Live From CFP National Championship Game: Another Title-Winning Season Sees Crimson Tide Productions Shift Its Video, Social Voice Focusing not on tradition but on the future gives Alabama's media effort improved success across digital platforms By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Tuesday, January 9, 2018 - 3:19 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
For many years, the words Alabama Football evoked memories of black-and-white gridiron classics and Bear' Bryant's hound's-tooth hat. For Crimson Tide Productions, the creative-media arm of the Alabama Athletics Department, that has changed.
With five championships in the past nine years (including last night's dramatic win over Georgia in the 2018 CFP National Championship Game), the visual history of Alabama Football is no longer sepia-toned; it's bright, colorful, and in high definition.
The 2017-18 football campaign marked a dramatic change in the image that Crimson Tide Productions presents across social-media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. A concerted effort was made to shift the story away from the program's tradition and toward the future to appeal to potential recruits. The shift has led to a much more youthful, all-access approach to bringing fans inside the life of an Alabama student-athlete.
The University of Alabama video and social team on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium following the Crimson Tide's dramatic victory over Georgia. From left: Chris Liskiewicz, Michaiah Smith, Jonathan King, Adam White, Justin Brant, and Alex Seiver (not pictured is Christopher England)
In the past, our content was very tradition-driven, notes Jonathan King, creative director, Crimson Tide Productions. It spoke to a different generation. Recruiting has changed so much, and the things that we need to do to help the school target these kids are different. That being said, the audience on social media tends to like the same type of content. So, while we've shifted our social-media approach to a recruiting focus, our fans, at the same time, have loved it because what we are showing is the exciting side of being a player.
According to Justin Brant, director, Crimson Tide Productions, the crew shot content in Atlanta and at Mercedes-Benz Stadium using a new high-powered RED camera and a Sony FS7 to capture slow-motion footage and a collection of smaller units: some Sony a7S II units, a Sony FS700, and a 360-degree camera (which the team was ultimately limited in its ability to use, given the various rights and security issues surrounding the presence of President Donald Trump last night).
Besides Brant and King, the video team working onsite in Atlanta comprised Chris Liskiewicz on graphics and social-media posting, Adam White designing motion graphics, Michaiah Smith and Alex Seiver shooting video, and Christopher England lending a hand on video while focusing on working Snapchat.
Crimson Tide Productions has had the opportunity to cover six college-football championship games (in both the BCS and the CFP eras) so they have learned a lot from planning and executing content for big-ticket events. If there's one thing the team has learned throughout that experience, it's to never lose focus on why they were there.
This is about the players, Brant explains. You can get caught up in all of this for yourself. Try not to do that. Focus on the story of the players and what they are working through. It's a great experience for everybody. You never get tired of it. But focus on telling the stories of the player.
King concurs, though acknowledging that covering an event like this for an athletic department can be overwhelming. He advised his colleagues to remain focused and do what they do best.
People have a tendency to want to cover everything, notes King, who worked at Alabama from 2005 to '12 before becoming creative director at the University of Tennessee. He returned to the Crimson Tide last spring. Make great, quality content that focuses on a few great moments, and people are going to eat it up and love it. If you try to do everything and try to get every single moment, some of it is going to fall short. You're going to feel rushed and panicked. Make a plan for the specific moments you want to capture and blow those up; make them humongous.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Music discovery should feel intuitive and personal. That's why we're continuing to give you more control, so you can ask for what you want, shape what y...
28/01/2026
Today, Charlie Hellman, Spotify's Head of Music, shared the following note on the Spotify for Artists blog that the company paid out more than $11 billion t...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
28/01/2026
As demand for more complex live sports coverage grows, Balkan broadcast specialist MVP has upgraded its flagship HD1 progressive OB truck with the installation ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...
28/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities
FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...
28/01/2026
Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...
28/01/2026
Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...
28/01/2026
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...
28/01/2026
Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...
28/01/2026
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...
28/01/2026
The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...
28/01/2026
Luxembourg, January 26, 2026 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch to...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
28 01 2026 - Media release Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach...
28/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...
28/01/2026
28 Jan 2026
VEON Notes Kyivstar Group Publication of Selected Full Year 2025 Fi...
28/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host 2026 edition of its online event Demystifying EMC Rohde & Schwarz invites the global EMC community to join a crucial discussion on pre...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
Entertainment
28 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to ...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...
28/01/2026
Stadtwerke Wolfhagen Modernize Customer Management with AEP.energysuite from Arv...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
January 14, 2026
We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...
27/01/2026
January 22, 2026
First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...
27/01/2026
January 23, 2026
First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
Live From CFP National Championship Game: Another Title-Winning Season Sees Crimson Tide Productions Shift Its Video, Social Voice Focusing not on tradition but on the future gives Alabama's media effort improved success across digital platforms By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
