{"id":32588,"date":"2025-12-15T09:29:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T14:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2025\/12\/15\/how-a-self-taught-creator-is-transforming-necc-athletics-media\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T14:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:34:13","slug":"how-a-self-taught-creator-is-transforming-necc-athletics-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/12\/15\/how-a-self-taught-creator-is-transforming-necc-athletics-media\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Self-Taught Creator is Transforming NECC Athletics Media"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you ask Talan Stratton, a second-year student at Northern Essex Community College, how he found his way into sports media, he laughs a little. \u201cI actually came here for environmental science,\u201d he says. His journey at NECC has taken quite a few turns\u2014three major changes, a self-taught skill set, and a growing passion that has quickly made him an influential creative voice in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.neccknights.com\/landing\/index\">NECC athletics<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For Stratton, NECC was always on the horizon. His father, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.neccknights.com\/information\/directory\/bios\/DarrenStratton\">Darren Stratton<\/a>, has served as NECC\u2019s men&#8217;s basketball coach for years, and the community around the school already felt familiar. When NECC became tuition-free, the choice became even clearer. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t take out loans, so financially, this was my best option.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He started in environmental science, switched to accounting, and then finally settled into the <a href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/academics\/credit-programs\/business\/business-transfer\/\">business transfer program<\/a>. But somewhere in the middle of all those transitions, he found something that stuck: videography. \u201cWhen I switched to business, that\u2019s when I focused and started to take photography seriously,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>His introduction to photography, and only formal education in it, came from a single high school class. Equipment was expensive and not accessible, so he taught himself\u2014hours of practice, experimentation, and learning by doing. What began as an interest in music videos slowly shifted into something unexpected: sports media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI realized I could put those music-video elements I loved to watch into sports,\u201d he explains. \u201cI was going to games anyway because of my dad. The teams needed a photographer, so I just started shooting. Then it spread from basketball to soccer and baseball. And three or four months ago, I was like, wait\u2026 I really love sports media.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/TalanStrattonFeature2-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-29658 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/03\/TalanStrattonFeature2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"photo of NECCC student Talan Stratton. Background is a brick wall\" width=\"326\" height=\"489\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Today, he specializes in video work and even mentors a student photographer who handles still photos so he can focus on creating dynamic game-day footage.<\/p>\n<p>NECC\u2019s athletics have long been successful on the court and field, and now\u2014 thanks to Stratton\u2014 their online presence has left a lasting impression. He has taken that responsibility seriously. Through weekly series like &#8220;Almost Friday&#8221; and &#8220;What\u2019s Up Wednesday&#8221;, he\u2019s built a recognizable style and a consistent voice for NECC sports. His goal is bigger than simply posting highlights.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want people who already go here to feel proud,\u201d he says. \u201cIf they\u2019re excited about the teams, they\u2019ll share the content. That\u2019s how you reach people outside of Haverhill or Lawrence\u2014you start by building pride right here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He wants NECC athletes to feel like they\u2019re playing for a respected program, \u201ca place people <em>choose<\/em> to come to.\u201d His videos aim to match the energy of four-year schools and show recruits\u2014and current students\u2014that NECC is worth paying attention to.<\/p>\n<p>As he finishes his second year at NECC, Stratton is preparing to transfer into a four-year business program. Endicott College is currently his top choice after being contacted by the college\u2019s athletics creative director, though he\u2019s keeping his options open. \u201cThere are <em>lots<\/em> of emails to get through,\u201d he jokes.<\/p>\n<p>The long-term dream? \u201cTo work for the Celtics,\u201d he says without hesitation. \u201cAll I do is go to the gym, film, and sleep. I don\u2019t even play basketball anymore\u2014my time with basketball is behind the camera now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His biggest lesson is simple: talk to people. \u201cYour skills are only half the battle,\u201d he says. \u201cNever be afraid to introduce yourself.\u201d For a student who arrived at NECC unsure of his major, he\u2019s now found a path defined by passion, persistence, and the simple willingness to say hello. \u201cCommunity colleges can be random. You never know who you might meet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you ask Talan Stratton, a second-year student at Northern Essex Community College, how he found his way into sports media, he laughs a little. \u201cI actually came here for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":32591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[681,757],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobile","category-students-alumni"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How a Self-Taught Creator is Transforming NECC Athletics Media - NECC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/12\/15\/how-a-self-taught-creator-is-transforming-necc-athletics-media\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a Self-Taught Creator is Transforming NECC Athletics Media - 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