Five letters, two words, one mantra.
"It's Us."
It's a rallying cry for a group chat with some of the best student storytellers in the sports industry. But a closer look at their work reveals it's more than a phrase. It's a front-facing signature that also moonlights as a credibility-builder.
When the winter semester wrapped up at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), they quietly counted down the days before the expected reveal of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) C.H.A.M.P award for best social media account. The moment the winner was announced, the news was relayed to the group chat. It was the notification they had been waiting for: TMU Bold was officially named the best in the province.
It marks the first time that TMU has won the award since its inception in 2014-15.
"Our team works extremely hard to produce the best possible content we can on our social media platforms," said Lead Digital Content Assistant Lauren Croth. "The talent within TMU Bold Athletics Media is truly unmatched."
The Bold's growing digital reputation is a byproduct of the 19 student-staff members (and various student-volunteers) deployed by the university's athletics department. Over the 2025-26 school year, the group curated content for TMU's eight varsity teams and numerous clubs.
Through the university's Career Boost program, which offers undergraduate students part-time employment opportunities, TMU Athletics assembled its own all-star team on the creative side of sports. The student staff were recruited and mentored by members of the Bold Marketing department full-time team, including Matthew Strapp (Digital Marketing & Communications Administrator),
Jim McLarty (Digital Media Production Coordinator), and
Shauna Curran (Graphic Designer). From the outset, the goal was to collaborate and build a body of work that would not only earn recognition from the OUA, but also serve as a source of pride for the students themselves.
"This recognition is a credit to our incredibly talented and passionate student-staff," said Strapp. "Our approach to social media has been to increasingly empower our students to ideate, create and manage our content and channels."
The student media team's positions consist of:
Elizabeth Bourolias, Team Social Media Assistant, Sport Media
Chrysoula Dimitrakopoulos, Team Social Media Assistant, Sport Media
Sydney Kennedy, Team Social Media Assistant, Sport Media
Annika Kinney, Team Social Media Assistant, Sport Media
Kaitlyn Leboutillier, Team Social Media Assistant, Sport Media
Evan Gupta, Graphic Designer, Graphic Communications Management
Liam MacLean, Graphic Designer, Sport Media
Jasmine Andrew, Photographer, Media Production
Aimee Dalla Rosa, Photographer, Sport Media
Lazar Mihajlovic, Photographer, Photography Media Arts
Maggie Stemp-Turner, Photographer, Photography Media Arts
Nathan Gerson, Videographer, Sport Media
Jacksyn Howard, Videographer, Sport Media
Kayden Thompson, Videographer, Media Production
Olivia Byrne, Digital Content Assistant, Sport Media
Lauren Croth, Lead Digital Content Assistant, Journalism
Kristian Cuaresma, Digital Content Assistant, Journalism
Finn Noel, Digital Content Assistant, Sport Media
Eliza Nwaesei, Digital Content Assistant, Sport Media
Kyzec Urrutia, Videographer, Sport Media
Sunny Yeung, Photographer, Sport Media
Gallery: (4-30-2026) TMU Bold Instagram Grid
"It's a great feeling to be recognized as a team and to see our creativity be appreciated," said Andrew.
TMU Bold has nine Instagram accounts, one for each varsity team (
@tmuboldwbb,
@tmuboldmbb,
@tmuboldwhky,
@tmuboldmhky,
@tmuboldwsoc,
@tmuboldmsoc,
@tmuboldwvb,
@tmuboldmvb), and
@tmubold, which serves as the main channel. The platforms combined to generate over 31 million impressions, marking a staggering 88.9 per cent increase over the previous year.
"This recognition is a testament to our team's hard work all season," said MacLean. " I had no doubt all year that everyone was aligned with the same goal of creating the best social content in the OUA."
The grind of the regular-season in competitive sports isn't for the faint of heart. Despite the challenges of balancing academic and varsity commitments, TMU's athletes take it upon themselves to create memorable moments. It falls on the student media team to consistently transform these memories into compelling stories. By the end of the season, the Bold produced content, game previews and recaps for every regular-season game (over 162) and playoff matchup.
An unwavering focus throughout the year helped prepare them for a night that arguably drew the most attention from the student body - the OUA Critelli Cup and Wilson Cup. The TMU women's and men's basketball teams ultimately hosted and won their respective championship titles. The teams' performances at the Mattamy Athletic Centre and the efforts of students leading the game day event activations resulted in the Bold also winning the C.H.A.M.P. Best Championship award for the first time in history.
The student-media team was there to help enshrine every moment.
"I'm super proud of the talented group of creatives on the media team this year," said Bourolias. "It was a pleasure working alongside everyone to successfully execute media days, theme games and cover two OUA championships."
Similar to how coaches build their programs with one eye on the present and another on the future, the TMU Bold take a similar approach when constructing their student-staff. A mix of younger and older students helps ensure the Bold remain a fixture among elite media teams in Canada.
"I've been here for three years now, and this is something that I've always wanted for this department because I knew we were capable of achieving it," said Thompson. "I've always believed we have pushed the boundaries of what could be done in Canadian athletics."
Over the years, the Bold have cultivated a culture that serves as a beacon to both up-and-coming creatives and the legacy media that value them. TMU's athletic department seeks out students with impressive portfolios, but it's also common for students to develop their skill set while in the Career Boost role. This often leads to internships or freelance work during or after their tenure with the Bold. This year's award-winning group has experience with organizations like CBC, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, and Sportsnet.
While the university continues to set a 'blue-and-gold' standard on the court, field and ice, this group will be remembered for delivering a year's worth of iconic stories.
The 'us' was never just a moniker for their community. It's also a mindset that future TMU students can and will emulate.
