May - Best Of The Month

When coming up with a fresh and contemporary idea for a Summer of Sport Promo that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and sets pulses racing, it might seem a tad contradictory to reference someone who has been dead for over 400 years, but when that someone is William Shakespeare you soon realise that the Bard of Avon had a word or a verse for every occasion 'of great pith and moment', and that those words lend themselves as much to the field of sport as to the field of battle. Commentators use his phraseology almost without realising. If you've ever heard of a player referred to as a 'tower of strength' whilst wearing their 'heart upon their sleeve', or watched a final over with 'bated breath', thought that a Grand Prix was a 'foregone conclusion', or that a teenage prodigy was entering a 'brave new world', then you're listening to classic Will S...unsurprising for someone who added over 1,700 new words to the English language. When it comes to modern sports promos, 'Suit the action to the word, the word to the action' might have been Shakespeare's entreaty to every Promo Producer and our very own 'Shaxpeare', Shakera Talla-Gregory, appears to have taken these words to heart, even to her 'very heart of hearts', with the concept for May's Best Of The Month promo. Packed with all the action available on Sky Sports this month, maybe it's 'too much of a good thing', or a 'wild-goose chase', but taking on the challenge certainly wasn't for the faint-hearted.' Fortunately, Shakera and her team are 'made of sterner stuff' which means that you get to enjoy 'a dish fit for the gods'.

Shakera Talla-Gregory - Creative

May sits at a crossroads in the sporting calendar; the beginning of a summer of sport, the continuation of F1 and Netball, and the closing chapter of Football. As the final Best of the Month before the summer run, I wanted this piece to feel different. More conclusive. More intentional. Less like a roundup, more like a statement. After seeing how well Hamnet landed, it sparked a thought about how Shakespeare continues to transcend generations, emotions and disciplines. Deeply rooted in British culture, yet endlessly reinterpreted, he feels as alive now as ever. Across theatre, film, classrooms and popular culture, Shakespeare is being rediscovered and reclaimed not as dusty curriculum, but as living, breathing culture. That felt like fertile ground to explore within sport with a modern twist. 

The line “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May” became the jumping-off point. From there, we explored Shakespearean quotes that could speak directly to sport; its drama, desire, hope, heartbreak, and relentless pursuit of more. It wasn’t an easy idea to sell on paper, but once I pulled together a quick mock-up edit, it unlocked the potential and the vision landed.

 Timing-wise, the biggest challenge was that I had to move straight onto campaigns just as this began. Huge thanks to Editor, Jeff Collins for stepping in to manage the edits and bring his magic to the execution, plate spinning made possible; to Daniel Cameron for his amazing creative design and pushing the boundaries; and to Monica Ramirez-Leon, whose audio mix was no small task in balancing script, music and SFX so seamlessly. She did a brilliant job.

It's always a pleasure working with Jeff, Dan and Monica. This piece wouldn’t exist without them.

Jeff Collins – Lead Editor

Every now and then an idea comes along which, when outlined by your Creative, you know straight away is going to be a winner. Shakera's concept was a Shakespearian-themed approach to the Best Of The Month on Sky Sports. With so much sport to include, and so many moments reaching their climax, by the time she had finished trawling through the Shakespeare archive for verses which applied to the variety of sports on offer, it was as though the Bard had written the script himself. The piece kicks off with 'Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May' and it's a frenzied month for Football as the drama and the tragedy of the sport is laid bare and campaigns build to a crescendo. 'To be or not to be' perfectly summarises the battle in store for the Premier League title race...is it to be this season for Arsenal? Or not? Then: 'Once more unto the breach, dear friends'. Can Wrexham find it within themselves to push for promotion once again? Kieffer Moore holding the hattrick ball in the perfect position to place Yorick's skull might say... 'alas'. 'All the world's a stage' but none more so than Wembley for a playoff final. The slings and arrows of an entire season are played out over 90 minutes. Elsewhere, as the narration rises in intensity throughout the sixty seconds from a simple read to a full-on theatrical performance, it's not just about the sports that reaches their climax in May, it's also about the continuation of Formula 1...'heavy is the head that wears the crown'...as Lando Norris begins the defence of his title, looking over his shoulder at those who would knock him off his perch. There's so much going on in May for Sky viewers. So 'give me excess of it!' 

Monica Ramirez-Leon – Dubbing Mixer

This was a challenging but interesting promo to work on, mainly because it came with such a strong creative idea from Shakera and a very fast, energetic edit from Jeff.

With so much sport and so many key moments packed into 60 seconds, the mix was really about finding cohesion and supporting the constant build in drama rather than leaning heavily into detailed sound design. In fact, I initially added much more sound design, but we agreed it worked better stripped back, allowing the edit and concept to lead.

The Shakespearian tone set a clear theatrical direction, and I focused on shaping the music and dynamics, using crowd atmospheres to give the piece depth, scale and excitement as it built towards the climax.

In the end, it was about making all the elements work together and giving the promo a clear sense of shape and impact, allowing the creative idea to come through strongly.