FAN CONTROLLED FOOTBALL

RESPONSE TO RFP

CHANGING THE GAME

SMT serves the sports industry with innovative, award-winning technology for events, broadcasts and live streams. With more than three decades of developing best-in-class solutions focused on real-time data collection, integration and visualization, SMT has earned its reputation as an unsurpassed leader in sports technology.

36

YEARS

60

SPORTS

70

PATENTS

20K

ANNUAL EVENTS

220

CLIENTS

36

EMMY AWARDS

Industry Recognition

We are honored to have been awarded 36 Emmys over the past two decades on behalf of our work with our stellar roster of clients, including three this year for our contributions to:

Outstanding Playoff Coverage: NFC Wild Card Game | Nickelodeon (CBS Sports)
Outstanding Live Sports Series: Sunday Night Football | NBC
Outstanding Technical Team Event: Super Bowl LV | CBS

Clients and Partners

Over 200 clients entrust us with their most valuable assets: their fans.

Our Technology

Craft the story of your game by choosing from live and historical data and statistics, social media feeds, video and telemetry, all integrated into compelling graphics for display on video boards, scoreboards, and screens of all kinds.

Our Services

SMT's broadcast and event specialists take pride in helping our clients turn their visions into reality. From site review to choosing our most impactful solutions and on-site set-up and operation, SMT is devoted to our clients’ success every step of the way.

Executive Summary

SMT is the name under which SportsMEDIA Technology Corporation does business. The company is incorporated under the laws of Delaware USA (Registration # 52-1693107) and has its registered office at 3511 University Drive, Durham, N.C., 27707. SMT also has offices in Jacksonville, Fla.; Fremont, Calif.; Toronto, Canada; and Munich, Germany. SMT is a privately held entity with the majority position held by Gerard J. Hall, founder and CEO of SMT.

SMT is a provider of technology and creative services for several major sports entities associated with a broad range of the world’s leading sporting events, including the four Grand Slams (tennis), ATP and WTA tour events, Olympics, PGA TOUR, NASCAR, NFL, NHL, NBA, golf majors, the Tour de France, LPGA Evian Masters, and the Portuguese Football Federation. SMT clients include sports sponsors, broadcasters, organizing bodies, event operators, and arenas/stadiums. SMT provides services for 500+ events around the globe, including in North America, South America, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East.

SMT’s creative design and implementation, service development and delivery are provided by drawing from our 330-person staff. Specifically, SMT Creative Studio is composed of art directors, designers, animators and editors who are experts in designing, creating and implementing graphics packages that meet and exceed clients’ expectations.

We have implemented multiple designs for many sports, such as hockey, football, tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball and emerging sports (mixed martial arts, competitive fitness sports). We have participated in multiple high-profile tenders, including the IIHF World Cup, FIFA World Cup Design and Roland Garros TV Design, and we have delivered graphics designs for MLS Cup, CrossFit, PFL and tennis events, such as the US Open, Australian Open, W&S Open, World Team Tennis and Davis Cup.

SMT Creative Studio specializes in designing, creating and implementing state-of-the-art graphics packages in 3D, 4K, HD, virtual graphics and virtual studio solutions for both U.S.-based and overseas clients. We excel in finding creative ways to deliver relevant information in a compelling manner that helps audiences understand crucial moments in a competition.

SMT and Innovation

With numerous industry awards, including 36 Emmys, SMT has a proven track record of proactively assisting organizations in achieving new heights with data-rich graphics and video production services that deliver efficient solutions that enhance and automate productions. Our goal is to be a valued partner, sharing ideas and concepts that have been successful in the broader sports marketplace.

Since 2007, SMT has partnered with the NHL as the league’s official scoring provider and, as of 2019, now provides a full complement of puck- and player-tracking, data integration and distribution, and virtual-graphics generation for every NHL game.

SMT has also created the industry’s most accurate virtual offside line system, SMT-VOL, harnessing decades of 3D and augmented reality graphics expertise for a system that gives referees the tools to confidently call any potential offside situation. SMT-VOL is the first FIFA-certified VOL provider and partners with Portuguese Football Federation and U17 World Cup.

For the National Football League and CBS, SMT has assisted in the analysis and on-air presentation of player-tracking statistics known as NFL Next Gen Stats.

We have helped the CrossFit Games evolve from a small cult event to the leading fitness competition in the world.

And a longtime collaboration with race organizer the New York Road Runners has resulted in establishing the New York City Marathon as the most technically advanced endurance race in the world.

These clients have not only benefited from SMT’s technology, but also from the creativity and innovation SMT brings to help elevate our partners' programs. We continue to demonstrate our ability to exceed our clients’ expectations and are proud to have won our clients’ confidence and trust based on our creativity, design quality, implementation and professionalism.

CREATIVE STUDIO

About SMT's Creative Studio

SMT Creative Studio is a recognized leader in creative design and concepts in the world of sports. Specializing in brand design, data integration and motion graphics packages for broadcast, webcast and live events, our award-winning staff consistently exceeds clients’ expectations. SMT's Creative Studio specializes in:

Brand identity
Brand design
Graphic design
Visual design

SIZZLE REEL

Web design
UI/UX design
Motion graphics
3D visualization animations

Interactive media displays
Virtual and augmented set design
Digital media services and operations
Augmented reality

EXAMPLES OF OUR WORK

MMA (PFL/UFC)

Next-generation MMA relies on SMT for two major things: data and graphics. The 18- to 34-year-old demographic means audiences demand storytelling graphics that show them how fighters are performing in ways that are unique to the sport. For the Professional Fighters League, for example, SMT has created Cagenomics, a proprietary fighter-tracking system that generates data such as punch and kick speed, power ratings, number of strikes and energy exerted, all of which is integrated into SMT Creative Studio-designed graphics, enhancing the analysis and storytelling for viewers. For UFC, we created the illusion of a state-of-the-art studio for the league’s Latin American broadcast partners. UFC’s commentators appear in a studio above the arena, which fans see through the “glass” in the background, giving them the impression that the commentators are on location. Augmented reality elements include four multi-purpose video display monitors that flank the UFC logo, rising from the floor or dropping from the ceiling.

CrossFit

When CrossFit wanted a way to expand its competition and viewership in 2011, the organization approached SMT to create a robust scoring system to execute its on-the-fly decisions and format changes. The following year, CrossFit asked SMT’s creative division, then known as (n+1) designstudio, to create a comprehensive, data-infused broadcast graphics package. In 2014, SMT’s creative division concepted and created the 2014 CrossFit Games show open, featured on ESPN. Joe Novello, the CrossFit Games Coordinating Producer, said: “Using universal imagery that simultaneously applies to the core CrossFit community as well as the newly interested, the team at (n+1) designstudio created a bold, explosive and definite illustration of the journey these amazing athletes make to reach the pinnacle of their sport. In short, they dead-on nailed it.”

With SMT’s technology and graphics support, the event grew from 70 competitors and a small fan base to its current multi-day, festival-style event with 415,000 participants at its peak.

Motorsports

SMT’s history with motorsports is storied: In 1992, SMT pioneered NASCAR’s first televised live official timing and scoring graphic and race crawl; in 2002, we introduced our RACEf/x tracking system; and in 2018 we debuted Broadcast and Team Analytics for NASCAR teams, an application that ingests location and telemetry data to create live virtual visualizations via our GhostCar application. The NHRA’s Ken Adelson says this about our virtual graphics: “SMT was a great addition last year, and I think people are going to see even more this year. SMT is also working with us on some other car tracking, virtual ways to get more visual information on the screen that is not just another set of numbers. We want to display things about matchups and some of the stats and some of the important facts in a way that you can’t do without being virtual.” This year, we helped launch a league called Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) with broadcast graphics that included leaderboards, virtual ads, 3D pointers, and, new to racing, heart rate graphics.

Red Bull Straight Rhythm

For a format that pits riders in a head-to-head bracket where “survive and advance” is the only goal, SMT created a powerful graphics package that brought to life the daredevil energy of a motocross race where riders battled it out on an unwound Supercross track with a half-mile rhythm section. The package included a new look for the insert, keyable graphics, interstitials, opening animation, wipes and bumps.

American Flag Football League

The AFFL tapped the Yellow First Down Line Company® to launch its technology-rich brand of football. SMT Creative Studio designed and implemented the graphics package—including show open and score bug—as well as a virtual graphics package unique to the league that included a Go Clock that synchronized with in-stadium video boards.

eMLS

Engine Shop, the lead agency for eMLS, turned to SMT Creative Studio to design and animate the insert graphics package for eMLS Cup 2019, an official league qualifier for the FIFA eWorld Cup. SMT created the interstitial package along with data-interfaced graphics such as brackets, standings, head-to-head player stats and player profiles, all made possible by SMT’s OASIS Platform.

Dew Tour

SMT was an original partner of the Dew Tour when the extreme sports circuit was founded in 2005. SMT Creative Studio created a custom 3D graphics production for on-site video displays as well as the streaming broadcasts while SMT supplied scoring, broadcast interface, Commentator Information Screens, countdown clocks, registration website, historical data and the web feed.

FNTSY Sports Network

The FNTSY Sports Network was the first to target the tens of millions of people who play fantasy sports on an annual basis. SMT Creative Studio partnered with the network to create its brand identity, crafting the logo and developing each graphical element, including a bracket concept that fully immersed the audience in the analytical, informational and breaking news aspects of fantasy sports, all delivered in a seamless flow of information that was easy to consume and understand.

2018 FIFA World Cup

SMT Creative Studio responded to a request for proposal from FIFA for the concept, design and animation of the broadcast package for the 2018 World Cup. Although we did not win the bid, we are proud of our show open, insert package and interstitials, which highlight the culture of Russia throughout its history, including its athletic, artistic, scientific, and historical contributions. Our work highlighted Russian sights and sounds such as ballet dancers and a Russian men’s choir, the Space Race and Sputnik, Faberge eggs and the Motherland Calls, St. Basil’s and the Kremlin – all wrapped within the context of one of the grandest events of them all, the World Cup.

Women's Tennis Association

WTA enlisted the help of SMT Creative Studio (formerly (n+1) designstudio) to create a strong broadcast opening with a global theme that emphasized the international presence of its athletes. The opening sequence begins with a shot of a tennis ball and then zooms in to reveal a conceptual world that transports viewers to locations around the world, including Paris and Rome, major locations of the WTA’s tournaments that year. The sequence ends with a virtual trip through Singapore, the location of the 2014 WTA Tour Championships tournament. John Learing, vice president of broadcasts at WTA, said “We could not be more pleased with (n+1) designstudio’s work. Viewers are in for a treat as they virtually travel through the various locations of our tournaments at the top of our broadcasts. We are happy to partner with (n+1) designstudio and look forward to working with the team in the future.”

CREATIVE APPROACH TO FCF

Our Approach

SMT Creative Studio has helped launch a wide variety of leagues, from extreme sports to e-sports. To tell the story of Fan Controlled Football, our team at SMT will lean heavily on our decades of work in broadcast graphics and data integration to evolve the FCF identity. SMT appreciates this opportunity to be a part of building this unique live-action football league.

For FCF, we would utilize a rationale similar to what we used for the Red Bull Straight Rhythm motocross package. As the sole graphics provider for the series, we took a complex brand and created a simplified new look that tied together the insert package, interstitials, opening animation, wipes and bumps. Along with improving text layouts, continuity and overall brand cohesion, we created a show that elevated the existing look and feel of the brand by blending elements of a traditional sport with new ideas from the extreme racing world. The result was a beautiful and exciting package that Red Bull and fans alike fell in love with.

We would also look to what our team accomplished with eMLS, an esports tournament held by MLS in conjunction with the EA Sports FIFA franchise. Engine Shop, the lead agency for eMLS, turned to SMT Creative Studio to design an animated insert graphics package powered by SMT’s OASIS data integration platform. Our playful yet professional mix of streaming and on-site production services carried the true essence of the brand while providing storytelling graphics such as brackets, standings, and head-to-head player stats.

SMT’s passion and experience in sports and real-time data integration gives us the upper hand in broadcast design. For all of our informational graphics packages, we carefully evaluate and apply proven practices to create the most effective and entertaining show. Every detail is thoroughly planned and designed to ensure each aspect of your show is covered and accounted for. We would be thrilled to help re-introduce Fan Controlled Football to the growing fan base SMT is certain that awaits this exciting new brand of football.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

Meet the Team

The SMT Creative Studio team is composed of art directors, designers, animators and editors that focus on designing, creating and enhancing the quality of content production, ranging from television graphics (3D, HD, 4K), virtual studios, virtual insertions and web designs to on-site event production, including CCTV channels, video displays, ribbon boards, information towers and custom displays. We are experts on data integration, entertaining presentations and engaging content with a focus on the targeted audience. Some of the key personnel of SMT Creative Studio include:

Patricia G. Hopkins
Corporate Vice President,
Marketing and Creative

Michael Guastaferro
Associate Creative Director,
SMT Creative Studio

Emanuel Wazar
Technical Animation Director, SMT Creative Studio

John Howell
Director of Creative Strategy,
SMT Creative Studio

Jason MacRae
Creative and Digital Media Director,
SMT Creative Studio

Jonathan Parish
Digital Artist,
SMT Creative Studio

Caleb Thomas
Creative Director,
SMT Creative Studio

Richard Quintana
Senior Multimedia Designer, SMT Creative Studio

Cameron Jackson
Project Manager,
SMT Creative Studio

PROPOSED PRICING

Cost to Fulfill for Fan Controlled Football

Per the requirements, the following fees are provided to deliver SMT's graphics design:

Redesign of Fan Controlled Football’s Graphics Package (i.e. rework season 1 graphics):

Using the existing style guide/brand guidelines
Create a new design that is visually appealing: clean, dynamic, legible that speaks to the brand/sport
Art direction, concept design
Production
Deliver package compatible with the CG (Xpression, Viz, EVS, TD score bug)
Create and build out of all templates specified in the RFP
Create toolkit and deliver in organized working files

Note:

SMT will deliver all elements used to create the toolkit and the 13 templates specified in the RFP.

Any additional changes may be scoped at SMT’s discretion and billed accordingly. (See hourly rate card below)

Total cost for redesign: $36,420

Breakdown: Creative Director

Designer/Animator

Project Manager

SMT Creative Studio Hourly Rate Card:

Creative Director

Designer/ Animator