By Micah Friez
Published 4:33 p.m. on June 1, 2023
On Coley Rezabek’s second day on the job, she was handed a camera and told, “Go shoot.”
With 20,000 screaming Minnesota United supporters surrounding her at Allianz Field in St. Paul, it’d be easy to feel overwhelmed. But Rezabek was ready for the deep end.
“In the classroom setting, I learned fundamentals,” said Rezabek, a 2022 graduate of Bemidji State University. “But actually getting thrown into the field during my internship (with the BSU athletic department) was the most real, eye-opening thing and prepared me the best.
“When I got this job, it was the same type of thing. The transition was super easy because I had that experience in Bemidji of being thrown into it in a positive way.”
Rezabek is in her second season kicking it as a videographer/editor for MNUFC, where she produces digital content for the Major League Soccer club. Her sudden expertise comes from similar experiences at BSU, when she filmed various sports and created content for the Beavers’ social media channels.
Rezabek was also a multi-sport student-athlete at Bemidji State. She was a key piece to the women’s basketball team’s decades-overdue revival, and she became one of the best javelin throwers in women’s track and field program history.
So when it was time to hang it up, she wasn’t ready to leave the world of sports behind.
“I’m still around athletes who love what they’re doing, and the people I work with, we’re all in it together,” Rezabek said. “The best part is being in an environment where sports is the main focus and being in a professional setting where we try to showcase our team in the most positive way. We could be losing five games in a row, but we still present them as if we’re winning the World Cup.”
Rezabek started out with Minnesota United as an intern – first applying without any serious hopes of landing such a “dream job” – but she was soon offered a full-time position, to which “I couldn’t say yes fast enough,” she said. She now shares an office with thousands of Loons supporters just as passionate as the self-proclaimed diehard.
“I get goosebumps every time I go to work, especially on game days when you’re in the stadium with 20,000 people,” Rezabek said. “I had never watched an MLS game in my life. My second day on the job, I’m filming the first MLS game I’ve ever even watched. And I’m on the field, basically feeling like a part of the game because I’m so close. It was so surreal.”
Rezabek shoots games, training, community events and more. She fills fans’ social media timelines with up-close looks at the highlights and personalities of players. And she doesn’t take any of it for granted.
“I would drive past Allianz Field like, ‘We should go to a game there. I’ve heard it’s super cool.’ And now it’s my home. That’s my job,” Rezabek said. “It’s an unreal environment. I try to soak in every bit I can because it’s so fun.”
Although Rezabek has traded her Beaver uniform for a Loons scarf, she fondly credits the green and white as her launch pad. That initial opportunity, paired with plenty of talent and a pinch of luck, has her rocketing forward.
“My internship with BSU was the biggest game-changer,” she said. “It was those guys saying, ‘Go shoot this. You shoot it, you edit it, and then we’ll critique you along the way and be here if you have questions.’ It’s just going out and doing it and not being afraid.”
KEEP READING: