How This Alumna Is Helping to Bring the Olympic Games to Life

Lindsay Laureano works behind the scenes at NBC to help deliver Olympic and Paralympic coverage to millions of viewers around the world

Laureano on the NBC set during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

When millions of viewers tune in to watch the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, they will see breathtaking athletic performances, emotional victories and stories that unite audiences worldwide.

What they won't see is Rutgers alumna Lindsay Laureano and the intricate choreography unfolding behind the cameras, a massive live operation that must run seamlessly across multiple platforms, time zones and continents.

For Laureano, who graduated from Rutgers University-New Brunswick in 2015 and is the director of NBC's creative development team for the Olympics and Paralympics, working behind the scenes is her everyday reality.

Based primarily at NBC's headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, Laureano works year-round on Olympic coverage for NBCUniversal, where she serves as director of ad sales marketing. During this year's Olympic Games, she will split her time between New York and NBC Sports' headquarters in Stamford, Conn., which serves as a hub for Olympic operations.

The Olympics is a time when the world comes together to support these athletes," Laureano said. "To play even a small part in something that brings so many people joy is really special.

Her role sits at the intersection of advertising, storytelling and live sports production, where she helps integrate NBC's advertising partners into coverage across television, digital and social platforms for NBCUniversal, which holds the exclusive U.S. media rights to broadcast the Olympic Games.

Laureano, who attended the Rutgers School of Communication and Information, said her work spans far beyond the competition itself.

"I work on the Olympics year-round, not just when the games are on," said the Wall, N.J., native and resident. "There are years of planning behind every games, and once they begin, you have to be ready to adapt in real time. We are already planning for Los Angeles."

At its core, Laureano's role is about ensuring advertising fits naturally within live Olympic coverage as stories unfold in real time, a task that becomes exponentially more complex during the 17 days of Olympic competition.

"A big part of my job is making sure our partners are integrated into the coverage so it feels organic and works across all platforms," Laureano said. "We want partners to show up in a way that feels right for the coverage and aligns with how we present the games to viewers."

Sponsored elements can take many forms beyond traditional commercials. These might include short athlete profiles or features presented by a specific company - such as an athlete backstory or medal recap tied to an official Olympic partner like Comcast, Honda or Intuit. Sponsorship can also appear through on-screen graphics, including timing or results graphics that carry advertiser branding, along with brief taglines acknowledging official Olympic sponsors as coverage moves between competitions.

Traditional commercials still run during the broadcast, Laureano noted, alongside the sponsored moments that are woven into the coverage itself.

That work becomes a constant balancing act. If coverage shifts because of weather delays, a surprise medal run or an unexpected storyline, Laureano's team must quickly adjust where sponsored elements appear, moving them from one sport or athlete to another while keeping the broadcast flowing seamlessly.

In many ways, Laureano's role resembles that of an air traffic controller for Olympic coverage: As live events shift in real time, Laureano helps guide where sponsored elements land so everything stays on course without viewers ever noticing the adjustments happening behind the scenes. Those elements must be monitored and adjusted around the clock. Over the course of a single Olympics, more than 400 sponsored elements are scheduled to run across NBC's coverage.

"If we move from downhill skiing to figure skating because of a delay at the mountain, everything gets shuffled around," Laureano said. "It's live, so you're adapting constantly."

Laureano said part of the joy of Olympic storytelling is helping audiences discover sports they may not normally follow.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for every athlete and every event," said Laureano, pointing to events such as curling. "Even sports that wouldn't typically be on your radar."

Laureano's efforts also extend deeply into NBC's coverage of the Paralympic Games. Much of that work focuses on helping audiences better understand the sports themselves, from how events are structured to the adaptive equipment athletes use to compete.

"It's very, very special to be a part of," said Laureano, adding there is "more of an educational component" with the Paralympic Games.

Laureano with Professor Mark Beal, who has his own longstanding connection to the Olympic Games. Beal began working on the Games in 1992 in Albertville and Barcelona while at the global public relations agency Taylor, and went on to support sponsors of nearly every Olympic Games through Rio 2016. Beal regularly returns to the Games to experience them in person.

Laureano's path to the Olympic stage began at Rutgers, where she was recruited to play Division I tennis. As a student-athlete, she learned to manage pressure, juggle responsibilities and perform in high-stakes environments, skills she uses daily.

She credits much of that foundation to her coursework and mentorship, particularly from Rutgers professor Mark Beal, who helped her secure a summer public relations internship and encouraged her to lean into networking.

"He's always willing to help and listen to every student," said Laureano, who earned a bachelor degree in communications. "I still keep in touch with him today and consider him Professor Beal a mentor."

After graduating, Laureano joined NBC Sports as a coordinator, a role that exposed her to some of the world's largest live events, including Sunday Night Football, the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby and the French Open. When an opportunity opened on NBC's Olympic team, she jumped at the chance.

Working on the Olympics has been a dream of mine.

Lindsay Laureano

Now approaching nine years at NBC, Laureano said the appeal of live sports remains as strong as ever, particularly in a media landscape crowded with on-demand content.

As NBC prepares for the upcoming Winter Games and looks ahead to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Laureano will continue doing what she has learned to do best: planning years ahead while staying ready to pivot in an instant.

For Rutgers students hoping to follow a similar path, her advice is simple.

"Work hard and be nice," she said. "That was a sign in our tennis locker room, and it's something that sticks with me today."