Furthering its relationship with ESPN, Washington, D.C.-based TEAM developed a series of 31, 45 second program teases for the cable channel’s airing of the 63rd Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. To watch clip of Little League World Series tease, cut and paste link into your browser: http://www.teamgroup.tv/pages/littleleague

ESPN took advantage of TEAM’S track record of conceiving and delivering award-wining imagery against strategic goals and tight deadlines. TEAM’s Creative Director, Adam Corey, employed the look and feel of a comic book to communicate both the history of the Little League World Series and the excitement the Series enjoys today.

“A lot of times when doing teases like this it is easy to try and make the kids look like major league baseball players,� said Corey. “What I sold the executive team on was let’s ‘kid it up a little’…make it look like a reality based comic book. Let’s show the players in comic book panels and give the piece more of a fun kid feel, which is what the event is all about.�

In an ideal world Corey and his creative team would have had two to three weeks to develop the spots. In reality, they had two days to conceive and produce the first tease to air two days before the games began.

TEAM accomplished the project with Corey on-site in Williamsport while designers Dave Glanz, Leslie Lillo, and James Crothers created the graphics back in D.C. Corey would download and incorporate the graphics in the edited pieces as well as upload new photos for the designers to use in upcoming graphics.

“The most challenging aspect of this job was the sheer quantity of graphics and coming up with a way to produce lots of them in a short amount of time,� said Dave Glanz, motion graphics designer. “Not only were the pieces complex, with a lot of moving through the comic books in 3D space, but there were a lot of little league teams in the series, so the animation had to be repeated for each one of them.�

Corey added, “I was thrilled with how everything came out, especially taking into account the quick turnaround. It was the look and feel ESPN was trying to convey and I think they were very happy with the results. They put a lot of trust in us and it was nice that they knew we would deliver.�

Tools used
Photoshop
After Effects
Cinema 4D
Pro Tools

Credits
Creative Director: Adam Corey
Lead Designer: Dave Glanz
Designers: James Crothers & Leslie Lillo
Producer: Paul Molin (ESPN)

Music
Ziggy Marley: “Walk Tall�
Sugar Ray: “When We Were Young�
Brad Paisley: “Welcome To The Future�

About Team
TEAM is an award winning post-production company specializing in developing creative content for commercial, broadcast design, and interactive campaigns for a diverse line-up of clients including National Geographic, History Channel, TLC, and ESPN. The company is committed to providing passionate talent working in the ultimate creative environment, utilizing the most current technology, while offering unmatched customer service. For more information on TEAM visit: www.teamgrouptv.com.