First, can you let me know what you’re doing now with the Yankees?
Well, I’ve been with the Yankees for 13 years now. My role has evolved – before Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all started kicking in I was doing post-production work for the website – not gameday stuff like when I was with the Steelers.
With social media so big we now moved most of our content to social media – we have two million followers on Facebook alone – that’s more eyes than on tv most of the time. But they asked me right before Covid to revamp the content for the scoreboard. I was just starting to do that when of course Covid hit. So now I’m not certain what my role will be. I’ve done some of that work, working with players to to create content via Zoom and other video applications, but a lot depends now on when we come back.
How did you end up in Pittsburgh doing work for them?
I am an upstate New Yorker – I graduated from Penn State in 2001. A career placement director got me a video production internship at NBC News covering the Hill in DC, but I didn’t really like the news that much. Right before I left I met a marketing person with the Bills in my hometown at the mall – they were doing an event there. He gave me his card and I called him. The next year I got a job as the Bills marketing intern.
Rick Fairbend worked with Buffalo and he got the job with the Steelers – to be in charge of the new scoreboard at Heinz Field. I had never been to Pittsburgh – all I heard was how crappy the city was – all steel mills and coal mines. But when I got there it was beautiful. I was there for six seasons before I went to the Dolphins – I got a managerial role with the Dolphins and I thought that’s how you climb in your career – you become a manager. But I got away from the creative side that I love and went back home and got the job with the Yankees.
What are some of your favorite memories of being in Pittsburgh?
There are a handful of memories that will always stand out to me.
The Renegade video of course. When I got to Pittsburgh I was 22 years old. I didn’t know anything about the city. Mike Marcinsky – the head of marketing for the Steelers – he wanted Rick and I to do a pump-up video using Renegade. I thought the song was horrible – I was a rap guy. But Mike told me the song was Pittsburgh – it was a classic rock city.
Well, we worked on it and the slow start to the song we built heartbeat stuff in with, and mixed in highlights during the song. I told Mike it felt more like a song for the defense. When we played it versus Cleveland after the game got closer, I never saw fans go so crazy. Rick said we should play it again – you never did that – you never played scoreboard videos twice. I thought he was crazy. We even had a blank scoreboard for a few seconds first – something you also never do. But the fans went crazy.
Later on the guys from Styx called Mike – they heard about how the fans were so into the song and wanted to get in on it. So they played the anthem and played the song live too at the stadium. It was very cool to be a part of that.
I know you worked with Rick on the Super Bowl coverage in 2005 as well…
I was a Bills fan, but four years later there I was cheering for the Steelers in the Super Bowl yeah. I remember the fans waving to the 20 cars escorting the Steelers as we went on the overpass. I have to say it reminded me a bit of the OJ thing – as a producer you think about those images like that.
Cowher asked me to do a hype video for when the team came out onto the field. It took two weeks to do – we worked on it together – with him directly. It ended up with Aerosmith’s Dream On and had highlights and history of the team throughout it.
After we won – it was late. We all got on the buses to the hotel. I remember sitting next to Chris Hoke. We all were given bagged sandwiches as a snack because it was so late- peanut butter and jelly if you can believe it! Well, Chris turned to me and asks “Can I have your PB&J bro?” I was like, “Yes, Chris Hoke. You can have my PB&J!” It was just a crazy experience.
Any other good Super Bowl memories?
We got there late and I took a shower before heading down to the Super Bowl party. I got three tickets so I gave one to my dad and my mom gave hers to my sister. Well, I get to the party and my dad tells me Cowher wants to talk to me. I’m thinking, “Oh great – what did my dad say to him!” I go over to Bill and he grabs me by the cuff of my shirt and tells me that I was a big part of this win. That my hype video got the team so pumped up coming on to the field. I mean, I know I didn’t have much to do with the win, but that he thought enough to say that to me meant so much.
After we won, Bettis ran to the middle of the field. I was walking to the tunnel – I saw Parker run in on his own – when Troy walked towards me, holding hands with his wife. I was still filming when I walked by him and he picked me up and spun me around. I still have that footage of everything spinning around as he did it. I didn’t know what he said to me until I watched it later. He said “We did it Pete!”. It was such a small organization. That he felt I was part of that win – that family atmosphere of the team – it just showed how much they welcomed everybody on that team.
I know you were close to Rob Brakel who recently passed away…
Rob and I were close yeah – we roomed together for a while. When he came out in Arizona – no one really knew until he did so. It was brave of him to do it- that’s a hard thing to do in the sports world.
Rob and I worked on a lot of the Day in the Life series’ together for the Steelers, going to players’ hometowns for a day. We went to Vegas to spend time with Clark Haggans who is a trip – I can’t tell you anything about that trip.
I also went and hung out with Joey Porter in Bakersfield – he had a tough upbringing and seeing him there was pretty crazy. Going to their hometowns – that’s when the players really trust you and open up to you. They are generally distrusting of media and folks at first.
Who are some of the guys you liked working with most?
I loved working with Troy Polamalu. He was so polite – a silent warrior on the field but so polite off it. I remember when he introduced himself to my dad and brother. “Hi, I’m Troy.” Like they didn’t know who he was!
Jerome Bettis was one of the most polite and respectful people I’ve ever met too. On Wednesday before the Super Bowl we were all bused to his house – all the players and media. They served a big Southern dinner to all of us. It’s like that movie Almost Famous – just hanging around these famous guys without the worry of being them.
At the Super Bowl party, I was standing next to Mike Logan and Ike Taylor, holding the Crunk Chalice of Littlejohn who was friends with Clark Haggans, standing next to Kid Rock…it was surreal.
And I remember working for four hours with Hines Ward on a video he asked me to do for his mother for Mother’s Day. He sat next to me the whole time working on it together.
Any more poignant or tougher moments?
Fred Tice was one of my early bosses in Pittsburgh. He was tough – we butted heads some. He was hard on me. But I think back on it now and I think I’d be the same way when I mentor someone. He was molding me.
Like John Mitchell’s tough love with linemen?
Ha- exactly! I really appreciate what he did for me.
And you are one of a few people who have a Super Bowl and World Series ring!
I remember being excited for the Steelers when they beat Arizona, kicking myself for leaving. But two years later there I was on a float in New York City after we won the World Series! Now, each of my kids can have a ring of their own.
Any other good stories before I let you go?
Oh yeah – I went to Switzerland with Michael Fabus and Ben’s family to film his trip with his family. There I was with Ben drinking beer on top of a mountain! We went to Berne and watched these big bearded men play this weird version of golf – but imagine eight-foot long flexible clubs and hitting this hockey-puck looking thing that sits on a tee. They had to hit targets held by guys far away, and of course the first guy nailed it!
We all ate bratwurst and watched guys mud-wrestle then went to a castle and ate a six-course dinner. A row of servers came in with big silver platters and I looked at Ben and he just lost it and started laughing, and I lost it then too. We apologized to the servers and told them the food was amazing!
After that we took a train to another mountain and went to the Aletsch Glacier in Jungfrau – the highest peak in Switzerland I think. In the glacier there’s a hollowed-out area where I did curling with Ben, then after Ben rode on a dog sled.
I think after all of this, I can retire from sports and know I’m not missing anything!
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
