Recently-launched Hawks Studios, the in-house creative team of the Atlanta Hawks
Recently-launched Hawks Studios, the in-house creative team of the Atlanta Hawks focused on creating innovative, buzz worthy and original content to grow relationships with the club’s corporate partners, won a Golden Matrix Award (GMA) from the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) at the 37th Annual IDEA Conference in San Diego.
Hawks Studios earned its GMA in the “Best Promotional Video” category. The award winning video depicts an activation for Kia, the official vehicle of the Atlanta Hawks. On site at a local dealership, guests were encouraged to test-drive a Kia or attempt a basketball shot to win two free tickets to an upcoming Hawks’ game. To the participants’ surprise, the shot attempt would take place lined up one-on one against former Hawks center Dewayne Dedmon, who stands at seven feet tall.
“We are honored to receive this Golden Matrix Award,” said Hawks’ chief revenue officer Andrew Saltzman. “In the ever-evolving landscape of corporate partnerships, creating compelling and unique content with our partners has never been more important. We continue to invest in building our content and production capabilities, all under the Hawks Studios umbrella, which is paying off for both our organization and our partners.”
Heading up Hawks Studios is Hawks’ senior vice president and executive director Matt Bunting, who has nearly two decades of production and creative experience at Turner Broadcasting. Serving as an integral member of the team is production manager Natalie Hendricks, who was recognized as a Rising Star on the annual Synopsis’ Top Women in Media list. Filming, producing and editing the content is senior producer Dan Bartlett, Sr. content producer James Dawkins, producer Andy Collins, and digital content producer Zach Fletcher.
“Our goal at Hawks Studios is to tell the story of our teams in a unique and emotional style while playing a role in redefining the ways that culture and sports interact,” said Bunting. “We hope to provide multi-platform content that truly engages our fans and revolutionizes the way advertisers connect with their audiences.”