SVG Sit-Down: Silver Spoon’s Laura Herzing on Bringing SpongeBob SquarePants to Broadcast Sports

Herzing has been with the virtual-production company since its launch

Acquired by AE Live, global provider of data and broadcast solutions, last July, Silver Spoon is a producer of real-time virtual content based on Unreal Engine. With virtual-production, AR, and XR technologies growing exponentially in recent years, Silver Spoon is among the leaders in bringing these immersive technologies to major sports events, earning a Cynopsis Sports Media Award in Broadcast Technology and a Sports Emmy nomination for its work on the 2022 Nickelodeon Nickmas Game. Silver Spoon Executive Director Laura Herzing, who has been with the company since its inception, sat down with SVG to discuss her career, what’s behind Silver Spoon’s success, and its work on Super Bowl LVIII productions for both CBS and Nickelodeon.

Silver Spoon’s Laura Herzing: “Silver Spoon’s evolution mirrors the progress of the industry at large. Real-time production is no longer a fringe concept.”

What has made Silver Spoon so successful since its launch in 2015?
I think the key to Silver Spoon’s success is that we, as a company, are innovators at heart. We constantly look for opportunities to combine innovative technology to meet emerging needs.

We are a small team, which means we are nimble enough to adapt quickly, but we place a huge importance on being technically sound. This combination of risk-taking backed by technical expertise has allowed us to respond to a rapidly changing production landscape.

In 2015, we opened our doors as a motion-capture studio, primarily serving traditional VFX and postproduction houses. We became an early adopter of Unreal Engine, recognizing the value that creating in real time could bring to many industries.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone was forced to look at new workflows. The pandemic accelerated adoption of real-time technology, allowing us, as an early industry expert, to gain a meaningful foothold in the broadcast industry. In the past four years, we have continued to push the boundaries of real-time production, expanding into virtual production, real-time animation, live VFX, game-controlled real-time characters, and more.

Partnering with Nickelodeon, Silver Spoon provided live mixed reality for a simulcast of the Super Bowl LVIII.

Silver Spoon’s evolution mirrors the progress of the industry at large. These workflows have been tested and proven repeatedly by innovators willing to try something new. Real-time production is no longer a fringe concept. It has become a vital part of how storytelling is done, now and in the future.

How did you come to Silver Spoon?
I have a background in design and got my start working as a designer in small advertising agencies. After moving to the vendor side, I focused on project management, leading global teams producing live-action commercial and animation jobs around the world.

I joined Silver Spoon in 2015 to lead production and help build the company’s processes and client base. As Silver Spoon has changed, building new pipelines and meeting new challenges, I have helped usher the company through the changes by focusing on building world-class teams, repeatable and efficient processes, and a culture of inclusion and innovation. As executive director, I play a key leadership role in developing the company’s corporate strategy, as well as overseeing all production and operations.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to follow your path?
Always stay curious and never stop learning. Stay open to opportunities you may not have seen coming; you never know what doors will open for you. Be nice to people and find fun in every day.

Noah Eagle (left) and Nate Burleson joined SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star in the booth for Nickelodeon’s simulcast of Super Bowl LVIII.

Besides the acquisition, what were the highlights of 2023 for Silver Spoon?
2023 was a year of profound change and awesome opportunities. We built on three years of bringing fun, animated AR characters to the CBS March Madness broadcast and kept the good times rolling in the fall with animated mascots on the CBS SEC and Big 10 games.

We strengthened our relationship with partners like ESPN, creating a virtual-to-real-world AR show open for the NBA Finals and using live-motion–capture technology to bring animated hosts to kid-friendly broadcasts, such as the NHL Big City Greens Classic and Toy Story Funday Football games.

Building on the goal of reaching younger audiences, we once again partnered with Nickelodeon to bring Santa and his team of holiday hooligans to the 2023 Nickelodeon Nickmas Game. In addition to these exciting projects, in 2023, we were nominated for a Sports Emmy and were honored to win the Cynopsis Sports Media Award in Broadcast Technology for our work on the 2022 Nickelodeon Nickmas Game.

Silver Spoon produced game-controlled on-field characters and other kid-friendly live AR throughout the Super Bowl LVIII broadcast.

Silver Spoon has already had some big moments this year, most notably the Super Bowl. How was that experience, and what are you most excited about looking forward to in 2024?
2024 started at full throttle for us, with not one but two Super Bowl broadcasts. We worked with CBS Sports to make the Big Game in Vegas even bigger with exciting AR moments in the record-breaking main broadcast.

Simultaneously, we partnered with Nickelodeon to fill the first-ever simulcast of the Super Bowl with more than three hours of live mixed reality, including real-time animated SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star as game commentators, game-controlled on-field characters, and dozens of kid-friendly live AR moments throughout the broadcast.

We were thrilled to start this year on such a high and look forward to continuing our momentum to bring exciting real-time content and experiences to different audiences in such areas as news, esports, concerts, events, and international broadcasts.