Envision Sports Media was founded in Southwest in early 2010 by Jason Roberts and in cooperation with Katie Carlson as an extension of work Jason had previously down writing for various Internet-based sites on the subject of college football and in conjunction with his wife, Elle Principe-Roberts, in a former sports media experiment called PRISM Press Group.
Moved to try and blend a traditional, journalistic style of writing with original quality sports photography, Jason set about establishing relationships with local prep groups and colleges / universities as a means of both gaining valuable experience and testing whether or not such a venture could succeed on a long-term basis. Associations with a local prep football combine entity provided an initial outlet for Jason’s written pieces, while a developing relationship with the University of South Florida began taking shape and offering subject matter with which to capture photographically. Stops in nearby Orlando by ESPN Rise and the EA Sports Elite 11 Quarterback Camps opened the door for expanded coverage of collegiate football recruiting, which initiated a much-broader interest in the work Envision Sports Media was doing. Coverage of additional ESPN Rise events – the inaugural Gridiron Kings and second-annual Under Armour All-American High School Football Game – soon worked their way into the fold for Envision Sports Media, followed by allowances by Florida Atlantic University and Florida State University to photograph their respective football programs. By early 2010, Envision Sports Media had earned the right to be on the sidelines for Bobby Bowden’s last game as head coach of the Seminoles in that January’s Gator Bowl and been cleared by the East-West Shrine Game and Under Armour Senior Bowl as well.
Things were progressing quickly forward and preparing those involved for the next significant step Envision Sports Media would make in 2011.
The fall of 2010 provided an interesting opportunity for Envision Sports Media – its first offer to photograph an event for pay. October therefore found Jason trudging about the Waterlefe Golf and Country Club in Bradenton, Florida capturing images of a women’s golf invitational USF was holding as part of the NCAA’s fall preview series. Jason’s work was well-received and additional offers to photograph men’s and women’s golf eventually landed Envision Sports Media bids to photograph the Big East Championship at Inverness Golf and Country Club in April. In the meantime, baseball and softball non-conference schedules earned Envision Sports Media contracts to cover matchups for Michigan State, Quinnipiac, St. John’s, Dartmouth and Winthrop through the months of February and March. Katie, meanwhile, provided mainstay coverage of many Florida State League team’s, with a primary focus on the Bradenton Marauders. April’s Big East Championship in golf came and went, but drew the attention of programs involved in NCAA Division I and Division III men’s and women’s post-season play, with Envision Sports Media shooting multiple tournaments for the Atlantic 10 and Northeast conferences, as well as regional events in Daytona Beach and championships in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida, College Station, Texas and Stillwater, Oklahoma.
By May of 2011, it became clear Jason a decision to make. Clearly identifiable was a need for colleges and universities to be provided quality written and photographic material via a pricing structure that took into account the budgets of each respective client Envision Sports Media made contact with. That demand also presented a potential schedule of coverage that called into question whether or not Envision Sports Media should transition toward full-time operation. After much thought and debate, it was determined Jason would leave his four-year stint at a local Baptist church to try and expand the role Envision Sports Media hoped to play, especially in the arena of collegiate athletics. Jason left the church in mid-May and quickly hit the road to try and drum up enough financial resources to stay afloat throughout the summer, not only covering the aforementioned golf tournaments, but also stopping along the way to photograph Wright State and University of California, Irvine in the NCAA Division I Baseball regionals and super regionals in College Station and Charlottesville, Virginia.
A wholesale marketing campaign became the main focus of the remainder of the summer, with Jason working feverishly to schedule as far in advance events planned for the upcoming 2011-2012 academic calendar.
Katie, in the meantime, began attending law school at the University of Florida in Gainsville, Florida.
Persistence eventually paid off, with Envision Sports Media asked to photograph football for Boston College, Central Michigan, Duke, Tulane and New Mexico State, volleyball for Furman, Bowling Green, Maryland-Eastern Shore, LaGrange College and Barry University, soccer for the University of South Florida and Notre Dame and basketball from Tennessee Tech, Vermont, Belmont, Longwood, UC Bakersfield and Fordham.
In November of 2011, the State College of Florida, with a main campus in Bradenton, Florida, agreed to have Envision Sports Media come on board as its official photographers.
Jason continues to work to this day to expand Envision Sports Media’s outreach far beyond the State of Florida, with current clientele reaching as far as Tyler, Texas, Columbus, Ohio and Los Angeles and Berkely, California.
As of fall 2011, Envision Sports Media had also increased its production on the writing side of the equation, with works being produced for an NFLPA-affiliated blog for the Miami Dolphins and ghostwriting done on NCAA and NFL football for Barlowe Interactive Marketing.
Questions regarding Envision Sports Media’s story? Contact Jason Roberts by email (jason@envisionsportsmedia.com) or phone, 941-330-7784.
