WE ARE! ...
A Penn State Story told by Penn State people for a Penn State legacy
MICHAEL VECHESKY: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (PSU '96)
Recruited to play LB at PSU by Fran Gantner, Mike was an All-SJ (South State NJ) player at Burlington City High School but found his abilities more suited for the 1-AA level and played football at Villanova University. He became an Emmy Award winning Cinematographer with NFL Films and has always been a Penn State fan and LBU historian. Mike went to PSU Grad school in 1996 while working on PSU hi-light films with TELRA Productions before leaving early due to demand of his film production camera and editing work which he has turned into a free-lance career spanning over 25 years working consistently with clients of all the giants of the TV-Sports industry: NFL Films, NBA Entertainment, MLB Productions, ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and more
BOB ANGELO: DIRECTOR - PSU '75
A 21-Time Emmy Award winning filmmaker who worked 4-decades at NFL Films as a producer, director, writer, editor and cinematographer it is safe to say Bob as done it all at the highest level of the TV/Film business. "Ang" has also become a published author and was recently an adjunct professor of media production at University of Delaware and PSU. He is a proud PENN STATE alum.
FRANK LAZAR: DIR. of PHOTOGRAPHY - (PSU Father '14)
A multiple Emmy Award winning cinematographer at NFL Films, Frank is a 30 year veteran filmmaker and broadcast sports shooter for NBA Entertainment, MLB Productions, ESPN, TNT as well as numerous motion pictures and music videos for the likes of The Black Crowes, Joan Jett , Metallica and more. A Temple U. Film grad but he is also a Penn State father of his namesake and PENN STATE graduate son, Frank Jr. who worked on the Nittany Lion staff of both Coach Bill Obrien and James Franklin and now is on the video team of the NY Jets.
SCOTT GRAHAM: NARRATION
Known nationwide for his play by play work as a sportscaster, Scott followed legends John Facenda and Harry Kalas to become the voice of the NFL and NFL Films. He called Philadelphia Phillies play-by-play from 2000-06, co-hosted Baseball This Morning on Sirius XM Radio with Buck Martinez from 2009-10 and has done pre and post game NFL coverage for Weswood One radio for over 15 years. Scott's voice could be heard as the public address announcer at multiple Super Bowls and he has called NCAA Basketball for numerous broadcast outlets for over 30 years including Philadelphia's BIG-5 and the 2016 NCAA Final Four and National Championship Game on TruTV. Scott notes while he is a UPENN alum, he has called the Blue-White games for PENN STATE.
SARA LYNN KRUPNICK: PRODUCTION MGR.
A manager of productions from Documentaries (TV & Film), Scripted Feature Films , TV Series, Commercials, Live TV, Music Videos, to Concerts, and Live Event Production, Sara has built an impressive client list with over 15 years of experience working with broadcast outlets such as: Amazon, Apple+, Netflix, MGM/EPIX, Showtime, ESPN, Vice, A&E, AMC, HGTV, NFL Network, Bravo, Animal Planet, Discovery, Food Network, QVC, ABC, NBC, CNN, and E!
Sara began her professional career at just 16yo working on the set of INVINCIBLE in 2004 fofllowed by working in the Camera Dept of NFL Films after gaining her Film and Media Arts Degree from Temple U. Not a PENN STATER but Sara is a Multi-Emmy Award-Winning Producer!
ANDREW COY LOMBARDI: SHOW RUNNER - PSU '95
A rare mix of creative storyteller and analytic nerd, visionary and entrepreneur. After 10 years at NBA Entertainment, Andrew went on become an Emmy Award -winning show runner, producer, editor, and post-production supervisor for Netflix, Peacock, Discovery+, Crackle, ESPN and more. He is a proud Penn Strate alum and father of a Sophomore daughter at PSU.
FRED VUICH: PHOTOGRAPHER - PSU '77
An award winning sports photographer, Fred is one of the most celebrated golf photographers in history. He has photographed 28 Masters tournaments, 34 U.S. Opens, 24 British Opens, and 28 PGA Championships and he has photographed Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL, the USGA, and the NCAA. Fred's photos have appeared in Golf Magazine, the New York Times, and Sports Illustrated, including 19 Sports Illustrated covers.
JIM HUIE : LINE PRODUCER - PSU '97
A veteran commercial and film producer for production companies such as NYC's Supper Club and Alkemy X, Jim has made visions realized from script to screen for an impressive list of major brands and organizations such as: AT&T, Amazon, Bose, BMW, Dallas Cowboys, EBAY, Food Network, HGTV, Michelob, NBC, NFL, Philadelphia Phillies, Samsung, T-Mobile and more. Jim just wrapped up season 3 of the popular, ELI's PLACES with ESPN+ and NFL FILMS. He attended both U Penn's Wharton School and of course PENN STATE!
THERON LOUIS: EAST COAST PRODUCTION - PSU '15
A 5X Regional Emmy Award -Winning Cinematographer, Theron is also a Media-Tech professional Engineer with PBS WHYY-PHILADELPHIA and began his career at NFL Films. He worked for Coach James Franklin's video team while at PSU and continues his love of shooting football with his on going video series of NJ State Champion Winslow Twp HS. He is a proud PENN STATER.
RICH COTTRELL: STEADI CAM / LIGHTING - PSU '96
Former pole vaulter for the PSU track team, Rich has "vaulted" a "steady" career as a steadi-cam operator tutored under the great Garrett Brown, on a series of independent film productions and commercial work as well as working camera operations for NBC Sports Philadelphia over 30 years for all Philly sports productions, concerts and top live entertainment events.
CONNOR ORLANDO: PRODUCTION ASST. - PSU '25
The teams most recent graduate from PSU, Connor already has marketed experience in the film production industry working for NFL Network, OVP Crews and as a student production asst. for PENN STATE Athletics LIVE Productions. He has a surprisingly strong knowledge of LBU history for his age and is proud to be have a degree in Telecommunications and Media Industries from PENN STATE.
DAVE JANNETTA: WEST COAST PRODUCTION - PSU '05
A professor of Film Studies at Cal Poly Humbolt State University, Dave is also a freelance filmmaker and cinematographer. He has a Master of Fine Arts from Temple U. and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from... PENN STATE.
TOM MOSSER: FILM COVER ARTIST - PSU '82
A Penn State alum with a BFA in Fine Arts, Tom began his creative career as a freshman student producing illustrations and editorial cartoons for The Daily Collegian, along with football program and media guide covers. He was a "Lions Legion" cheerleader his senior year, who's squad led the very first "We Are - Penn State" stadium cheer ever at Beaver Stadium in 1982. Tom is known nationally for his unique"Sports Ball Impressionism" technique - painting with actual sports balls - his work appears in stadiums and arenas across the country. Tom gained viral fame with his Museum Series, which began with A Golden Retriever at the Museum - one of the most shared artworks in internet history. A follow-up, PSU themed piece, The Lion at the Museum, features the Nittany Lion mascot admiring a painting of a White Out student section scene. We can't be more excited Tom will be doing the film poster art work for... Linebacker - U!
WHAT IS LINEBACKER - U ?
Linebacker U is not a school, it's a time warp---college football's very own' Brigadoon--a mythical place that regularly seeks to conquer the (once) mythical national championship. Since the 1960's the best linebackers in America have made their way to the hills of central Pennsylvania and transformed the campus of Penn State University (a very real place) into Linebacker U (a very unreal one, particularly if you happen to be a ballcarrier). There in Happy Valley, like Imperial Storm Trooper soldiers they plainly wear white helmets, nameless uniforms and black cleats that make their feet appear to be perpetually muddy, as if they have just emerged from the primordial ooze. At other schools, in deference to glamour, the quarterback invariably gets the girl. At Penn State the linebacker does. It is a place where everybody is 6' 3" tall, weighs 230 pounds and has eyes like the gun slits in a tank. The matriculants at Linebacker U have names like Onkotz, Laslavic, Parlavecchio, Goganious and Radecic--steel mill names--and they are all the big men on campus. To be fashionable there, you could wear a bolt in your neck, if you had a neck.
- Bruce Newman, Sports Illustrated
Finally, the film of how PENN STATE became LINEBACKER - U and the men who made the legacy last.
In production 2025-26 and set for release by December, 2027... The story of how the Penn State Football program earned the moniker LINEBACKER-U and the men who have made that legacy last over a 70 year span will be told by an elite level production team made from alumni of NFL FILMS, TELRA PRODUCTIONS and of course... PENN STATE.
Fore more info on the project and how you can help or be a part of it see the website contact page.
