Students filled Annenberg Hall in anticipation to hear NFL legend Peyton Manning speak on his illustrious football career and the development of his media production company, Omaha Productions. 450 people RSVP’d to the event, spanning all four floors of the building. 

For Manning, looking for a new team post-retirement led him to found his company alongside his brother, fellow acclaimed NFL quarterback Eli Manning. Despite his football career ending nine years ago, he said he now wants to share stories of other quarterbacks with the public through his production company.

“What I like most about Omaha Productions is I can be a part of a team, and I can be a part of projects that I don’t physically have to be in,” Manning said. “I don’t have to be the quarterback; I can be the offensive coordinator in the press box, giving someone else their platform to tell a story.” 

Manning sat down with Willow Bay, dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and two USC students to discuss the future of sports media. 

Manning, who was the first draft pick overall in the 1998 NFL Draft, began his career with the Indianapolis Colts, where he played for 13 years before moving to the Denver Broncos for four years to finish his career. Manning earned Pro Bowl honors 14 times and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. 

During the event, Manning spoke about leadership and his various experiences at the collegiate and professional levels that shaped him to be a good leader. He recalled a time when his dad, Hall of Famer Archie Manning, had told him that if he were ever to go into the huddle, to be a leader and take control as a quarterback. 

In his freshman year of college, Manning checked into a game following the injury of the starting quarterback, and he tried to do just that. A senior player quickly shut him down, and Manning recalled him saying, “Hey, freshman, shut the blank up and call the blank and blank,” in less cordial language. 

“It was an embarrassing moment,” Manning said. “It taught me such a valuable lesson. These new teammates of mine are coworkers. They didn’t want to hear what I had to say. I had not earned their respect by any means, so I didn’t say another word in that huddle.” 

Manning recalled showing up early for practice, staying late afterwards, taking responsibility for his play and slowly earning his teammates’ respect. He emphasized being a good listener as an important quality of being a good leader, as well as asking questions. 

“The mistake people make is they assume, because you’re the quarterback or CEO or manager or president, that that makes you a leader automatically, and it really doesn’t,” Manning said. “You have to earn the mantle of leadership.” 

Manning recalled signing his first contract with the Indianapolis Colts and getting asked what he was going to do with his first paycheck. “I’m going to try to earn it,” Manning said. He said the same idea applies to name, image and likeness that many student athletes are able to profit from. 

“If you are given an NIL opportunity, it’s not really a reward,” Manning said. “It’s an advance for what we expect you to do… Just like if you’re given a scholarship here to USC, academic or athletic, go earn it, right? It’s because you were good where you were before in high school, but now we expect you to be really good here at USC.” 

Manning was in town to promote his upcoming show, Chad Powers, on which he served as an executive producer. The show follows a former college quarterback, played by Glen Powell, who puts on a disguise to try to walk on at a school to revamp his dying career. The plot was inspired by Eli Manning’s undercover stint at the 2022 Penn State Walk-On Tryouts as a segment on his show, Eli’s Places, produced by Omaha Productions. 

Peyton Manning left attendees with the advice to “be where their feet are” and be in the moment. He recalled staying for his senior year at Tennessee rather than declaring for the NFL Draft and encouraged students not to be in a hurry and enjoy USC. 

“Just go do good work,” Manning said. “Throw some completions, and word gets out… Sometimes those short little 10-yard completions can turn into a touchdown.”