Category: Communication
Covering the Winter Olympic Games
March 03, 2026 Written by Natasha Kapadia | Photos courtesy of Cris Granada
UD senior gains hands-on broadcasting experience working on NBC’s Olympic coverage
UD senior Cris Granada, a communication major with a concentration in media communication and minors in journalism and sport management, had the experience of a lifetime when he spent the recent Winter Olympic Games working for NBC Sports.
Granada worked as an edit production assistant on the national show Olympic Late Night, hosted by Maria Taylor, during the Winter Olympics. Balancing early-morning classes with 2 p.m.–1 a.m. shifts, he navigated the fast-paced world of live television, curating highlights, teases and segment bumps for national audiences.
The experience opened his eyes to a new aspect of how live sports are produced. He already had experience with NBC through two summer internships, but the fast-paced role of producing a nightly broadcast for the network’s coverage was different from the work he had done as a digital media intern. Granada worked as a digital media intern, editing content from live events, podcasts and shows that air on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
“This was the most physically and mentally demanding job I’ve had in media. It was definitely a lot, but I learned a lot,” Granada said. “I was never the Winter Olympics kind of person, but after this, it's almost like I wish they could have kept on going.”
Granada talked about his experience and how the lessons he learned will help him accomplish his goal of working in the industry, especially the production side.
Did you do anything particular to mentally or physically prepare for a shift?
With Olympic television, everything changed in real time, so it was about staying on top of stories, adapting quickly, and keeping up with producers. The 11–12-hour days were long, but they flew by because I genuinely loved the work and the fast-paced environment.
Is there an Olympic moment that was your favorite to work on?
There were so many, but my top three stand out. First, Alysa Liu returning to win gold after stepping away from the sport was incredible. Second, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, or “King Klaebo,” winning six gold medals for Norway, was historic. And finally, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen winning Brazil and South America’s first-ever Winter Olympic gold was especially meaningful to me as someone from Colombia.
What was something you’ve learned that surprised you?
I would say the importance of being prepared for anything. Since it's sports, you may have a rundown and a plan for something, but a different outcome can happen and can change the whole result of what you wanted initially. So just having a plan A, B, C and even D. We had things we initially wanted, but that can backfire on you and you just have to deal with it and move on to the next thing.
Did this experience change your career goals at all?
This experience definitely made me realize even more that I want to be involved in this industry. The passion and dedication people have is amazing and something as big as the Olympics made me realize how important it is to tell every story. We did it every single day with the best effort and detail so viewers nationwide could see it in front of them. So I wouldn’t say it changed anything; in fact, it made me realize more that I want to be involved in sports broadcasting, specifically the production side of things.
