Scripps Networks Upfront at Barclays Center, Brooklyn
Scripps Networks set out to produce the first-ever private dinner on the court of Barclays Center, home of the 2024 WNBA Champions, the New York Liberty. The goal of this once-in-a-lifetime experience was to impress industry executives and media partners with a unique experience, while reinforcing Scripps's message of "Powering the Connection."
Barclays Center was chosen as the venue to showcase Scripps Networks' commitment to the WNBA.
Watch the reel and read on to get the scoop on how we brought this event to life.
Scripps Networks by the Numbers
4 Week Turn Around
10 LED Screens
360 Degree Screen
14 Net Beat Drummers
6 Brooklynette Dancers
140+ Attendees
5 Speakers
180 Renders
12 Lighting & Audio Set Up Cues
Reading Between the Lines: The Creative Challenges
Leaning on our years of live event experience, we quickly identified the following challenges.
Planning, flexibility for changes to run-of-show and speaker/performance timing.
Visual distribution over 10 LED screens with radically different aspect ratios, from traditional 16x9 to a 38 pixel height 360 degree ribbon screen running around the arena.
Visual line of sight for a center court audience view.
Live event graphic delivery timing, with guests moving from the Gold Club lounge to the court, while listening and watching the Net Beats performance.
Cueing sequences from the control room in coordination with the court side, four stories below.
Setting up lighting and audio cues with graphic timing in a 3-hour window before executive rehearsal.
Design in Focus: Our Approach
Our team created a cohesive content approach, with a few goals in mind.
Visual Clarity… Graphics needed sharp definition and contrast for visibility in a high contrast lighting environment.
Motion Design… key to creating a dynamic visual experience, taking advantage of the various aspect ratios and 360-degree viewing area.
…While Keeping a Unified Brand Look: Consistent messaging and visual identity across every touchpoint.
Designing the Venue
We created the content with the venue in mind.
For the best show, we relied on bold, high-contrast graphics to combat glare in the arena. We kept the playback as simple as possible to accommodate the technology and performers/speakers’ timing. We custom-programmed lighting cues to support the visuals and VOG audio cues.
Have we mentioned the narrow aspect of the 360-degree screen? We purposefully slowed animations for maximum visual impact without overwhelming the audience.
Our team was on-site for setup, light sequence programming, and rehearsal, to ensure everything looked just right.
Barclays Center Screen Map
Hot Off the PreViz
Previsualization in 3D for screen context.
Our CD, David Hendrix, worked up a 3D model of the Barclays arena where we could input the 10 screen aspects, in the context of the arena.
The client was able to visualize the graphics with different angles, keeping in mind that the guests will be primarily underneath the Main Screen center-hung “jumbotron,” creating an interesting perspective challenge for screen viewing. We ensured any information on the center hung was also present on the encompassing 360 Ribbon and Sideline Ribbons and Endwall screens, which were the most visible to all guests.
Scripps Network Upfront was an incredible multimedia entertainment experience. Amazing audience participation, atmosphere, and celebration of all the great Scripps programming.
It was a great pleasure to help Scripps bring this event to life in a big way. Our thanks to the team at Scripps Networks for the opportunity.
“ I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for your partnership on last week’s Barclays Upfront event. It was a huge success, and we've received nothing but rave reviews from our leadership team.
Thank you so much—you all absolutely crushed it. I truly appreciate everything you did to help make it happen.”
Matt Kehrli, Senior Creative Director
Credits:
Client: Scripps Networks
Vice President & Creative Director: Larry Morris
Senior Creative Director: Matt Kehrli
Creative Director: Craig Kelly
Art Director: Paul Markowski
Producer: Mallory Dumas
Partnerships & Experiential Marketing Strategist: Kelly Poole
Director, Events & Promotion: Alison Feinberg
Head of Sales & Distribution Marketing: Samantha Bloom
Production Company: Elevation
Creative Director: Stephen Cocks
Creative Director: David Hendrix
Art Director: Dianne Frisbee
Senior Designer, Animator: Sean Kiley
Senior Producer: Alina Klopach