The College Cheer & Dance Media Kit: A Photographer's Guide

What a media kit actually is

One page: who you are, what you look like competing and off the mat, your numbers (school, team, class year, socials, engagement), and how to reach you. Not a highlight reel - a decision document. A brand manager should know in 30 seconds whether you fit their campaign.

The five photos every kit needs

1. Clean headshot. Front-lit, plain background, smiling, no uniform required. Shot on a phone by a friend at golden hour beats a dark gym selfie every time.
2. Gameday action. Full extension, mid-skill, crowd behind you. Ask your team photographer - most will share a frame or two with credit (that credit matters; it's how photographers get found, and it's built into SquadFame kits).
3. Team/sideline candid. Brands buy belonging: the huddle, the celebration, warm-ups.
4. NIL-ready portrait. No school marks, no uniform - plain athleisure or street clothes. School logos on an endorsement photo can violate your school's NIL policy, so every kit should have at least one marks-free option.
5. Personality shot. The thing that's yours: choreography session, game-day makeup kit, your dog at practice. This is the photo that makes a brand remember you.

No photographer? Phone playbook

Overcast daylight or golden hour, never gym fluorescents. Clean background (brick wall, track, plain mat). Shoot burst mode for skills - pick the peak frame. Wipe the lens. Have a teammate shoot from chest height, phone horizontal, and take twenty of everything.

What brands actually check

School and team (spelled out), class year, city, follower counts with your real engagement (screenshots inflate; links verify), past partnerships if any, and a working contact. Missing contact info kills more deals than small follower counts do.

NIL basics, briefly

NIL means you can be paid for your name, image, and likeness - but your school's policy governs the details: disclosure requirements, category restrictions (some schools bar alcohol, gambling, or conflicting-sponsor deals), and whether you must report deals to compliance. Before signing anything, read your school's NIL policy and, if your school has one, talk to the compliance office. (This is general information, not legal advice.)

Put it in one place

You can build all of this into a free page in about five minutes: squadfame.com - made for college cheer and dance athletes, 18+. Photographers: every image on a kit carries your credit and link.