Behind the Scenes at Sport Beach: How We Captured the Heart of Cannes Lions

This year marked our third consecutive year supporting Stagwell’s Sport Beach at Cannes Lions—and it was by far the biggest yet. With big thanks to Team Enterprises and Stagwell, it’s great to be part of this amazing activation!

 

Over four packed days, more than 6,300 attendees, 41 panels, 193 content studio interviews, and dozens of athlete-driven activations took over the Croisette. And while the industry celebrated sport’s growing influence on brand storytelling, our job was to capture the full picture—every panel, every workout, every spontaneous moment—and turn it into meaningful content that lives far beyond the beach.

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Scaling the Production to Match the Moment

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To meet the scale of Sport Beach 2025, we ran a full production operation:

  • 5 US-based lead producers & crew

  • 15 local Cannes-based crew members

  • 10 Team Agency employees
  • 11 videographers

  • 3 photographers

  • Team of Editors in France and US
  • Production assistants, coordinators, and runners

  • Dedicated ingest, edit, and delivery teams across both US and European time zones

Our teams were on site from morning through night, filming and photographing from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. Over the week, we produced:

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  • Over 190 content studio interviews

  • Daily recap videos

  • 41 Panel’s From the main stage

  • On-the-fly social content

  • Sponsor content captures and branded moments

  • Athlete features and highlight reels

All in, we delivered hundreds of assets in real time, with more in post.

 

The Operational Lift No One Sees

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Cannes is not a forgiving environment for production teams. Between weather, crowds, talent schedules, and the sheer footprint of Sport Beach, this is not plug-and-play. We coordinated a moving operation across multiple active zones—from live panels and workout areas to basketball courts and speakeasies—all while transporting gear, managing client approvals, and adapting on the fly.

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The schedule itself was relentless. With content needing to be captured from early morning to late night, we had to balance US-based producers with European crews to ensure continuity while respecting labor and legal limits. Unlike traditional shoots that can run 10 or 12 hours, Cannes requires precision. We were constantly rotating teams to avoid burnout, cover midday lunches, and maintain full-day coverage without compromising quality or breaking compliance.

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Our logistical strategy was built around coverage shifts, physical movement tracking, and a real-time coordination command center that kept eyes on every panel, court, and meeting space. No breaks. No margin for error.

Why It Mattered

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Sport Beach wasn’t just another activation—it was a cultural moment. With global athletes like Serena Williams, Mo Farah, Billie Jean King, and Noah Lyles on stage, and brands eager to engage in new conversations around fandom, equity, and influence, this was an environment where real-time content creation wasn’t optional—it was expected.

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Billy Jean King On Stage

But great content doesn’t just happen. It takes deep preparation, tireless crews, and a creative team that knows how to find the story in the moment, under pressure.

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This year, we were proud not only to meet the moment, but to raise the bar.

Because at events like this, where every interaction has the potential to become a lasting brand memory, our job is to make sure it’s captured, elevated, and delivered to the world.

A special thank you and shoutout to our amazing team that traveled in from the US. Adam Lebenstein who Directed the Main Stage Content, Michelle Stanton who ran the crew, schedules, content studio and more, Joshua Curley who handled all the technical elements, content studios and was Michelle’s go to all week, Megan Jolly who rocked the sizzle shots on the gimbal and Mike Ahlskog who edited more videos in real time then any human or non human should really be able to.

Ready for What’s Next

We’re proud to be trusted year after year to support Sport Beach and Cannes Lions with a level of execution that reflects the scale of the vision. Our content is already making its way into global marketing campaigns, press stories, and internal recaps for some of the most influential brands in the world.

To our clients, collaborators, and crew—thank you. You made the impossible look easy.

And to the next partner who’s thinking about how to turn real-world moments into high-impact content: we’re ready when you are.

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