Sarina Soriano’s 49ers roots fuel a trailblazing NFL cinematography career

At Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for Super Bowl LIV in February 2020, Sarina Soriano teared up thinking of her family in the stands as she filmed her first Super Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers. The moment became a personal milestone for the San Jose native, who would go on to become the 49ers’ first female senior producer and one of the NFL’s early Latina cinematographers, even though Kansas City won the Lombardi Trophy and 31-20 victory.

Growing up in San Jose, Soriano watched the 49ers with her dad and played soccer from age three. She studied broadcast journalism at Caldwell University in Caldwell, New Jersey, where she took editing and film classes. She has said that representation in sports media felt lacking; she initially thought a career as a sports reporter was the accessible path. After college, she applied to the 49ers’ Denise DeBartolo York Fellowship, a program that places graduates in six departments where women are underrepresented. Within three months at 49ers Studios, she found a cinema camera in her hands and realized she wanted to tell stories from behind the lens.

Building a career in a male-dominated space was not easy. Soriano recalls facing skepticism about a shorter, Latina woman carrying a heavy cinema camera and competing with a largely male crew. She trained physically to meet the demands and eventually rose to lead within 49ers Studios, earning seven Emmy Awards and becoming the team’s first female senior producer. She has said that early validation came from her own belief in herself and from the quality of her work. She now mentors younger producers seeking entry into sports media.

Now entering her 10th season with the 49ers, Soriano and her team chronicle a wide range of game-day moments. A typical day begins five to six hours before kickoff, with cameras, GoPros and the Spanish and English radio booths being set up. The crew films players arriving, pregame warmups and mic’d-up moments, then edits material for the franchise’s social channels. Soriano often works with Sony’s FX3 and FX6 full-frame cinema cameras. After the game, the team conducts interviews, covers press conferences and captures postgame and locker-room content, including head coach Kyle Shanahan’s address. It is a full, daylong production cycle that blends storytelling with real-time sports coverage.

As a leader, Soriano has sought to widen opportunities for people who look like her. She has spoken about creating a table at the organizational level for others who want to enter the field and about persevering through doubt while staying true to her vision. The seven-time Emmy-winning producer is entering her 10th season with the club and continues to guide a team focused on authentic storytelling that reflects players beyond their on-field exploits.

With the 49ers starting the 2025 season 3-0 in September, Soriano remains focused on telling new stories during National Hispanic Heritage Month. She says each year brings new teammates and new stories to tell, and she aims to present those stories in the most authentic way possible. For her, the goal is to capture the human side of champions and highlight athletes who have faced adversity and resilience.

Soriano’s path from a young San Jose soccer player to a senior producer behind the 49ers’ cameras illustrates how representation can reshape a sport’s media landscape. Her work helps broaden NFL media storytelling and signals a broader shift toward more inclusive coverage at the franchise level and across the league.