It has been quite the journey for Lance Freeman.
 
Freeman was born in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe and moved with his family when he was eight years old, to the United States ending up in Denver, Col. Then, there was another change. This time it was to Canada, with Toronto becoming his permanent home.
 
Re-adjusting, taking aim at education and a future career, was not easy.  At one time, it was a huge ball of mystery. Uncertainty led to lots of questions. Always looking for answers, he tried to merge logic and judgement along the way.
 
Excitement also sparked opportunity and Freeman, at times not knowing what to expect, had to make some tough decisions.
 
Academic credentials between Canada and the United States were not always on par. Once evaluated, Freeman realized he had to finish his high school education at Toronto's Cedarbrae Collegiate. Then, he turned to taking additional credits to upgrade a few marks to qualify for post-secondary education.
 
Steadfast and fixated, he persisted.
 
Living standards were important, too. Freeman had to find some form of income. Working at a variety of restaurant and factory jobs helped save up some money. All along, he was determined to continue his education, and build sufficient credits for college or university.
 
"It wasn't easy, but I had no choice," he said. "I knew that a good education would help build a career and it would be something that I could enjoy. Coming to Canada turned out to be a blessing, a relief, stability. When I eventually got my Canadian citizenship, I knew this was home and I was no longer a visitor."
 
Video games were his entrance to football. Before that, it was simply a foreign sport. When in Denver, he decided to try play the game and achieved success as a running back. He took it one step further when arriving in Toronto, and did so with a summer club team.
 
Freeman would then put together a highlight video to attract interest from coaches looking to enhance their gridiron programs.
 
"I wanted to play football, did some research and when I visited Laurier, the people there showed interest, the vibe and energy of the place sold me," said Freeman. "What really impressed me was that everyone was family friendly."
 
Freeman's experience at Laurier would be an eye-opener – especially when it came to staring into video cameras. His interests were in film studies and communications. Within time, he would pass on the theory side, and looked to thrive on producing video short stories.
 
He recalled his days back in Zimbabwe, when family members had a digital camera. Intrigued with technology, fascinated with camera work, he used the device to video, edit and use his creativity to generate interesting items. Little did he know back then that one day he would have his own small business – Freeman Productions.

Freeman is the videographer and has interesting dynamic camera movements, and distinct tonality, to visual storytelling. His work is featured in packages for both the Toronto Argonauts and the Canadian Football League (CFL).

But back to Laurier. His knowledge and studies strengthened in his four years at the Waterloo—based campus. As for his dream of playing professional football, that ended during his varsity playing days with the Golden Hawks. Before he even had a chance to play in an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) league game, Freeman tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the third day of training camp.
 
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing now if it wasn't for Laurier and a great university education," he said, acknowledging valuable time used to work on graphics and videos for the Golden Hawks football team. "I enjoyed sharing student stories (on video). The passion would grow, and it was Laurier that gave me those opportunities."

In 2016, Freeman was a video production assistant for the Toronto Argonaut Football Club producing, videotaping, and editing, content for the team's website. That same year, he was also hired as a Junior Video Content Coordinator working with the CFL digital team in coordinating a variety of production assignments.
 
"To be honest, I wasn't prepared when leaving the CFL and thought it was something that would last longer," he said. "I realized that I had to make a name for myself. It's not easy, but I know the focus is to build my own business. There are bigger things are ahead."
 
Just one more thing about Freeman. He hasn't forgotten about Laurier and continued to develop last-minute business endeavours.
 
"I jumped at video opportunities and know that I have one more course to complete to get my degree," he said. "That will be huge for me. Knowing that I would be able to get a university degree from Laurier, that's a priority that will get done."

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada's major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 45+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations. He is also the recipient of the 2021 USPORTS Fred Sgambati Media Award.