LIVE BROADCAST DEVELOPMENT

My philosophy for content development is: the only things worth making are those that create a memory with the subject and their fans.

The pros in this piece were about to play arguably the most important match in their careers thus far, what every minute of practice and sacrifice had lead to. Every line needed to be a love note to each player’s legacy and underscore the enormity of the contest ahead.

So, I created these walkouts with one idea in mind: If this was the final story ever told about these players, would we have done right by them?

This time, I really believe we did.

After his team’s elimination from the 2022 LCS Spring Playoffs, pro player Spica agreed to guest star as on-air talent the following week. Pro player appearances were a rarity, and I wanted to develop bespoke content and make a memorable experience for both Spica and LCS fans.

Time was not on our side: Spica would only arrive on set a little more than an hour before we had to begin filming. Still, I knew that Spica was two things: quick-talking, and quietly charismatic.

I began refining an idea that relied on broad narrative hits and one final negotiation so that Spica’s personality would not be hindered by clunky, over-produced dialogue. He’s a natural on camera!

Scripted and developed in collaboration with James “Dash” Patterson and Mark “MarkZ” Zimmerman, “Bad Cop, Worse Cop” garnered 3X the views of comparable content on the LCS Twitter account and ushered in an era of continued partnership between the broadcast and pros.

LCS Creative Director Justin Restaino and Senior Producer Zeus Ayter approached me with a concept and a deadline: help Tyler1 shake the world with the new era of North America, and do it in under a month.

Brash and outspoken, Tyler was a daring choice for our Master of Ceremonies. His voice and personality are clear in the minds of even his most casual fans, and making content with Tyler would require a complete understanding of everything Tyler. I invested 20 hours watching back his content, listening to word choices and pacing to ensure that every word of this story would ring true. Tyler himself said no one had ever gotten his voice right, so hey, it seemed to pay off!

To this day, this ceremony is one of my proudest achievements. Hearing the crowd cheer for their pros and the man leading the charge…an honor like no other.

The 2022 #LCS Spring Finals @Mastercard Opening Ceremony, featuring @loltyler1!

Originally tweeted by LCS (@LCSOfficial) on April 24, 2022.