Reading pitcher builds Mathieu Media, creating custom graphics for teammates, college commits, and Austin Prep athletics while growing his entrepreneurial skills
Reading, MA — Balancing academics and athletics is demanding. For Ty Mathieu ’27 of Reading, it also means running a growing design business. A junior at Austin Prep and a pitcher on the baseball team, Mathieu founded Mathieu Media, a graphic design venture rooted in his passion for sports and digital creativity.
“I’ve always loved creative stuff, especially online,” Mathieu said. “When I was younger, I would watch YouTube videos about making graphics. I was always interested in it.” That interest sharpened in his first graphic design class. “That was the first time I actually really did it,” he said. “I realized how much I enjoyed the creative process and having the freedom to experiment.”
Developing a Creative Presence at School
Mathieu’s work gained visibility through Austin Prep’s student-run athletics Instagram account. When a graduating senior left a gap in graphic production, he stepped in.
“There was no one doing graphics for any of the games,” he said. “I thought this was the chance to put my work out there.” He began producing consistent promotional graphics across seasons. “I always tried to switch it up,” Mathieu explained. “I never wanted to put the same person twice. If there was a theme for a game, I tried to incorporate that.”
Positive feedback fueled his growth. “It was rewarding because people were responding so positively to my work,” he said. “It gave me confidence, and that inspired me to keep getting better.”
One highlight was designing a milestone graphic for baseball coach JP Pollard’s 100th career win. “That was one of my favorite ones I’ve ever made,” Mathieu said. “Getting 100 wins is a big deal. It felt important making that.”
His creative interests expanded into photography and video, using tools such as Adobe After Effects and Lightroom. “I kind of fell in love with everything to do with media,” he said.
When Passion Turned into Business
Mathieu Media emerged after he created a college commitment graphic for teammate Bradley McCafferty, last year’s Massachusetts Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year and a University of Virginia commit. Demand followed quickly. “A lot of people would DM me or talk to me in person,” Mathieu said. “They’d ask if they could have their own.”
“The first question would always be, ‘How much are you charging?’” he said.
“I started doing them for teammates, and it quickly turned into something people were willing to pay for,” Mathieu said. “I’ve done dozens. I don’t even know how many at this point.”
The work requires significant time and precision. “Bradley’s took me eight to ten hours,” Mathieu said. “That was the first time I ever did a full jersey swap, where you digitally replace a player’s uniform to match their college team.”
“Now it depends on the graphic,” he said. “Some take an hour. Others can take four or five.”
Building Professional Trust as a Student
Mathieu’s work recently extended into Austin Prep’s marketing efforts. Chief Marketing Officer Brett Rudy engaged him to design baseball recruiting posters. “I was planning to have our graphic designer handle the baseball recruiting posters,” Rudy said. “Ty knows the school, understands the brand, and lives inside this program every day.”
“He did an outstanding job,” Rudy said. “Ty has an excellent future in business ahead of him.”
For Mathieu, seeing his work in use is meaningful. “It’s cool seeing something you made actually being used,” he said.
What the Future Has in Store
Mathieu sees parallels between baseball and design. “You’re always adjusting things,” he said. “Trying to make something better.”
He hopes one day to design his own college commitment graphic. “I’d love to eventually make my own commitment graphic,” Mathieu said. “That would be a pretty cool full-circle moment for me.”
Academically, business is central to his future. “I want to study either accounting or economics,” he said. “I definitely want to continue growing Mathieu Media.”
“I’ve never really advertised myself,” he said. Yet his work is already visible across campus and beyond. What began as creative curiosity has become real-world experience, built while still navigating high school.
