[2020] We're the team that brought you the Worlds 2019 Opening Ceremony! AMA!

There are a couple of events that definitely inspire us. I have probably watched every single Olympic Opening Ceremony at least twice, haha. The Super Bowl halftime shows are also performances that we reference a lot of the time. Also, we look at traditional concerts as well. One of the main inspirations for last years show was a hologram DJ set by Eric Prydz. The quality of the stuff he did was a huge thought starter for some of the stuff we wanted to do.

Overall, we try to look at what these different shows do well, and see how we can adapt and push them in new and fun ways.

I mean, can we just do a full lifesize robot dragon that fly's around and breathes fire?

There are a few parts in the show that were technically difficult for a variety of reasons. I think one of the main ones that we had the most trouble nailing because the timing had to be so precise was Ekko's "WATCHU MEAN" section. The timing of those camera cuts had to be perfect with the content of the screen to get a big effect.

I think which part was most important to execute is interesting, because I think it all was. But the reveal of the trophy itself I believe was incredibly important. In the past, the trophy didn't have any technical reasons to not appear. This year there was a new element added t the mix with the mechanical trophy case. Being able to make sure the trophy was revealed is important since it's really a symbol for what the goal of Worlds is.

Working with the Kinjaz was absolutely incredible. Not only are they incredible dancers and choreographers, but also just amazing people as well.

I think dance is such a powerful art form that can tell stories in a lot of different ways. While I don't know if choreography and dance will be in every show we do, I do think it will be in our toolkit when we start brainstorming the show. What Kinjaz was able to do when given different technologies to play with like holograms or light pole's was really cool.

I come from a traditional sports background. I worked on the broadcast graphics for American Football, Basketball, MMA, Soccer, etc. This gradually allowed me to get into more innovative spaces, like exploring augmented reality, automation, and new story telling tools for our broadcasts.

It's a really good point that the space is forever evolving. Our team is really made up of a bunch of individuals with many different skillsets. The best part is when we can get these minds all into one room and someone has an idea, then someone else knows how to execute it, then someone else knows the ways to get to the final outcome. It's really a team effort all around.

Possible Productions was a HUGE aspect of our show. All of the content that you saw on the holograms, the coordination of our other partners, the pre-productions shoots with green screens, an figuring out how to physically get the Holonet into the stage design itself, was all because of their efforts. I can not give high enough praise to the monolithic efforts the Possible team did in order to make the show a success.

So, without getting too deep into the weeds on the Baron idea (I absolutely love it), I think what is cool is that you are thinking along the same lines as we are as we are planning. Integrating League of Legends elements into the show, like the Dragon in 2017, KDA 2018, or something like the Irelia Blades last year, is something we think makes a lot of our moments in the shows very special.

On the note about the Baron screeching, we actually kind of ran into this when we did the Dragon. We were running rehearsals at like 9pm and we had the audio at the normal levels in the stadium, and you could very clearly hear the dragon roars from outside the stadium. I imagine a lot of the reactions from the people walking by were very concerned. Haha.

The TCS definitely has raised the bar. When he brought out his version of the dragon a few years ago, we knew we had to go back to the drawing board.

One of the most important ways that we go into each year is making sure that we aren't trying to outdo ourselves or one-up what we did the prior year. That would immediately start us off overwhelmed and up against an impossible task. Instead, we look to see what are the different ways we can make this year feel special? What are some different creative executions that we have always wanted to do and how can we make that achievable? So by going that direction, on top of the fact that we have so many lessons learned from the prior year, we hopefully can continue to produce a show that ultimately gets people excited about our sport, the two finalists, and the World Championship.

This actually makes me so incredibly happy. Thank you very much for your story and congrats to your sister on her internship!

For me, I love hearing the live reactions during the performance. When the first hologram trick happened at the end of Awaken, you could hear a cheer of excitement from the audience. That type of reaction is exactly why we spend so much time trying to make these moments feel special. I'll never forget the gasp from the Beijing audience when the dragon made it's entrance into the Birds Nest.

I love watching reaction videos of people watching the ceremony for the first time. But of course comments like yours are always great ways feedback for us.

I think you just pitched the big WOW moment for this year: Wacky Inflatable Baron.
This is something I never knew I needed until now...

The soft robotics stuff is interesting. I'll have to check that out a bit more. Seems like you could do some pretty cool stuff!