Photo courtesy of the University of Alabama.
Emily Henderson, a recent graduate of the University of Alabama and alumna of Mountain Brook High School, is featured in this fall’s “Where Legends Are Made” advertising campaign for the Crimson Tide.
Emily Henderson says most people thought the University of Alabama “was going to be my choice coming out of the womb if they knew my father or anybody in my family.”
The Hendersons are four generations deep in the school — her great-grandfather, grandfather, dad and sister all went there.
“Growing up an Alabama fan had a huge influence on me,” she said. “It modeled for me what reality could look like if I were to go there. But I fought that, honestly, and I looked at other schools — I thought I wanted my space.”
But fast forward to today, and Henderson is not only a recent Alabama graduate whose heart beats fast for the Crimson Tide, she’s also featured this fall in the university’s national advertising campaign “Where Legends Are Made,” which premiered during the team’s home opener on Sept. 2.
Henderson, who studied news media with a specialization in sports media, can be seen in the ad with a camera on the football sidelines and developing photos in a darkroom.
She also tells her story in a longer “Frame Your Passion” video available online.
Despite initially resisting the idea of going to her family’s long-held alma mater, Henderson said studying at the University of Alabama ended up being a “dream situation,” and she fell in love with her major too.
Back when she was a student at Mountain Brook High School, she had thought she might want to work in athletic training, and through a teacher’s connection she was able to shadow Jeff Allen, associate athletics director of sports medicine at Alabama.
“I quickly thought, ‘Nope, I don’t think this is for me,’” Henderson said.
But as she talked to Allen throughout the day about basketball and football, he suggested that she might like sports media.
He was right — she did.
“Coming from photography classes in high school, I loved cameras,” Henderson said. “I’m really grateful we had a photography program; not many schools are blessed with the resources and teachers that can teach that.”
She said her sister, Tara, had taken photography first and done really well, and Henderson’s competitive nature had made her want to try it too.
“She was a really good role model to follow, and in several years with Mrs. Becton Morgan at the high school, I learned so much,” Henderson said.
She said throughout her time at Alabama, God opened the doors for her to serve in a variety of internships that helped her hone her skills. She worked at Crimson Tide Productions, operating a broadcasting camera for basketball, softball and baseball for ESPN and SEC Network, and as a recruiting photographer for Alabama football. This summer, she worked as a creative producer summer intern with NFL Films, working on shows like “Peyton's Places” and “Hard Knocks.”
Now Henderson is in New York City, working as a photography and production assistant intern with the New York Giants. She jokes that they tell her she just “doesn’t understand” what it’s like to be a true Giants fan, and she tells them they have no idea — it’s so much better being an Alabama fan.
But Henderson has loved adopting the Giants as her team anyway, and every day as she enters the team’s facility, she can’t believe she gets to do what she’s doing.
“I cannot say that it all happened because I worked for it. I did work really hard, but the Lord definitely directed my steps and a lot of people gave me that door,” Henderson said.
Connect with Emily on Instagram: @hendy.photo
