Sesame Street "B is for Build"
The New Virtual Reality
Summer 2020: A Look Back
Kicking Off 2019
m2 is already off to a bang in 2019. Here’s a review of what’s been going on with us:
ALIGNING WITH THE ALLIANCE
Football officially doesn't have to end in February. With its recent primetime launch on CBS, The Alliance of American Football proved that there is a serious appetite for professional football even after the Super Bowl.
The two debut games earned excellent ratings with 3 million live viewers, beating an NBA game between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, and receiving praise from fans and pundits alike.
m2 provided the entire stadium graphics package and individual commercial campaigns for the eight teams across the country, including the Arizona Hotshots, Atlanta Kings, Birmingham Iron, Memphis Express, Orlando Apollos, Salt Lake Stallions, San Antonio Commanders, and San Diego Fleet.
Read more about the AAF’s debut on Sports Illustrated.
BACK IN BLACK
Tennis in America continues to grow and m2 is right there along for the ride. The team just finished their second straight year producing and directing the stadium entertainment for the New York Open, the first of three massive US tennis events the company is a part of every year.
The event, run by longtime client GF Sports, is one of only ten professional tennis tournaments in the United States and is the only one to be played indoors and on signature all-black courts. m2 designed and oversaw all of the in-stadium graphics and elements and coordinated on-court entertainment at the newly renovated Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.
Read more about the event at Tennis.com.
THE RIPTIDE ROLL INTO NEW YORK
m2 has added yet another New York professional sports franchise to our rolodex: the National Lacrosse League and their brand new New York Riptide!
Our team assisted in the official franchise launch and team name announcement at a press conference last week. We also produced their recent promotional campaign, including all of their commercials and marketing efforts.
We look forward to continued collaboration with the team and its leadership moving forward as their premiere season in the league begins December 2019.
SPRING TRAINING WITH THE METS
m2 will soon return from its annual pilgrimage to Port St. Lucie, Florida, as we once again provided production services at Spring Training for the New York Mets. For the past 15 seasons, our team has assisted the Mets with capturing everything needed for their preseason materials for in-stadium programming, social media content, and promotional and marketing campaigns. It’s a large undertaking that requires a significant amount of equipment and crew to pull off - but we're always up to the task.
BACK IN THE DOGHOUSE
m2 was thrilled to return to work with the AKC National Championships presented by Royal Canin and video production company B-LIVE for another year at the world’s largest and most prestigious dog show!
The team captured behind-the-scenes materials and features at during the three-day show in Orlando, Florida. The footage was then transformed into a four hour program in our editing suites in New York.
The full show aired on New Year’s Day on Animal Planet!
STAYING STRONG WITH OUTSIDE TV
m2 continued providing post-production services to longtime partner RGTV for a new half-hour series called Generation Strong, sponsored by Chevrolet and airing on Outside TV.
Every episode focuses on real people that have chosen to pursue a life balanced by hard work and personal passions.
The first episode featured on JT Van Zandt, who runs a well-known fly-fishing company located on the Texas Gulf Coast. The second episode covers Oliver White, who founded the non-profit Indifly, with the mission to help create sustainable livelihoods for indigenous communities by teaching them how to use fly fishing as a form of income.
Entering Augmented Reality
m2 is pleased to announce an exciting new expansion of its operations: a bold new venture into the rapidly-growing world of augmented reality.
Augmented reality technology is used to create enhanced interactive experiences over real-world environments. With just the help of a cell phone, tablet, or AR device, images and elements can be laid seamlessly over the world around us, changing the way we perceive reality.
In 1998, TV networks began using AR technology to create that yellow line you’re probably familiar with from football games - the one that highlights the first yardage. But AR first truly entered the public consciousness two summers ago when the mobile game Pokémon Go took the world by storm. That game cleverly utilized augmented reality technology that allowed images and characters to be superimposed into the surrounding world, blending the lines between the game and real life. Two years later the game still boasts as many as 65 million monthly active users. This year saw the release of a similar game set in the universe of The Walking Dead. And another game exploring the world of Harry Potter will debut in sometime in 2019, as the trend shows no signs of slowing down.
Since then we have seen AR integration by companies like 19 Crimes Wines, whose wine bottles display hyper-real moving images on their labels. The buzz around the technology drove their start-up brand to sell over one million cases of wine last year. And some of the biggest names in their industries, like L’Oreal, Ikea, Pepsi, and Disney, have begun designing AR content and experiences. It’s no coincidence - AR is being embraced by some of the biggest brands and entertainment properties in the world to promote their content in a fresh and exciting way.
m2 sees the advent of AR as an opportunity to apply the talents of our graphic designers, editors, and creative minds to a whole new medium perfectly suited for entertainment and corporate content. We envision opportunities for this technology to be utilized in sports arenas, medical facilities, and countless corporate and entertainment arenas. Our goal is to become a leader in designing high-quality materials for these services from an advanced creative perspective.
To spearhead this initiative, m2 has brought on Andy Verderame as VP of our Augmented Reality division. Andy is a Senior Creative Executive with more than 20 years of success in the fast-moving, high-stakes media industry. He is an award winning producer/director, having conceived and launched new channels at HBO, directed multiple brand launches for Turner Broadcasting, and now engaging audiences with new Augmented Reality technology.
Google and Apple have already released developers kits and first-party apps based around AR, making major strides in advancing and legitimizing the technology. This will allow users to engage with AR content more readily and thoroughly, and ultimately will truly change the landscape of media and technology as we know it.
The possibility AR represents throughout the worlds of education, commerce, medicine, sport, and of course entertainment, look to be truly boundless. This powerful new platform is drastically changing the way we exchange information, ideas and experiences. At m2 we believe that augmented reality is the true convergence of media, entertainment, and technology. Now with Andy heading up our new AR division, we feel we are perfectly positioned to deliver the most exciting and compelling content, directly to your target audience, through this exciting and innovative new platform.
Let’s create the future together.
Interested? Get in touch! Reach us by emailing [email protected], or sending us a message on any of our social media platforms.
m2's Busy Summer - 2018
It's been a great summer and we've been busier than ever! Here's an update on all the news from your friends at m2...
JOINING THE ALLIANCE
m2 has been thrilled to work with a brand new team this summer: the Alliance of American Football, a new professional football league set to launch in 2019. m2 has provided production and post-production services for both social media and promotional projects for the AAF as it begins its rollout. We look forward to continuing to work with the Alliance and helping to ensure the success of this exciting new venture!
The Alliance of American Football is a bold new league from industry veterans Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian, set to shake up the current status quo of American professional football. The league is launching its first game in February 2019, the week after the Super Bowl, airing nationwide on CBS.
GROWING WITH UPMC
Our team recently wrapped shoots in Pittsburgh filming the latest installments of LIFE CHANGERS, a collection of inspirational profiles produced by Camelot Communications Group for UPMC.
UPMC Life Changers are employees who go above an beyond to make a difference in the lives of patients and staff, friends, and family, and the community.
Follow their stories in this monthly series to see how UPMC employees are changing lives in more ways than one. The project represents the latest in a series of collaborations with our good friends at Camelot Communications Group and UPMC.
UPMC is the #1 ranked hospital in Pittsburgh, and an integral part of a $13 billion integrated global non-profit enterprise totaling 20 hospitals and 60,000 employees.
HOT, HOT, HOT!
The heat of the summer hit its exclamation point for m2 at the BB&T Atlanta Open this July. We once again managed, directed, and produced all of the in-stadium entertainment for the tournament, continuing our partnership with GF Sports and supporting the growth of American professional tennis.
We came prepared with a fresh and exciting new package of in-stadium elements and programming, and other fun surprises for the Atlanta crowds.
A WORLD TEAMTENNIS SUMMER
Billie Jean King's historic annual World TeamTennis season has grown to be an integral part of our summers!
We completed post-production on the 2018 WTT Preview Show presented by GEICO, which aired on networks across the nation in advance of the hotly-anticipated 2018 WTT season.
CREATING THE EMPIRE’S HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
m2 brought its exciting in-stadium entertainment experience to the New York Empire's home matches at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, site of the US Open! We were there in full force, providing equipment and staffing to facilitate the in-stadium entertainment show.
We also provided a full compliment of elements, including headshots, features, show open, and graphics package for use during the matches. The team also created player and entertainment elements, headshots, videos, and special features.
LET’S GO METS!
Our relationship has only strengthened with longtime client the New York Mets. m2 provides the organization with a full suite of production services for every home game at Citi Field, including multi-camera in-game and feature coverage, as well as special events in the stadium and surrounding communities.
Recent events have included the Spartan Race Stadium Sprint around Citi Field, a live-streaming event in conjunction with the Belmont Stakes, and a new regular live-streaming feature #MetsLive, featuring host of the popular trivia show HQ Trivia, Scott Rogowsky!
OUTSIDE WITH JEEP
m2 worked with perennial partners RGTV to post an ambitious and visually-stunning series of video profiles for Outside TV and Jeep.
The team utilized cutting-edge RED 4K camera technology and captured stunning drone footage as we followed our subjects in following their subjects from the mountains to the city capturing their inspirational stories.
GREAT TV IN THE SPOTLIGHT
m2 and RGTV continue to produce new episodes of our sports docu-shows Focusedand In The Spotlight, that air nationally on Fox Sports and on MSG Networks.
Recent episodes included interviews with NBA Champion Walt Frazier and NASCAR legend Richard "The King" Petty.
m2 is proud to oversee production and post-production services on these programs as this partnership with RGTV continues to produce outstanding Emmy-award winning television content highlighting legendary figures from the sports world.
NEW INTERN ON STAFF
m2 welcomed intern Bobby Bethke this summer to help out with ever-increasing demands and workloads.
Bobby Bethke is a recent graduate from the University of Chicago where he studied Economics and Film.
A Big Night At The Emmys For m2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
A BIG NIGHT AT THE EMMYS FOR m2
NEW YORK, NY - April 16th, 2018 - m2, along with partner RGTV, had a big night on Saturday evening at the New York Emmy Awards, winning three trophies. Nominated in eight categories, the team came home with the trophy for Outstanding Sports Cinematography, Writing for a Series, and Lighting Design. “I am extremely proud of our group," said m2 CEO Lee Umphred. "We approach every project in the same manner, with 110% effort. That hard work is evident in the number of Emmys we have won over the last 15 years. It’s been an impressive run.”
This year's 61st Annual Gala, held at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, recognized top New York television and media professionals in news, entertainment, sports, and advertising. m2 / RGTV were victorious in the following categories:
Cinematography: Sports – W. Velazquez, R. Gackowski, C. Kostianis, D. Galway / Program: “In the Spotlight" / Networks: MSG Plus & Fox Sports 1
Writer: Program – Dan Galway / Program: “Focused” / Networks: MSG Plus & Fox Sports 1
Lighting: Chris Kostianis / Program: “In the Spotlight” / Networks: MSG Plus & Fox Sports 1
“Our team is a dedicated, passionate group and it's great to see that commitment acknowledged at the Emmys”, said m2 COO William Velazquez. The creative partnership between m2 and RGTV has been a successful one for the two teams. Last year the two groups combined for 10 Emmy Awards and have now won over 30 Emmys in the past 15 years.
The New York Emmy Awards are a division of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honoring those in television and advanced media in the tri-state New York-New Jersey-Connecticut and New York State. The division was founded in 1955 and in addition to granting the New York Emmy Awards, the chapter also recognizes awards scholarships, honors industry veterans at the Silver Circle Celebration, has a free research and a nationwide job bank. The chapter also participates in judging Emmy entries at the regional and national levels.
