University of Tennessee Athletics
UT Athletics' Creative Units Merge, Rebranded as "151 Creative"
August 21, 2019 | General
Tennessee Athletics has reshaped three units underneath its Athletics Communications umbrella and has rebranded its talented collection of artistic professionals as "151 Creative."
While continuing to report up through Communications, Tennessee's Graphic Design, Photography and Social Media teams have combined to create a unique and specialized in-house creative agency. Kellen Hiser, with the new title of Director of Digital & Creative Strategy, will manage and oversee 151 Creative's day-to-day operations.
Housed in Anderson Training Center and comprised of some of the nation's most talented creative professionals, the 151 Creative team strives to conceptualize, cultivate and curate the visual identity of Tennessee Athletics. Alongside its colleagues at VFL Films—the Vols' acclaimed and pioneering video production unit—151 Creative tells Tennessee's unique story across a variety of mediums, both digital and tangible. From the social media feed being scrolled in one hand to the game ticket or program being held in the other, 151 Creative works to directly engage UT's passionate fan base while simultaneously delivering UT's distinctive brand and feel to a national audience.
Jason Matheson is the founder of SkullSparks, a national leader in college sports digital and design strategy. He has long touted the quality of Tennessee's digital content production.
"Shaping perception of your program in today's digital environment is paramount," Matheson said. "Standing out among 130 FBS programs is an increasingly difficult challenge given the talented resources deployed across the country. The Tennessee Athletics digital and design staff consistently delivers innovative content to cultivate the next generation of players and fans. The Vols are recognized leaders nationally in this space thanks to their effort."
151 Creative employs two full-time photographers and a staff of student interns who work out of a full-service, in-house, photo studio. A longstanding partnership with Canon ensures that UT's photographers can reliably capture world-class imagery with state-of-the-art equipment.
Tennessee's award-winning graphic design team—consisting of three full-time artists, one graduate assistant and a staff of student interns—designs custom imagery for game tickets, posters, website and recruiting graphics, UT's extensive social media inventory, special events and much more. Their work also adorns the walls and halls of Tennessee's athletic facilities.
The 151 Creative social media staff manages a department-wide inventory that includes more than 45 accounts across three primary platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This team works with each sport to tailor and coordinate the strategic deployment of timely and engaging content.
"I couldn't be more excited about the trajectory of Tennessee Athletics' creative content operation," UT Associate Athletics Director for Communications Tom Satkowiak said. "The immensely talented staff we've assembled with 151 Creative is positioned to further ascend as one of the nation's standard bearers for excellence in cutting-edge content. Their collaborative efforts enhance our ability to showcase Tennessee's teams and student-athletes in unique and compelling ways."
Fans can follow the work of 151 Creative on Twitter (@151Creative).
The inaugural roster for 151 Creative in 2019-20 is as follows:
Kellen Hiser – Director of Digital & Creative Strategy
Andrew Ferguson – Associate Director of Photography
Valerie Parks – Associate Director of Creative Services
Evan Ford – Graphic Designer
Cole Golden – Graphic Designer
Maury Neipris – Photographer
Channing Curtis – Graphic Design Graduate Assistant
While continuing to report up through Communications, Tennessee's Graphic Design, Photography and Social Media teams have combined to create a unique and specialized in-house creative agency. Kellen Hiser, with the new title of Director of Digital & Creative Strategy, will manage and oversee 151 Creative's day-to-day operations.
Housed in Anderson Training Center and comprised of some of the nation's most talented creative professionals, the 151 Creative team strives to conceptualize, cultivate and curate the visual identity of Tennessee Athletics. Alongside its colleagues at VFL Films—the Vols' acclaimed and pioneering video production unit—151 Creative tells Tennessee's unique story across a variety of mediums, both digital and tangible. From the social media feed being scrolled in one hand to the game ticket or program being held in the other, 151 Creative works to directly engage UT's passionate fan base while simultaneously delivering UT's distinctive brand and feel to a national audience.
Jason Matheson is the founder of SkullSparks, a national leader in college sports digital and design strategy. He has long touted the quality of Tennessee's digital content production.
"Shaping perception of your program in today's digital environment is paramount," Matheson said. "Standing out among 130 FBS programs is an increasingly difficult challenge given the talented resources deployed across the country. The Tennessee Athletics digital and design staff consistently delivers innovative content to cultivate the next generation of players and fans. The Vols are recognized leaders nationally in this space thanks to their effort."
151 Creative employs two full-time photographers and a staff of student interns who work out of a full-service, in-house, photo studio. A longstanding partnership with Canon ensures that UT's photographers can reliably capture world-class imagery with state-of-the-art equipment.
Tennessee's award-winning graphic design team—consisting of three full-time artists, one graduate assistant and a staff of student interns—designs custom imagery for game tickets, posters, website and recruiting graphics, UT's extensive social media inventory, special events and much more. Their work also adorns the walls and halls of Tennessee's athletic facilities.
The 151 Creative social media staff manages a department-wide inventory that includes more than 45 accounts across three primary platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This team works with each sport to tailor and coordinate the strategic deployment of timely and engaging content.
"I couldn't be more excited about the trajectory of Tennessee Athletics' creative content operation," UT Associate Athletics Director for Communications Tom Satkowiak said. "The immensely talented staff we've assembled with 151 Creative is positioned to further ascend as one of the nation's standard bearers for excellence in cutting-edge content. Their collaborative efforts enhance our ability to showcase Tennessee's teams and student-athletes in unique and compelling ways."
Fans can follow the work of 151 Creative on Twitter (@151Creative).
The inaugural roster for 151 Creative in 2019-20 is as follows:
Kellen Hiser – Director of Digital & Creative Strategy
Andrew Ferguson – Associate Director of Photography
Valerie Parks – Associate Director of Creative Services
Evan Ford – Graphic Designer
Cole Golden – Graphic Designer
Maury Neipris – Photographer
Channing Curtis – Graphic Design Graduate Assistant
The Mike Keith Show (Nov. 6, 2025)
Thursday, November 06
Big Orange Rewind | November 2, 2025
Sunday, November 02
The Mike Keith Show (Oct. 30, 2025)
Thursday, October 30
The Mike Keith Show (Oct. 23, 2025)
Friday, October 24
