Diana MacLeod – Class of 1988
Diana’s dad claimed he knew she was going to be in sports television at the ripe age of 7 when she read a graphic on an NFL game as “In Diana Polis” instead of Indianapolis.
After obtaining a BA in Journalism from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, she moved to Denver. Finding a job in sports television was not easy. But after a short stint at a local radio station, she landed a television producer job at First Auto Sports Television (FAST), a local supplier of programming to national networks such as Prime Sports, ESPN, NBC, ABC and CBS. Quickly realizing that producing in a studio at UNL as a student and in the field as a professional was very different, she took the next couple of years to learn every position in the production truck possible. She Tape Produced, Font Coordinated, Associate Directed, Pit Produced, sat in with Audio, Video, Tape, ran camera, and even learned to punch up a show to make it sharper, tighter and funnier as a Technical Director.
In 2004 she started her own production company “MacLeod Productions”, producing sporting events for ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX.
To name a few, she has worked on 9 Olympics, The National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, Major League Lacrosse, Major League Soccer, and numerous racing leagues including Formula 1, CART, Indy Car, American Le Mans, Superbikes, Supercross, Motocross, NHRA, NASCAR Truck Series and NASCAR. She has worked on university campuses across the country producing football, basketball, lacrosse, hockey, baseball, softball, field hockey, volleyball, and swimming.
She has produced special events such as the College Football National Championship, The Rose Bowl, The Citrus Bowl, The College World Series, The College Basketball Final Four, The Tour Du France, Professional Bull Riding, Dog Sledding – in Alaska and Canada where the temp was -30!!, Ironman Championships, America’s Cup Sailing, Skeet shooting, Sumo Wrestling, World Olympic Games, FIS Alpine Skiing, Boxing, UFC, X Games, Sand Volleyball Championships, World Series of Poker, Monday Night Football Manningcast with Peyton and Eli Manning, Wimbledon, US Open Tennis, Professional Golf Association, and the Kentucky Derby.
She is a two-time Emmy award winner for ESPN on the Monday Night Football Manningcast and NBC for the Beijing Olympics.
Travel is one of her favorite perks of the job. She has been to every US State, and 6 continents and numerous countries. Diana has been a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) since 2002. She volunteers extensively at her daughter’s performing arts school, teaching kids how to run spotlights, lighting boards, audio boards, sewing costumes, building and painting sets, and making props. She and her daughter have helped run a Toys for Tots campaign since 2015.
Her husband Nate and daughter Ella support her career but love to have her home as well. Diana enjoys reading, yoga, Pilates and pickleball.
