Behind and in Front of the Camera: Alumna Leila Roker's Olympic Adventures

In July of 2021, just weeks after graduating from AUP, Leila Roker '21 was on a plane headed to something few people got to experience first-hand: working behind the scenes at the spectator-less 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Postponed a year due to the pandemic, and held with stringent Covid testing, masks and health precautions, the 2020 Summer Games saw athletes competing in largely empty stadiums, while viewers worldwide watched from home.

Now, three years later, the Parisienne journalist has stepped in front of the camera for the Today Show's 2024 Summer Olympics coverage, leading two Today Show hosts and viewers at home through the streets of Paris for a segment she co-produced: a playful "croissant crawl" that matches the celebratory and innovative way the city has welcomed the Olympics. The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris – the largest event ever organized in France – has drawn 15 million visitors. As a local, Roker has a front-row seat to these vibrant summer games that are so different from her previous behind-the-scenes Olympics experience.

In her role at the Tokyo Olympics as a production runner for Peacock, NBC's 24-hour streaming network, Roker worked primetime with host Mike Tirico, who provides coverage of the games and commentary. Production teams arrived two weeks early, during which time Roker prepared for guests, created schedule tracking for the arrival of talent, scheduled meetings, and organized welcome boxes for the guests, many of whom were previous Olympians. Once the games began, Roker's responsibilities included setting up the green room for talent, circulating scripts, getting the crew lunch, and photographing the headshots that appeared on-screen as guests were introduced in each segment.

What surprised her most about working behind the scenes at the Olympics? "How much work and collaboration goes into it," she says, "You're broadcasting on the network's time schedule, so you're working even longer days." With Tokyo being thirteen hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, Roker and her colleagues were often working ten- to sixteen-hour days.

Reflecting on her experience working at the Tokyo Olympics, Leila notes that "it was a bit eerie at times. There were no fans in the stadiums cheering people on, just other network people. But I still made connections and enjoyed it. It was a very informative experience."

In total, Roker spent four weeks in Tokyo for her work with NBC – three weeks after graduating from AUP in May with a degree in journalism and a minor in fine arts. Originally attending AUP via a first-year abroad program with the University of Southern California, she quickly fell in love with the university and city, and decided to stay. Her experience living in an apartment with other students meant she was immersed in an independent lifestyle from the start of her college experience, cooking, grocery shopping, and doing laundry. "It was a great lesson for me," she reflects, "My friends in the States didn't have to think about all of that yet, because they had food halls and dorms. It teaches you a lot of responsibility."

Hannah Westley, now Provost, and Madeleine Czigler are two professors who were integral to Roker's positive experience and decision to stay at AUP. Opportunities to cover Fashion Week and interview firefighters for Peacock Plume, AUP's student-led media organization, helped her grow professionally and create a portfolio of work as a journalist.

Three years after graduating and working her first Olympics, and having been an official Parisienne for seven years, when the 2024 Summer Games arrived in Paris, Roker was ready for a classic Olympic experience – this time as a local, behind the scenes, and in front of the camera.

Although she isn't technically working the Paris Olympics this year, she helped produce a piece for the Today Show's Olympics coverage. The segment, a "croissant crawl" that aired on NBC on July 31, was filmed during one day and presented with a live TV segment the following day. Roker researched and planned the tour of the city's most beloved flaky pastry and stepped in front of the camera as a journalist and tour guide for Today Show hosts Craig Melvin and Al Roker.

She brought her guests first to Chez Meunier, which was voted best croissant in 2023, then to taste the viral crookie at Maison Louvard, and finally to experience the XXL croissant at Philippe Conticini in the 1st arrondissement. The crowd favorite? With its surprising, albeit controversial twist on tradition – echoing Paris' artistic interpretation of Olympian history in the opening ceremony – the crookie won top praise.

As for the experience of living in the city hosting the Olympics, Roker is enjoying seeing her fellow denizens gather together in restaurants and bars that are screening the games. The Olympics are all about connection and intimacy, and never more so than in these post-pandemic 2024 Summer Games. For those who are lucky enough to live in Paris or are visiting for the Olympics, Roker suggests "that people see the statues and landmarks while they're adorned with the Olympic garb. The Arc de Triomphe features the Paralympic symbol. That's really cool! And the Assemblée Nationale has six statues engaged in Olympic events [by artist Laurent Perbos]. That's a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

From working the 2021 Summer Games during a global pandemic to living in the city hosting the 2024 Summer Games in all their post-pandemic splendor, Roker is accumulating a number of once-in-a-lifetime experiences—the perfect material for a young journalist and writer.