NCAA Men's Final Four: Baylor Bears Pave Own Digital Path in Program's First Semifinal in 71 Years After years of women's basketball dominance, the men get their chance at a national title By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Friday, April 2, 2021 - 10:30 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The past decade of Baylor University Men's Basketball has seen a resurgence in success. After four appearances in the Sweet 16 and two appearances in the Elite 8, the Bears were finally able to kick the door down to reach their first Final Four since 1950. After a 71-year drought, the digital team is writing their own story that defines a new era of excellence.
It means a lot to be a part of this moment with the team, says Joe Gonzales, director, digital media, Baylor Athletics. It's really been a blessing to watch them succeed throughout the entire season.
Spreading the Love: Content Gets Shared on All Social Media Platforms Gonzales, Fralick, Jenkins, Hoff, and Golden pose on the set of College Gameday in 2019.
Like any professional or collegiate team, Baylor fans are extremely active on all social media channels. In that vein, Gonzales and his crew are making a concerted effort to attack all platforms with maximum zeal. To accomplish this plan, Baylor set up workflows both in the bubble and back on campus in Waco, TX. Down south, Gonzales is working closely with Social Media Correspondent Dan Golden; and current student Matthew Kirchner. The quartet is busy generating material from their offices, including Gonzales as the primary graphic designer, Golden supplying 3D and motion graphics, Kaye supplying statistics and other important information, and Kirchner providing additional support with video editing.
Director, Creative Services Justin Hoff and Assistant AD, Communications David Kaye are holding down the fort in the Indianapolis bubble. Armed with multiple pieces of Sony equipment: a PXW-FX9 handheld, and a few 9s and 7s, he is keeping in touch with the Waco-based team through asana, a collaborative project management app. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced this team to communicate in two different places and rethink who was allowed to be with the team during the tournament.
Normally during the tournament, we would have a photographer travel with the team but with limited capacity, we've had to rely on media outlets for in-game photos, says Gonzales. In the past, we would also try and showcase other moments from the tournament like the team hanging out and seeing the surrounding sites, but those types of moments are limited to practices. From a creative standpoint, we just had to adjust and utilize our other skills.
With a strong foundation in place, this strategy includes repurposed content to fit the parameters of any given platform. For example, the trend of Wallpaper Wednesday is a digital-centric phenomena that captures the attention of all fans every week. Leading up to one of the biggest games in recent memory, this activation is being spread on Twitter, but also a more temporary option through Instagram Stories.
We try and mix it up, so each platform has a different piece of content, continues Gonzales. On IG, we'll focus on photos and some video, but we'll also utilize Highlights to showcase the style and personality of the guys through what they're wearing on game day. We like to think of our IG as a mini-website for the team by getting a glimpse of each student-athlete.
Leading Up to the Dance: Fast Break Highlights the Team's Journey to Indianapolis Whether it's to look back on how far this 2020-21 team has come or reminisce on their incredible 26-2 season, long-form content is a special method of packaging highlights captured during the regular season. In the case of the Baylor Bears, the creative staff came up with an episodic series dubbed Fast Break: a two-to-four-minute-long cinematic recap of each contest:
During the regular season, we would put out the Fast Break series to tell the story of each win, says Gonzales. For the tournament, it's a little different due to rights, so the amount of video we can put out is pretty limited.
Another elongated video, narrated by motivational speaker Tony Gaskin, was published prior to the team's participation in March Madness:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Baylor Basketball (@baylormbb)
--
Due to the hectic nature of the March Madness schedule, Fast Break has been reserved for the record-setting regular season. Now in the heat of the Final Four, the staff is more focused on quick hitting vignettes that still pack a creative punch, including this animated piece that mimics Indianapolis' history of auto racing:
The Road to the #FinalFour #SicEm | #TimeIsNow pic.twitter.com/H9QyVFioEe
- Baylor Basketball (@BaylorMBB) March 31, 2021
Two at a Time: Digital Team Manages Both Men's and Women's Tournaments Possessing multiple programs with national success is something that every athletics department wants, but when it comes to maintaining a consistent output of content, it's a bit of a double-edged sword. On a staff that works in unison and with teamwork, Gonzales and his colleagues were able to effectively cover both the current men's tournament and the women's run to the Elite 8 simultaneously.
We've had a pretty good setup with designated creatives for both Men's and Women's Basketball teams, he says. [Associate Director, Digital Media] Josh Fralick and [Video Production Specialist] Wes Jenkins are the primary creatives for Women's Basketball. Josh will handle graphics, illustrations, and some photography, and Wes does video, motion/3D, and some photography as well.
This two-pronged approach has given the entire athletics department peace of mind. With new headli
Most recent headlines
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
14/02/2025
Stay Tuned to SVG for Live Coverage From NBA All-Star 2025 in San Francisco This...
14/02/2025
ESPN's College GameDay Pulls Double Duty With Back-to-Back Shows at Auburn o...
14/02/2025
At ICG, we love helping brands tell their stories in meaningful and impactful ways.
Towards the end of 2024 we worked with long-standing client Sunbelt Rental...
NCAA Men's Final Four: Baylor Bears Pave Own Digital Path in Program's First Semifinal in 71 Years After years of women's basketball dominance, the men get their chance at a national title By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor 
