Black & Gold Dispatches from the North: Colten Gottlob

Welcome to a new occasional series we’re launching to highlight some of the incredible people and stories that make our little Pittsburgh outpost what it is. The hope is to surface a bit more of the character of our group and begin to tell some individual stories in advance of our 30th anniversary next year. 

We’re kicking the whole thing off by chatting a bit with Colten Gottlob and Rylan Fischer, founders of Triple Crown Studios and huge fans of all things black and gold. They’ve volunteered to stand up the first ever Yinz in Boston photo booth for this Sunday’s Steelers Ravens watch party at Warehouse and we can’t wait to see what they have in store.

Hey Colten — Thanks for agreeing to do this. Our interview with Rylan dropped on Thursday (check it out here) so you have some big shoes to fill! Let's start with the basics. How did you become a fan of the black and gold?

Hey Andy! I’m/we’re so excited to be a part of this. My dad grew up in Eastmont, right by Monroeville. He used to be involved with Pittsburgh sports. I know his best friend’s dad owned a sports museum, so he’s met a few of the Steelers from the ‘70s through that, and he might’ve worked as a ball boy for them when he was little. There’s a picture of him and Willie Stargell somewhere.

So it sounds like you weren't raised in Pittsburgh, but your dad was, and he passed that allegiance on to you? You probably won't be surprised to hear that I've met quite a few folks at Yinz in Boston events over the years whose allegiance to the black and gold followed a similar path. Do you consider yourself primarily a Steelers fan then? Also, I'd love to see that picture of your dad and Pops if you're willing to share.

I definitely grew up primarily a Steelers fan, but in the past few years I’ve gotten more into hockey from my hometown friends. I do remember my dad waking me up to watch the final few minutes of the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup Final. I’d say due to the consistency of the season and that it’s during the school year, I really enjoy watching the Pens while doing work. 

I started following the Pirates more once I stopped playing baseball, but it’s hard to truly enjoy it knowing the state of the ownership and the league in general.

I do remember my dad waking me up to watch the final few minutes of the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup Final.

Colten's dad meets Willie Stargell

That is a great picture! Such a cool piece of family history. Growing up in New Jersey, your hometown friends must be mostly Devils fans? It's been fun to see our rivalry with them renewed in recent years. I have some very early memories of Lemieux vs Scott Stevens back when the Pens and Devils were always in the mix for the Wales / Eastern Conference title. And yah, I hear you. It's tough to root for the Pirates sometimes.

So how did you wind up in Boston? Have you had any interesting interactions with the local fanbase?

Most of my friends are Devils fans, yeah. I’m not one to get super into rivalries with people so we all just have fun with it. I’ve been to a bunch of Devils games since my first college was in North Jersey, but I transferred to Emerson College last year, so I’ve been around Boston for over a year now. 

The people here are pretty great. I’ve been to every sporting event here and they’re all good. Since there’s no NBA team in Pittsburgh, I’ve become a casual Celtics fan, but nothing like how I am toward the Steelers/Pirates/Penguins. 

One thing I enjoy is that everyone here rallies behind one team per sport. It’s not like back home where there’s competition between two New York teams and Philly; there’s actual camaraderie here, and I respect that.

That's an interesting point about the relative homogeneity of the Boston fan base compared to NY/NJ. I experienced that a bit when I lived in DC years ago - that area is a sea of allegiances as well. And I certainly can't blame you for becoming a Celtics fan. Live sporting events specifically are not quite the same when you're always rooting for the visitors. Don't tell anyone, but I may have rooted for the Bruins a handful of times over the years (against Western Conf teams only!) just for the rush of cheering the home team!

Tell me a bit more about your studies at Emerson. What degree program are you in and have you always had an interest in the arts?

I’m in the School of Film and I’m specifically interested in cinematography. I actually knew I wanted to do something similar since I was little - I really liked journalism/reporting in middle school and went to high school for broadcasting, which is where I discovered photography and fell in love with it. From there I sort of meshed the two, and after I transferred colleges, I ended up here! Emerson is awesome and I’m so thankful to be a part of this school.

We’re incredibly film-oriented here, but I really enjoy making all sorts of content. I’ve done social media videos, photo projects (both by myself and working for others), and other content pieces. I also edit and work with sound.

Emerson is awesome and I’m so thankful to be a part of this school.

Wow, I can certainly see why you wound up at Emerson! You're a jack of all trades on the creative front. The wheels are spinning over here in terms of some additional Yinz in Boston projects down the road that you would be great on! 

First things first though. You and Rylan generously stepped up to pull together a photo booth for Sunday's Steelers Ravens game. Can you give us a sneak peak of what to expect and maybe talk a bit about your production company, Triple Crown Studios?

We actually just started this together as a way to organize our work since we help each other on pretty much every school assignment. We thought it would be nice to have something official by working with Yinz in Boston and helping solidify it. We’ve been conceptualizing for a while, but haven’t had time to fully promote everything we want as a production group.

We picked the name after a trail of evolving inside jokes between Rylan and I. Long story short, there was a really goofy horse video online that led us to realize we both find horses incredibly funny, traditionally and ironically. So we went with that for the name. Our friend Aidan Sparks (shoutout) is a part of this too, making up the three crowns!

​I wondered if there was a third member of the studio. I thought maybe it was a baseball reference or a subtle tribute to Burger King! Thanks for clearing that up. And you should know that I support any and all horse humor. Hard to top Li'l Sebastian from Parks & Rec though if you ask me!

Well Colten, I say we wrap this up so that you and Rylan have time to put the finishing touches on tomorrow's black and gold photo booth. I thoroughly enjoyed our chat and appreciate you taking the time to share a bit of your story.  We can't wait to see what you have in store for tomorrow afternoon!

If you're interested in learning more about Colten's creative work, check out his website.