TESTIMONIALS &
CASE STUDIES
The principals at OTP have been integral in the creation, development, and integration of the production workflow and live broadcasts that have led to the growth and on-air success of many of our partners. The examples below highlight some of our most successful partnerships and the results we can provide.
The great folks at OTP are absolute top-notch professionals! The sport of CrossFit prides itself on offering up the unknown and unknowable, and presents technical challenges like no other televised sport requires. OTP consistently handles those challenges with great aplomb, proving to be competent, proficient and agile. Most importantly, they treat everyone with respect and consideration.
Ted Laukaitis
Broadcast Director | CrossFit Games
WHAT OUR PARTNERS SAY
I've had the pleasure of knowing and working with Mike Roth for over 30 years. And when he and Charlie Dube formed their company some years ago, I knew it would be a success. Their attention to detail and commitment to excellence is unmatched in the production industry. Whether your project is a week long multi camera shoot on a major network or single camera web cast, they can do it all. They are true pros.
Tim Pabst
Freelance Sports Producer | NWSL, NHL, MLS, NFL
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
Open Tab Productions has the right blend of talent, experience, creativity and ingenuity to tackle a wide variety of live event productions. Whether it be a traditional mainstream or niche event, OTP will meet all your needs to deliver the highest quality production while working within your budget.
Erik Barnhart
Senior Coordinating Producer | CrossFit Games
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
CASE STUDY
THE CLIENT
The main production partner for each phase of CrossFit’s Season, Open Tab is enlisted to blend our knowledge of production and our knowledge of the sport to create best-in-class productions in a sport where “normal” does not exist.
Over a single CrossFit Games season the events, show formats, and production workflow is constantly changing, meaning an approach that was successful at the start of the season during the Open may not work for the final phase of the season The CrossFit Games. As a result, Open Tab Productions must work closely with the staff of the CrossFit Games to remain nimble, adaptable, and resourceful in order to have successful, high-quality, broadcasts while staying within the constraints of the budget.
2022 CF Games Capitol Event Case Study
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The CrossFit Games always challenges our abilities to problem solve. In 2022 OTP was the production company of record, responsible for all facets of the 5-day, multi-division, broadcast. Events took place in multiple venues, often simultaneously, and also took us outside of the confines of the main venue.
THE CHALLENGE
The 2022 CrossFit Games Capitol Event may have been our greatest challenge to date. 40 Athletes began the event in the North Park Stadium on the Alliant Energy Center campus. From there they ran 3 miles, around campus and through downtown Madison, on open city streets, to the Capitol building.
Once at the Capital athlete performed the final phase of the event, culminating in a weighted carry up the Capitol steps. This was the most ambitious event in the history of the CrossFit Games. Our challenge was to create and execute a seamless production plan over the entire distance of the event.
THE SOLUTION
We devised a coverage plan that combined cabled cameras, RF handhelds on shoulders, in carts and SUV’s and Bonded Cellular cameras in downtown. We also added 2 drones (one with an operator on a boat that followed the lead pack as they ran on the shore). In all we used 24 cameras to cover the action.
We had announcers on location at North Park, around the AEC campus and at the Capitol. Communication with a crew spread over many miles required us to use a combination of bolero and unity systems.
In addition to the technical and production challenges, the variables of weather, traffic on the still-open roads and the possibility of a train running through the “course” meant we had to get everything just right to pull this broadcast off.
THE RESULT
The Capitol event was the most impressive of a long line of hard-to-produce CrossFit Games shows. The combination of brainpower, production and technical plan, excellent work by all involved, and a sense of ownership by everyone on the crew resulted in a tremendously well-executed broadcast that will be remembered for a long time.
CASE STUDY
THE CLIENT
When the Drone Racing League set out to build their brand in 2015 they called on the members of Open Tab Productions to help them on their way. Open Tab’s principles helped DRL craft their live production workflow, camera coverage, talent development, and much more.
In addition to enhancements offered to the live production, Open Tab members were also integral in the development of DRL’s post-production TV shows that aired on NBC and DRL’s first-ever studio shows that were produced as a part of DRL’s partnership with Draft Kings.
2019 Drone Racing League - Level 5 at Chase Field
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Launched in 2016, the Drone Racing League was the first major league for high-speed drone racing. Pilots wear first-person view goggles and race drones on designed courses in abandoned malls, warehouses, and stadiums. By 2019 the DRL had amassed a cult following but had not yet cracked the mainstream. The goal of the event at Chase Field was to introduce the DRL to the masses via a live on-site show and post episodes to air on NBC.
THE CHALLENGE
The challenges at the Chase Field event were two-fold. One was to create a coverage plan that would allow new fans of the sport, who were live in the venue, to follow the action on the jumbotron and understand who was winning and what was happening. Easier said than done when the drones move up to 100 miles per hour.
The second challenge was to create a show format that made sense to both the fans in-house but then could also be edited into a 1-hour show format for a broader audience on NBC. Add to the mix that the content needed to be easy enough to digest for new fans but also not dumbed down too much for the existing fan base and we had our work cut out for us.
THE SOLUTION
OTP members were active in the pre-production process in order to guide the content and coverage plans from the earliest phases. In addition to formulating the coverage plan with 17 cameras, including 6 on-board POVs, a jib, a robotic camera, and handheld cameras in the “cockpit” and calling the cameras onsite, members from the OTP team were also involved in the post-production process to take the multiple hours of on-site footage and craft it into the best 1-hour mix of competition coverage, athlete profiles, and behind the scenes footage to showcase to the world on NBC.
THE RESULT
DRL Level 5 from Chase Field was a success on multiple levels. The preparation put forth allowed for a smooth and easy-to-follow in-house show, in front of the largest on-site crowd DRL had recorded at that point. The combination of the content plan and the execution during the capture allowed the content to seamlessly transition from the onsite experience into a 1-hour made for TV product that was able to show off the Drone Racing League and its pilots to the world.
I've worked with Rothy and Charlie on dozens of big productions over many years, both live and post-produced. Not only are they great storytellers, they understand what it takes from the ground up to create world class TV. They listen to what's needed, and find ways to deliver even more. I wholeheartedly recommend them!
Tony Budding
Executive Producer | Drone Racing League & CrossFit