Sam “SAMaritan” Graziano has been nothing short of a pillar in OU Esports & Co-CurricularInnovation since he joined the organization. His time as the Production Coordinator has changed the shape of the Creative Content division for the better.
Graziano has had a love for gaming that dates back to his childhood.
“My dad had a PS2, and that was the first console I ever played on,” Graziano said. “In high school, my friend Evan got me into League of Legends.It’s still the game that I have the most time on.”
Graziano is also a die-hard fan of the Counter-Strikeseries, and he produces matches for the Sooner Esports Counter-Strike 2team.
Graziano came to OU in the fall semester of 2023, where he transferred from Carl Albert State.
“My dad had a communications degree when he went to college, and he worked in news and radio in the ’80s,” Graziano said. “That got me interested in (Creative Media Production) and OU Nightly.”
While he came to OU for its Creative Media Production program, he found his passion in esports.
“I was originally wanting to do traditional sports,” Graziano said. “My dream was to be a camera operator for the NBA.”
Graziano’s mind was quickly changed, however, when he met Mike Aguilar, the Director of OU ECCI.
“Gaming is way more aligned with my interests than traditional sports,” Graziano said. “I was all in immediately.”
While joining OU ECCI was a no-brainer for Graziano, he found that ECCI’s production pillar was a mess. The previous Production Coordinator had left just before the semester started, so Graziano had to pick up the pieces and develop a workflow.
“(Mike) showed me the basics really fast,” Graziano said. “I barely knew what I was doing, but I really liked doing it.”
Graziano produced for Rocket Leagueand League of Legends. He has continued to produce for League,as well as Counter-Strike 2. After his first year at OU, Aguilar offered him the Production Coordinator position for the 2024-2025 school year.
Graziano, with the help of fellow Gaylord student Parker Vint, reworked the production side of ECCI and created a workflow for productions that is still in use today. Graziano credits Vint as a huge help with the process.
After graduating from OU, Graziano plans to stay with OU Esports for a while.
“I would really love to stay in the position I have,” Graziano said. “Most likely in the near future, as a graduate assistant, and go for a Master’s degree either through Price or Gaylord.”
If Graziano is unable to stay with OU, he would move to another college and help organize or revamp the esports production teams there.
“I really like being in collegiate esports because you get to meet so many people who are passionate about the same things that I am,” Graziano said. “I can’t wait for it to become more of a mainstream thing, where it’s on par with traditional sports.”
Whether Graziano stays with ECCI or branches into something new, his contributions have bolstered Creative Content and left a lasting legacy.
