Leagues, Teams Tap Diamond View as Content Needs Explode

35,000 sq. ft. LED virtual studio, dedication to quality filmmaking highlight offering

With video in all its forms becoming a bigger part of team branding strategies, it only makes sense that external production companies will continue to become more attractive to teams and leagues looking to create more effective video content that meets marketing goals. That is one of the reasons that Tampa Bay-based creative video agency, Diamond View, has managed to find success across the U.S. with leagues like the MLS, NFL, and NASCAR, as well as MLB and NHL teams, and even college sports.

“We started out by doing several campaigns with the Atlanta Braves, and now we immerse ourselves in different sports like NASCAR, MLS, WWE, and even the entertainment realm for Expedia, NBC, and Disney,” says Anthony Santa, Diamond View, Director of Sports and Entertainment. “And we have a team of around 25 directors, producers, project managers and editors on staff taking a project from concept phase to production and then final editing. But the team that kick starts the project with a partner is the same one that brings it to the finish line.”

Much of the work the team works on is short form content as well as social media content that is designed to engage fans and get them excited about the teams. There are also some documentary style projects like a spring training Documentary series done with the Atlanta Braves that comprised around 20 30-minute episodes.

Will Shanahan, Diamond View, creative director, says Diamond View has become known for the quality of their filmmaking but also the creative team’s ability to create a cohesive look and feel to a project that matches the brand.

“We always pitch ideas for free and then we would execute them,” he adds.

A 35,000 sq-ft. virtual studio with LED walls is a big part of Diamond View’s production offering.

One of the impressive technical efforts at Diamond View is that the Tampa facility is home to a 35,000 sq. ft. virtual production studio that has a 100 foot LED wall with graphics powered by Unreal Engine and advanced motion tracking cameras. NASCAR, for example, used the studio to create content for its 75th anniversary season. The immersive scale of the LED wall allowed NASCAR legends, historians, and crew members to come into the studio and then relive the moments.

“You can’t talk about NASCAR without talking about movement and we incorporated that into all aspects of our production,” says Jason Blanc, director on the project. “NASCAR wanted to tell these stories in a different way, with different perspectives on the drivers and the stories.”

Helping in that effort, says Kyle Franzak, Diamond View, producer, was creating a living still.

“You break the image apart into different elements and then slightly animate it and bring life back to these moments,” he says. When those elements are put onto the massive wall and the guests see them in a new way, they engage with them in a whole new way.

Adds Shanahan: “For sports teams that technology is a no brainer, and we handle the full execution which takes a lot of pressure off these smaller internal teams. They don’t have to be the ones actually directing the players…they get to sit back and watch the monitor and make sure we are getting what they want.”

Diamond View used a virtual set coupled with a physical set for a series of WWE WrestleMania promos.

Diamond View also produced six trailers for WWE’s WrestleMania Goes Hollywood, recreating trailers of six iconic Hollywood movies with WWE Wrestlers as the actors to promote the 2023 WrestleMania Goes Hollywood event. Half of the scenes were shot in a virtual production studio and the other half was shot on practical sets that Diamond View built. With six iconic scenes from movies like Top Gun, The Joker, and Goodfellas being re-created pre-production was key to providing flexibility to allow for organic action to take place once on set.

Kevin O’Brien, director, says the use of the virtual production studio allowed the team to use a real-world set and use the LED virtual capabilities, thanks to Unreal Engine, to expand the set.

“A lot of people think virtual production is quick where you just throw up a background but it’s much more complicated than that as there are big set builds you have to do,” he adds.

The hardest trailer to recreate was a takeoff on The Joker movie, featuring WWE stars Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.

“There were so many benefits of shooting it virtually,” says O’Brien. “We were able to have our practical set kind of move within the virtual environment. And what was most fun was seeing Seth and Becky and their interaction together.”

Diamond View believes it’s important to get close not only to the client but also the city and environment in order to get a better sense of how to approach something like a hype video or an anthem video. Shanahan says the philosophy at Diamond View is to push the envelope with respect to new techniques and new technology that’s coming out, even if it’s just a new lens that offers a new look.

“We look at all the little things that can elevate the project as we push the boundary on video and filmmaking in general,” he adds.

Santa says building a great relationship with clients is key as it allows the Diamond View team to make sure they understand the objectives and can create better concepts for content.

“We’ll present ideas to them and go from there into pre-production and building the art and see if it will use a practical set or the LED set,” he says. “And we’ll work through that and go into production and postproduction as well.”

Also important is being nimble to meet developing needs. Video, in all its form, continues to become a bigger part of social media strategies, online marketing, in-arena brandings, and much more.

“We’ve delivered over 100 videos for some sports teams like we did with Sporting KC, or we can just do a Fan Anthem video like we did with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” says Santa. “And we also pitch ideas that work within their budget and that’s an advantage for us, just because we can get to the finish line quicker.”