ESPN CreativeWorks is a combination of creative experts who live and breathe sports, in-house at ESPN, made up of creative directors, designers, digital developers, writers, producers, editors, project managers, strategists. We leverage our direct access to actionable fan data and ESPN products to build creative solutions that natively integrate into our platform as brands are seeking higher quality, contextually relevant placements. Brands turn to us as the resource for big ideas, fan insights, league relationships and access to athletes, as well as to build campaigns that live across any platform, reaching fans on every device. We also develop the creative for one of the most valuable sports brands in the world – our own brand – ESPN.

How do you balance keeping your own branding consistent as well as staying on message for the companies your work is highlighting?

The first thing we do is make sure we are staying true to our core identity, we know what fans expect when they see those four, iconic, red letters. The next step is to figure out how to marry our brand with a partner brand without diluting either. They have a voice and tone, like we do and we try to honor that. It is a great creative challenge and one that we love tackling every day.

What are some essential elements to having a successful creative team?

Diversity, not only in the people that comprise our team but also in thought and capabilities. Collaboration is something else we take a lot of pride in as ESPN is a vast organization and to get anything done, you need to work across groups and departments. And then of course there is our deep knowledge of sports. Our team is composed of creative people from all walks of life and the one thing that bonds all of us is our passion for sports.

How has your work structure changed with all of the fluctuation of the 2020 landscape?

While we are all working remotely from home, we are doing a lot more video conferences as opposed to conference calls. Even in this strange time, our creativity and passion for the work hasn’t changed at all. At ESPN we believe in, “constraints breed creativity.” This has really come through in our recent efforts. We are already looking forward to entering our latest work into the 42^nd Telly Awards.

What do your Telly wins mean to you and the team?

It’s an honor to be recognized at such a prestigious award show, especially when you consider all the work that goes into creating our content. It’s a true testament to our tremendous team and how we all work together.