Maryland Advances Student-Athlete Experience With First-of-Its-Kind Creator Academy
Through a new partnership with Athios, Maryland is giving students the tools to build their brands, create engaging content and prepare for careers beyond College Park.
Brady Ruth, Staff Writer
10/19/2026
Maryland continues to set the pace nationally in creating an exceptional student-athlete experience. The launch of the Maryland Creator Lab and Academy is the latest example: through a partnership with Athios, Maryland Athletics is giving Terps and other University of Maryland students hands-on instruction, individualized guidance and access to potential brand partnerships as they build content creation skills, grow their audiences and pursue name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities.
“The Maryland Creator Lab and Academy is a unique, first-of-its-kind initiative that brings together student-athletes, Maryland students and campus partners in a truly collaborative way,” said Joe LaBue, deputy athletic director/chief revenue officer. “Through our partnership with Athios, we are creating opportunities for students to gain valuable hands-on experience while helping student-athletes build their brands and expand their media value. This innovative model is a win for the entire Maryland community and provides the foundation for a sustainable, long-lasting enterprise.”
For Athios founders Erick Schwab and Brett Garfinkel, the partnership represents the next step in a mission that began years before NIL became a defining part of college athletics.
With more than 50 years of combined experience in media, the pair recognized a growing need for content training in 2014. They began developing and selling software for brands and content creators before launching Talent Pitch Pro in 2022.
Their experience working with actors, musicians, content creators and professional athletes eventually led them to a new opportunity: helping college student-athletes develop the skills to tell their own stories and market themselves effectively.
It’s a different time, and things are changing. We hear it over and over again from managers. They love their student-athletes, but they aren’t content creators. We were hearing that about 30% of deals were falling apart or not getting executed. We started evolving our creator economy, because influencer marketing wasn’t really a thing yet. We started bringing our tools to student-athletes.Brett Garfinkel, Athios Co-Founder
Garfinkel, a lifelong Maryland fan, saw an opportunity to bring that expertise to the university he grew up cheering for.
His message to Maryland Athletics’ leadership team was simple.
“We told them what we tell any university: you are a media company,” Garfinkel said. “As we’re speaking right now, you have student-athletes who are posting on TikTok and Instagram. They have an audience and a community. They’re making money, but it needs to be developed, the same as anything else. When they get to school, Maryland helps build up their academics, dieting, strength, and more. It’s the same thing we help them do with their brand. Just like anything else, they need reps.”
That philosophy is already taking shape on campus.
During Maryland women's basketball's content day, Athios worked directly with student-athletes, reviewing existing content and offering feedback on ways to strengthen their posts and grow their audiences.
The Creator Academy & Lab is free and completely optional for Maryland student-athletes. The program offers coaching on what to post, how to shoot and edit content, individualized content plans built around each athlete’s sport and season, guidance on growing social media channels and personal brands, access to brand opportunities sourced directly by Athios, and support from editors and producers who assist with content creation and brand partnerships.
The academy lab is the part that really excites us. That’s the execution part where we’re able to get the deals done and the content flowing. We’re going to help them do this and develop their skills. We talk about lighting, cropping, having good audio, editing, getting accounts set up, and getting their name out there. The first three seconds have to be able to garner attention. Everything’s about stopping the scroll.Erick Schwab, Athios Co-Founder
Athios already has more than 500 verified athlete creators, but its partnership with Maryland creates a new connection between content creation and college athletics.
Student-athletes simply sign up on the Athios platform, which gives them access to educational content, tracks their progress and connects them with brand opportunities as they become available.
Most importantly, the program is designed to meet student-athletes wherever they are. Whether someone is just beginning to think about their personal brand or already has a significant following, Athios can provide the tools and professional support to help them take the next step.
“I really love the fact that Maryland has invested into the academy and skill-development and learning aspect of it,” Garfinkel said. “Not every student-athlete is going to make a professional career out of playing the sport they’re in right now, but I guarantee you, every one of them is going to have a resume. These skills they’ll learn will 100% springboard them into whatever they end up doing, without a doubt.”
The Maryland Creator Lab and Academy isn’t limited to student-athletes. All University of Maryland students interested in growing their personal brands and gaining real-world marketing and content experience can participate.
“You have students that in one to five years will take jobs at marketing firms, PR firms, talent agencies, creator marketing agencies, influencer agencies, and they’re going to be making content,” Garfinkel said. “They’re not learning it in school, but they need to know it better than most. They just need guidance. We feel that the Creator Lab applies to all the students who are interested in growing their personal brands. It allows people to get real-world experience. We worked in advertising for many years at the highest, most competitive level, and now it’s exciting to wedge the creator economy into the sports realm.”
Kyle Divita serves as the Maryland Creator Lab’s student general manager as Athios establishes itself on campus. Divita works directly with Maryland students, both in and out of athletics, and is excited about the opportunities he and Athios are creating in College Park.
“What’s really exciting to me about building the Maryland Creator Lab with Athios is getting to work with such a great team to make a true impact on our student-athletes,” Divita said. “The overwhelming majority of athletes we talk to want to grow their personal brands, but they hit a wall because their schedules are packed and they don't know where to start. Building a unique personal brand is no longer optional for student-athletes.
“In the short term, doing this well opens the door to countless brand partnerships and NIL opportunities, which Athios and the Creator Lab directly facilitate for our student-athletes. More importantly, learning how to properly market yourself is a lifelong skill, but it isn’t taught in the classroom because technology and social media move too fast for curriculums to keep up.
“Some of our athletes will go on to apply at marketing firms, talent agencies, or launch their own businesses. With the hands-on experience they gain through the Creator Academy, they will walk into those rooms as leaders, not just applicants.”
The Creator Lab and Academy will make Maryland an even more attractive destination for recruits. College Park is becoming a place where student-athletes can grow both athletically and professionally as they prepare for life after college. Schwab believes Athios will become a valuable resource for coaches on the recruiting trail.
“UMD’s official partnership with Athios makes me excited for what is to come for student-athletes at Maryland and the lessons they can take with them after their athletic careers end,” men’s lacrosse player AJ Larkin said. “Learning tangible skills in marketing, communication, and basic AI use will help us grow exponentially in our careers after our time here in College Park.”
Through the Maryland Creator Lab and Academy, Athios and Maryland Athletics are working to make content creation more accessible, providing students with the guidance, resources and experience to turn their ideas into opportunities.
Whether that means landing a brand partnership, growing a digital audience or developing skills for a future career, the goal is to give Maryland students a skill set and foundation they can carry with them long after they leave campus.
