When we last spoke with 2009 Film grad Stephen Lynch, he was gearing up for his first NFL season since earning a position as Producer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Now that Stephen’s in the midst of his second season with the team, we caught up with him to learn more about the job and how he’s settled in.

As he puts it, working for the Bucs still feels “too good to be true.”

On a regular day – a term he uses hesitantly, given the fast-paced environment – his work consists of anything from editing at his desk to filming (and sweating) on the field during practice.

On game days, Stephen works on the sidelines. “I’m right behind the bench. We do a segment called Bucs Rewind, and it’s basically a game rewind where, if Jameis Winston throws a touchdown, I’m waiting for him to get back to the sidelines to talk about it.”

“Game days are adrenaline from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed,” he says. “The whole day, I’m shooting. I’m – in a way – writing, producing, and editing. In the back of my mind I’ve got to think ‘Okay, that’s where this shot is gonna go, and this audio byte can go here.’ The longer you do it, the more you get a sense of the sequencing for your story.”

“Because no two days are the same,” he explains, “it’s perpetually refreshing. You show up and everything is new.”

This continual newness has taught him an important lesson about creative and professional growth.

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” he says. “Mistakes are going to happen, they’re unavoidable, and you can’t be afraid of them. The quicker you make them, the quicker you learn from them and become better.”

For fellow Full Sailors, he offers one additional piece of advice. “Just keep trying. At first, I didn’t know if it’d be realistic for me to get this job. But you learn to be persistent. If you’re buttoned up and know your stuff, people will notice. You just can’t be afraid of failure.”

Check out the video below to learn more about Stephen and his experiences working with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.