Through this special Darlington Connects blog series, we are proud to showcase the stories, connections, and lasting impact of a community that embodies Darlington’s mission and values long after graduation. This year, we are especially excited to highlight the transformative role Darlington athletics and student involvement play in shaping lifelong paths. Today, we hear from Matthew McConnell (’17), a digital content creator for Florida State University's communications team.
Matthew’s Darlington story began in the middle grades, where his creativity quickly took root and continued to grow in Upper School. Through the student newspaper and yearbook, he captured the energy of campus life and the excitement of athletic events, sharpening his skills and learning to tell stories through photography. Those experiences ignited a passion for visual storytelling that continues to guide his career today.
After graduating from Darlington in 2017, Matthew attended Berry College, where he earned a degree in multimedia journalism with a minor in marketing. While at Berry, he worked as a student photographer in the college’s marketing department, gaining extensive hands-on experience. “I had the opportunity to shoot the cover of Berry’s alumni magazine multiple times while also covering sports and academics,” Matthew shared. “The biggest experience from college that shaped my career path was the connections I was able to make, as well as the experience I gained working with college administrators.”
Matthew’s professional career also began at Berry College, where he was hired full-time while finishing his degree. After two years, he accepted a job with Florida State University, where he now serves on the university communications team. In this role, Matthew produces photo and video content across FSU, supporting social media channels, university websites, and large institutional projects. “I love that every day is different,” he said. “It pushes you to take on new challenges and allows you to interact with people at all levels of the university.”
Matthew credits Darlington for helping shape his career path. “Darlington is where I started taking photos for the first time," he said. "In high school, covering sports for the student newspaper was the first real chance I had to explore photography as a creative medium. Opportunities like the student newspaper, yearbook, and news and film classes were the main influences that pushed me to see photography as something more than just a hobby. Through student publications, I was able to visit conferences around the U.S. and be around people who showed me what a career as a creative could look like.”
When asked about the connection between his work at Darlington and his career today, Matthew said, “The work I did at Darlington was the catalyst for the style of work I produce today. The ability to spend all four years of high school practicing my skills at hundreds of events, surrounded by a supportive community of students and faculty who encouraged my passions, was invaluable. My style has certainly evolved over the years, and every project I take on teaches me something new that shapes how I see the world through my lens.”
Some of Matthew’s most exciting projects to date include producing a nationally televised TV spot for FSU’s 2023 bowl game appearance, spending two weeks in Europe creating content that highlighted and promoted FSU’s study abroad centers, and collaborating with the athletic department to produce football content. His most meaningful work came from telling the story of FSU’s on-campus circus team as they rebuilt their facility from the ground up after it was destroyed by a tornado in 2024.
For students interested in photography, creative media, or sports content, Matthew advised: “Use your time to learn, practice, and connect. While your skills and portfolio are important, the driving factor that will help you advance is making connections with others in the industry. When everyone knows everyone, being someone that others like working with will always help you get ahead when people are hiring.”
He also emphasized the importance of staying connected to Darlington. “You never know when you’ll cross paths with another alum, and having that shared foundation of people to lean on and connect with is an incredible opportunity.”
Matthew welcomes fellow Tigers to reach out via LinkedIn or Instagram to connect at @mcconnellmatt.
