From Fiserv Forum to the Forest, Part 1: Milwaukee Bucks, The Famous Group Inject Heightened Creativity Into New Mixed-Reality Open Video

Sunday night’s activation also aired on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin, ESPN

The Milwaukee Bucks played a pivotal Eastern Conference matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers at home on Sunday night. A sold-out venue brought the energy and the noise, but as an added touch to make sure the crowd was ready to go for tip-off, The Famous Group (TFG) executed an in-venue, mixed-reality (MR) activation that flipped Fiserv Forum into a dense forest with roots protruding from the ceiling and taking over the videoboard, rims, and the entire lower bowl.

“This is pretty exciting because this has been almost three years in the making,” says Andrew Isaacson, EVP and partner, The Famous Group. “Instead of being above ground like we’ve done in the past, we’re going underground and into the root system, which will provide a really entertaining show for the fans.”

To learn about the technological side of this project, click HERE for Part 2 of our two-part report from Milwaukee.

The mixed-reality activation brought the forest into Fiserv Forum.

Headed Underground: Creative Reinforces “Fear the Deer” Theme With Roots, Foliage

Working together for 11 seasons, and with the partnership kicking into a higher gear over the last four seasons since the franchise’s NBA Championship in 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks and The Famous Group were poised to elevate the creativity and production value for the 2024-25 regular season. One of TFG’s creatives, Producer Dustin Sussman, began working with the Bucks in 2021 and has seen the evolution of this partnership and its ability to push the creative envelope.

“There’s a high level of trust [between The Famous Group and the Bucks] that pours into the projects that we do together,” says Sussman. “Having a strong relationship with their production staff helps us understand their branding, messaging, and the small nuances that they put into making every game different.”

Leaning into the Bucks’ “Fear the Deer” theme, which was first launched in 2015 and is influencing this year’s Statement Edition jersey, the fan experience and gameday production needed to pack a bigger punch to truly bring this concept home. Through the direction of Milwaukee Bucks’ Executive Producer, Broadcast and Live Events, Johnny Watson, the main goal of this project was to have a deeper attention to detail and highlight the innovation of this long-standing relationship.

Players, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, were recorded on a practical set during Media Day.

“We’ve done many Fear the Deer-themed opens over the last few years, but we wanted to figure out how to bring the forest into the stadium,” says Hemu Karadkar, creative director, The Famous Group. “This idea is going into the forest, and since the spirit of the deer lives there, we wanted to put the players in there with a practical set that we created.”

For previous Statement edition games, the traditional open would run on the in-venue videoboard, but for this marquee matchup against the Cavs, the franchise wanted to augment their open with this MR technology from TFG. After many back-and-forth conversations, the final product had large roots, branches, and foliage slowly creeping into the venue from the ceiling and walls. Once the building was completely transformed, a wooden version of a deer with glowing green eyes rose from the court. After Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was shown with a pair of glowing green eyes of his own, in-game highlights and staged shots with the players captured during pre-season Media Day closed out the dramatic piece before the starting lineup was introduced.

While the mixed-reality portion was being sorted out and developed, two other creatives at TFG — Art Director Daniel Olszewski and Lead Editor Steve Davis — joined Sussman to capture content when they were with the roster in late September. With this content in their back pocket, the Bucks opted for different open videos dedicated to each of their jerseys: their Association Edition whites, their City Edition blues, and the Statement Edition blacks that were worn on Sunday night. Olszewski directed the shoot for the Association open and art directed all three videos, Sussman directed the shoot for the City open and produced all three videos, and Davis played a large role in all three — he directed and art directed the shoot for the Statement open as well as directed the two other videos. To make this open video shine, TFG made an investment in presenting the most ultra-realistic environment as possible. Unlike other activations where certain parts of the building were placed into the spotlight or only one virtual graphic was used, this project was the combination of the entire lower bowl as its canvas and a complex series of graphical elements being deployed at once.

The open video featured a wooden version of a deer with glowing green eyes.

“We asked ourselves how to make these roots feel like they’re coming down from the roof and hugging the videoboard and seats, but sticking to them in a real way,” adds Karadkar. “We were able to contour the whole stadium and show the roots more organically.”

After years of tinkering and testing out solutions, The Famous Group feels comfortable enough to execute a massive undertaking of this size.

“We were able to scan the arena and track the elements to have everything fit perfectly,” continues Karadkar. “It won’t feel like the roots are floating, dangling, or moving in a way that they shouldn’t be.”

The Famous Group focused on making the roots look as realistic as possible.

A Bucks-Based Perspective: In-Venue Team Diversifies Content on Gameday

From Watson’s point of view, knowing TFG’s prior work with other professional teams and wanting to think outside of the box are two main reasons as to why they wanted this activation at Fiserv Forum. When Isaacson approached him with various samples and this idea, Watson was automatically intrigued.

“Andrew came to me with this mixed-reality system and asked if we were interested,” he says. “I knew about their in-venue work with other sports, so I told him that I would take a look into it.”

After getting on board, the next step was to spread the word to the masses. In his role, Watson is also responsible for working with the regional sports networks and national broadcasters that broadcast their games. On a regional level, FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin broadcasted this game as the Bucks’ designated television partner. In a last-minute twist, ESPN brought this game to the national audience as well. Both networks received a video feed to highlight the activation on their respective airwaves. As an added bonus, the Bucks social media team — which includes Managing Producer of Video and Content Chris Morris and Social Media Manager Jesse Clark — made a point to amplify the activation on the team’s digital platforms.

Roots were integrated into player headshots on the videoboard.

“When we looked at this particular concept, we thought it’d be pretty cool to bring this mixed-reality [open] into the arena and display it on our social platforms and on the live broadcast,” says Watson. “Between the visuals and storytelling, it’s been a pretty unique opportunity to encapsulate our relationship with The Famous Group in one project.”

Although the first-of-its-kind player introductions grabbed the attention of in-person fans and the fans watching from home, it’s only one piece of a reinvigorated gameday experience. Watson and his team, which include Senior Director, Production & Content, Chelsea Powell; Senior Director, Live Programming & Entertainment, Kate Ulrich; Multimedia Specialist Ryan Kiser; Productions Manager Pat Longo; and others, strive to make the first home game of the season, the last home game of the season, and every home game in between an entirely different experience from each other. This mindset keeps the creative juices flowing internally and keeps season ticket holders and new fans entertained on a nightly basis. This includes community-based events like Hoops for Troops to honor the United States military, Pride Night, Noche Latina, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, and Women’s Empowerment Night, but also specific in-game features and graphics that match whatever jersey the team is wearing.

“We really customize the experience, so you’re not seeing the same thing every single night,” continues Watson. “Doing things differently has been our creative mantra over the last several years.”

The in-venue show was enhanced by a flying drone.

In addition, many of these fan-centric activations during pregame and stoppages in play are surrounded by other offerings from The Famous Group. These solutions revolve around their Vixi Suite, including Vixi Live that taps into fan’s smartphones to present them on the videoboard and TFG’s partnership with Snapchat that places the social media platform’s AR filters onto fans. These creative ideas accentuate the venue’s evolution since its opening in 2018 and the crew’s growth since the NBA Bubble in 2020, their COVID-era productions, and finishing at the top of the NBA Summit four years ago.

“From engineering and production to our content team and live events teams, we have a great internal group that I get to work with every day,” says Watson. “It takes a huge commitment to make these nights happen.”

Along with the Bucks in-venue production team, Proline Entertainment’s Marshall Thornton was critical on the lighting front to set the mood as the open played on the videoboard.

The drone captures in-arena host DZ and Bango, the Bucks mascot, from above the Jockey Crew in Section 112.

Years in the Making: Long-Time Partnership Allows for Ambitious Project to Flourish

With a history of teamwork and collaboration, both the Milwaukee Bucks and The Famous Group were positioned for this project to achieve maximum success. Whether it’s putting the utmost of trust in each other, always being on the same page, or wanting what’s best for each other, the partnership has been predicated on finding the right tone, capturing the perfect shot, and getting the fans on their feet on gameday.

“Not only have we been pushing them, but they’ve been pushing us to be even better,” says Isaacson. “The Milwaukee Bucks are, in a lot of ways, our flagship partner when it comes to innovation, and we’re excited to be working with them.”