In today’s sports media landscape, building a career begins with identifying what’s missing and dedicating the time to fill that gap. For Peter Herzog, that gap came in the form of film breakdowns, a niche he set out to fill under his social media handle, Film Watchers.
By focusing on the finer details of the game, Herzog has turned hours of film study into content that has steadily grown an audience across multiple platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Identifying a Gap in NFL Coverage
Herzog said that the idea for the Film Watchers account came from noticing what he thought was missing from football content across social media. In his view, the strategic side of the game was largely absent in social media coverage.
“There wasn’t anybody breaking down schematic content,” Herzog said. “They weren’t breaking down how coaches think, what coaches think, and how that actually affects a game.”
With that perspective in mind, Herzog built Film Watchers around breaking down how schemes and coaching decisions influence what unfolds on the field. Instead of giving insight into the outcome of a game, his breakdowns focus on adjustments and the details that can determine whether a single play succeeds or fails.
The Work Behind the Content
With that approach, a significant time commitment was needed. Herzog said that even his short-form content that gets posted to Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter) can take upwards of four hours. Much of that time gets spent researching film and finding the right clips before any recording or editing begins.
“Sometimes just finding the right film can take a couple of hours,” Herzog explained. “If I get unlucky, it can take a while.”
The workload can increase dramatically for the long-form content. On the Film Watchers YouTube channel, recent videos have been running from 20 to 30 minutes. Herzog said the entire production of those breakdowns can take close to ten hours, from extended film study to recording and editing. This has allowed him to explore concepts in far greater depth than short-form platforms allow.
That investment began to show results as the season progressed. Herzog said he first noticed traction during the summer months, when feedback and engagement signaled that the content was resonating with an audience. As the NFL season began, that growth accelerated, turning Film Watchers into a rapidly expanding account across social media platforms.
Building Momentum Across Social Media
As Film Watchers continued to grow, the audience expanded beyond casual viewers. Herzog said that the heightened engagement brought attention from around the league, including players and others closely following the NFL. That increased visibility marked a turning point for the account.
Herzog stated that this season is where things really took off. His social media following went from around 100,000 followers to 700,000 across all platforms that he posts to.
That rapid growth also brought new opportunities. As Film Watchers continued to gain traction across platforms, the account began drawing interest from larger media outlets monitoring the NFL social space. One of those opportunities arrived early this season, when ESPN’s NFL social media team reached out about sharing his film breakdowns for their Monday Night Football coverage.
“I think that was really cool when they reached out,” Herzog described, “I never really expected it to get to that point.”
While the recognition only validated the reach of his work, Herzog said it didn’t alter how he approached creating content. Instead, it reinforced his focus on producing the same type of film breakdowns that helped the account grow in the first place.
What Viewers Should Take Away
For Herzog, the goal of Film Watchers has always been rooted in the educational aspect. He explained that he hopes the breakdowns help viewers obtain a deeper understanding of football and its concepts.
“I hope people take away that this game goes a lot deeper than most people realize,” Herzog emphasized. “There’s a lot more that goes into it than people think.”
By prioritizing education, Herzog has built a career path centered on his understanding of the game. Additionally, he has excelled at translating complicated technical concepts to a wide audience.
Film Watchers shows a shift in sports media, where this amount of depth and attention to detail can still find a steady audience. That focus has remained consistent as the account continues to grow.
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