Steve Seidman

Biography

Steve Seidman is an Emmy Award–winning producer, writer, and director whose nearly four‑decade career at NFL Films helped define the visual and narrative language of modern sports storytelling. Joining the company in 1979, Seidman quickly became one of its most versatile creative forces, contributing to hundreds of films and shaping the signature blend of drama, mythmaking, and cinematic craft that has become synonymous with the NFL Films brand. Over 38 years, he served as a film editor, scriptwriter, location director, and ultimately Senior Producer, working on flagship series such as America’s Game, Inside the NFL, NFL Films Presents, and They Call It Pro Football. His work earned multiple Sports Emmy Awards, including honors for his contributions to Inside the NFL. Seidman’s storytelling range is evident in productions like NFL Follies Go Hollywood (1983), Strange But True Football Stories (1987), and the acclaimed documentary Unitas (1999), which remains one of the most celebrated portraits of quarterback Johnny Unitas. He also produced annual highlight films for the Indianapolis Colts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and contributed essays under the byline “The Vault Keeper” for NFL Films’ “Tales From the Vault” series. Before entering sports media, Seidman built a strong academic foundation in film history and criticism. He earned his M.A. from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in Motion Pictures and Television History from UCLA, where he also published scholarly work including Comedian Comedy: A Tradition in Hollywood Film. His deep knowledge of film aesthetics—ranging from classical Hollywood to avant‑garde theory—shaped his approach to sports filmmaking, which he has described as “more impressionistic than journalistic,” emphasizing emotion, structure, and cinematic rhythm over strict chronology. Beyond NFL Films, Seidman taught film courses at Drexel University and La Salle University, covering subjects such as Hitchcock, film noir, comedy, and horror. His career reflects a rare fusion of academic rigor, creative experimentation, and a lifelong commitment to elevating sports into art.