Head Coach Announcement (2021)

I was asked to design and orchestrate the high profile Head Coach press event in December 2021 announcing Marcus Freeman as the leader of Notre Dame Football. We wanted to present authenticity, culture, and community. Although many collegiate coach changes around the country protray a new hire as a lonley figure-headhad with superhero graphics and out-of-context footage, we tried to intentionally capture relatability, emotion, energy, and togetherness. Marcus was surrounded by the student-athletes and family that loved him, and if we ever needed to show Freeman alone, we focused on his humanity and his humility, and always filmed at eye-level. We wanted to portray that this is a great challenge for Coach Freeman and that we are in this together with him. He is our coach, not a board room's decision. We specifically avoided camera shots that just showed a step-and-repeat background, and instead chose to showcase a space and an event that delivered emotion. Since no logo backdrop was used, we leverged our videoboard to frame sponsorship in a classy way that doesn't take away from the scope of the event. This event capped a campaign forcefully executed by the entire team at Fighting Irish Media, and has been recognized in the Shorty Awards. 

Here is a sample board of press reactions and related content.

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