AUSL 2026 Broadcast Open

2 Shoot Days 1 Softball Legend | 6 AUSL Athletes | National ESPN Broadcast

How do you make the start of a softball season feel like the start of something much bigger?

For the 2026 AUSL season, I led the creative strategy and production of “The Next Great Frontier,” a cinematic broadcast open built around the idea that professional softball was entering a new era. Featuring softball legend Jennie Finch and AUSL athletes, the final spot combined the grit of the game with the scale of space exploration—and launched nationally on ESPN.

The Challenge

AUSL needed a season open that could match the momentum surrounding professional softball and feel worthy of a national broadcast.

The goal wasn't simply to introduce the season or showcase its players. We wanted to create a statement about where the sport was headed—something cinematic, elevated, and unexpected while still feeling grounded in the raw athleticism and history of the game.

FROM THE SCRIPT: “This isn't the next season. This is the next frontier.”

Inspired by the momentum surrounding Artemis II and Mars exploration, I developed a concept that treated softball's evolution like the exploration of a new frontier. Jennie Finch represented the legacy of the game, while AUSL's athletes represented what comes next.

Visually, we brought two worlds together: cosmic, otherworldly environments and the unmistakable red clay of the softball field. The entire piece was designed to build toward a symbolic launch—a new season, a new era, and a sport ready for what's next.

The Results

“The Next Great Frontier” became the official broadcast open for AUSL's 2026 season, bringing the concept from an initial creative pitch all the way to a national audience on ESPN.

The project brought together Jennie Finch and AUSL athletes across two separate productions, including filming players at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida.

More than anything, this project represents the kind of work I love: taking an ambitious idea and carrying it through every stage required to make it real—from strategy and storytelling to budgets, client approvals, production, and the final screen.

My Role

I led the project from initial concept through production, serving as the connective thread between the creative vision, the client, and the team responsible for bringing it to life.

• Creative Strategy & Concept Development: Developed “The Next Great Frontier” concept, positioning the 2026 season as a defining new era for professional softball.
• Scriptwriting & Creative Direction: Wrote the broadcast script voiced by Jennie Finch and developed the visual direction, narrative arc, athlete treatments, and overall creative world.
• Client Leadership: Led communication with AUSL throughout the project, presenting the creative vision, navigating feedback and approvals, and aligning expectations from pitch through production.
• Project & Budget Management: Owned the project timeline and budget, balancing the creative ambition of the concept with the realities of production.
• Production Management: Managed production across both shoots, including the Jennie Finch production and player shoot at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: Worked across creative, production, talent, and post-production to ensure the final broadcast open stayed true to the original vision.

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