2025 CREATIVE PORTFOLIO

Ricky Lopez

New York Yankees, GCU Athletics

this guy

ABOUT ME

Hi! My name is Ricky, and I’m from Woodstock, Illinois. Earlier this year, I graduated from Grand Canyon University with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing & Advertising. During my time at GCU, I worked with GCU Athletics as a Social Media Associate. After graduating, I moved to New York to join the New York Yankees as a Social Media Assistant.

Outside of work, I love playing guitar, boxing, designing clothes, traveling, hiking, and spending time with family & friends.

APRIL 2025 - OCTOBER 2025

NEW YORK YANKEES
SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT

In 2025, I co-managed the Yankees Béisbol Spanish channels (Instagram, Facebook & X), aligning content with brand voice and creative strategy. During the 2025 MLB Season and Postseason, the channels reached 180M+ views and 7M+ interactions. I handled real-time highlights, culture-focused vertical content, and trend-driven moments that helped grow the channels at a significantly faster rate than the previous season. I frequently collaborated with our photo/video, marketing, and partnerships teams to support branded content, ticketing pushes, voting campaigns, community initiatives, and sponsor activations through our Spanish platforms.

Below are examples of my content work during the 2025 MLB Season with the Yankees.

PLAYER PERSONALITY CONTENT

(conceptualized & filmed) (click any video to watch)

Mother’s Day QOTD

Spanish player-led prompt revealing personality + emotion.

Showcasing Venezuelan Culture

High-energy video representing

player's favorite foods from home.

IG: 427k views, 23.5k likes

TikTok: 150k views, 10k likes

Cody Bellinger Double Play

Fast-turn vertical highlight optimized

for replay + shareability.

"Lo que sea necesario."
"Whatever it takes."

Cinematic carousel elevating clutch

moment that led to victory.

REAL-TIME GAME COVERAGE

(edited & posted)

IG: 1M views, 43.7k likes

IG: 13.3k likes

CULTURE & STORYTELLING CONTENT

Eating Dominican Food with the Yankees (Hispanic Heritage Month)

Long-form cultural storytelling piece; assisted with concept execution, translations, and captions.

YouTube: 92k views, 2.9k likes

YANKEES BÉISBOL

2025 MLB SEASON & POSTSEASON STATS

Source: Yankees Béisbol owned social media (IG, FB, X) from April 29th, 2025 - October 8th, 2025

5.7M

440k

+7.9k

Interactions

Impressions

Followers Gained

33.1M

1.6M

+43.2k

Interactions

Views

Followers Gained

149M

5.4M

+97.1k

Interactions

Views

Followers Gained

OCTOBER 2023 - APRIL 2025

GCU ATHLETICS
SOCIAL MEDIA ASSOCIATE

During my time at GCU Athletics, I created platform-specific vertical content that elevated GCU’s brand identity and engagement across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. I led the Lopes TikTok strategy that drove 3.5M+ views, 274k likes, and increased average video view performance by 420%. I executed live game coverage across all 21 Division I sports, capturing player personality, fan atmosphere, and viral moments that strengthened GCU’s digital presence and community engagement.

A Look at the Numbers…

In Spring 2024, I took over content strategy for GCU Athletics’ TikTok, shifting from general content to a strategic social media lead. Through data-driven decision-making and trend-driven content, I significantly boosted engagement, reach, and follower growth. Here is a breakdown of the analytics, along with examples:

Before vs After leading TikTok Strategy:

+400%

+350%

Total Views

Follower Growth Rate

TIKTOK EXAMPLES - GCU Men's Basketball (conceptualized, filmed and edited all) (click any video to watch)

Say the Same Word

Leveraged viral trend and made it engaging

for the athletes. Not just GCU exclusive.

Fake–Out to Slam Canyon

Hook misdirection that flips into a

high-energy GCU dunk reel.

Favorite Female Athlete

Showcased personalities while highlighting Women's History Month.

15.8k likes, 307.3k views

10.2k likes, 93.6k views, 11.2% engagement rate

13.9% engagement rate, 7.8k likes, 600+ shares

Tied for Best Record in the Country

Owning a stat that leverages
GCU Basketball.

Mannequin Challenge

Nostalgic trend that’s in tune

with youth culture.

First March Madness Win

GCU inclusivity highlighting

a historic moment.

TIKTOK EXAMPLES - GCU Atmosphere & Student Section

75.1k likes, 875.2k views

7.4k likes, 74k views, 10.4% engagement rate

13.9% engagement rate, 4.3k likes, 33k views

Real-Time Story Coverage

Here’s a look at my real-time Instagram and Facebook story coverage for GCU Men’s Basketball 2025 Senior Night where I executed live coverage strategies to maximize engagement and keep fans instantly updated. I collaborated with our photo/video team to manage content for @GCU_Lopes and @GCU_MBB, ensuring dynamic and engaging real-time coverage.

28 58,836

644

stories

total views

total interactions

IG/FB STORY EXAMPLES: Pregame & Game Coverage

Built excitement with pregame coverage, such as player arrivals and warmups. Transitioned to our Senior Recognitions right before the game started. Once game started, kept fans engaged with real-time score updates, highlight plays, and high-energy moments from the bench.

Warmups

Senior Night

Highlights

Reactions

IG/FB STORY EXAMPLES: Atmosphere & Student Section

Focused on capturing the electric game-day atmosphere of the nation’s best student section, including fan interactions and halftime entertainment. All videos and photos were created using Slate and CapCut with custom templates, stickers, fonts, and graphics to ensure fastest turnaround and quality content.