We are still submitting the film to other festivals all around the country.” Of all the documentaries he’s created, Kyle says he is most proud of this one.
Kyle says he couldn't be happier with the faculty in the School of Communication and that all his professors guided him and cared about his success. “They made me feel comfortable taking risks since I'm in a unique field of editing and production,” he says. “The small class sizes made me feel like I had a connection with every professor. The projects and papers were meaningful, and I feel well prepared to enter the workforce.”
In addition to his coursework, Kyle helped teach classes in sports media, served as the School of Communication’s camera and video equipment room manager, and was the new media student manager for the athletics department.
“My favorite memory at UHart is all of the great friends and connections I've made along the way,” says Kyle. “My advice for incoming students is to try everything and focus on what makes them the happiest. I remember being involved with the campus activities team, going on trips, working in theater, and creating videos for the athletic teams. Being involved with so many spaces allowed me to hone in on what I do best.”
Read more about Kyle's documentary, Gay Spirit Radio: Not Afraid to be Different—The Keith Brown Story, in the Journal Inquirier. The film is making its debut at Connecticut's Out Film Festival on June 8.
Kyle Conti '20 M'22, Master of Arts in CommunicationMy professors made me feel comfortable taking risks since I'm in a unique field of editing and production. Also, the small class sizes made me feel like I had a connection with every professor. The projects and papers were meaningful, and I feel well prepared to enter the workforce.