As fall draws near NFL fans are definitely ready for some football and so is Hank Williams, Jr. who celebrates his 22nd year performing for a new season of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football”. Williams has won four Emmy Awards for his work on the annual football classic. This year’s show open will be the 4th supervised by Habana Avenue executive producer/creative director Steven J. Levy.
Habana Avenue, which has many strong network relationships, always goes the distance for ESPN in support of the networks’ Monday Night Football. Last year, the viewer followed Williams, Jr. through the MNF Hall of Fame in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Monday Night Football. Most recently, Habana Avenue produced a series of show opens for ESPN’s World Cup Soccer coverage featuring U2 and the Soweto Gospel Choir.
Last year’s Emmy nominated open was such a success, ESPN director Robert Toms and producer Valerie Fischler decided this year’s Monday night masterpiece would pick up where last year’s left off – the MNF Hall of Fame. With help from Fresh Paint Visual Effects and Design, Williams, Jr. delves into an antechamber of the MNF Hall of Fame to unveil a gallery of heroic moments from Monday Night Football’s past.
Habana Avenue produced the tour de force at a studio facility in Nashville, TN convenient to one of William, Jr.’s nearby home. Production Designer KJB Kiely supported tremendously by Rose Brand was charged with replicating the look of last year’s location, the Parthenon, an art museum in Nashville’s Centennial Park modeled for its namesake. The art department brought to life vibrant illuminated columns reminiscent of the Parthenon to give a grand look to the cavernous gallery.
In a grand finale, Williams, Jr. opens an oversized valve releasing multi-colored fountains of CG paint out of the MNF Hall of Fame and into the night sky. The open concludes by reprising the custom helmet animation based on the 17 regular-season match-ups.
Levy notes, “so much of our success has been made possible because of the local film community and the assistance provided by the Tennessee’s Film, Entertainment & Music Commission.”
About Habana Avenue
Habana Avenue is a turnkey creative production resource for agencies, brands, networks, live event and meeting design. Its divisions are at the ready for the current changing media landscape and uniquely positioned for the future. Offices located in New York, Los Angeles and Tampa. It maintains a boutique postproduction facility in Tampa called Bungalow Post @ Habana Avenue and has a postproduction alliance with full-service and nationally positioned Red Car, which has offices in New York, Miami, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.HabanaAvenue.com or call 212-355-8311.