Behind The Scenes

Warriors welcome Hannah Storm for latest Face to Face

Hannah Storm with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (l) and guard Stephen Curry.

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(Photo courtesy Hannah Storm)

Begun in 2012 and now in its ninth episode, Hannah Storm’s Face to Face series takes a bit of a turn tonight (ESPN, 7:30 ET), shifting from a multi-interview hour to a single-team-focused, 30-minute special: “We wanted to try something new, to push the format of the show a bit and see how it turned out,” Storm said.

Throughout the season, we have limited the number of profiles and in-depth stories on our team due to the large number of requests we receive, but we felt this show, with ESPN and Hannah, was a great opportunity.
– Raymond Ridder, Golden State’s VP of Communications

“It takes the right team to pull this off — they have to have several engaging personalities and be willing to offer access,” she said. “In addition, we wanted a team that people don’t know everything about – the advantages are that you really get to know one organization and have a window into their success.”

Enter the Golden State Warriors, the team riding a 10-game winning streak and possessing the NBA’s best record at 61-13.

“We were very intrigued when we discussed the idea of a show featuring the Warriors with Hannah and her Face to Face crew,” said Raymond Ridder, Golden State’s Vice President of Communications. “Throughout the season, we have limited the number of profiles and in-depth stories on our team due to the large number of requests we receive, but we felt this show, with ESPN and Hannah, was a great opportunity.”

Face to Face with Hannah Storm: Golden State Warriors shows why the Warriors are the team to beat in the Western Conference. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Coach Steve Kerr provide candid interviews and share some special off-court moments with Storm.

It takes the right team to pull this off — they have to have several engaging personalities and be willing to offer access.
– Hannah Storm

“Hannah introduces us to the personalities who make up the Warriors, the dynamics working behind their success, and the atmosphere that permeates this young group of talented players both on and off the court,” said coordinating producer Ursula Pfeiffer. “Working with one team provided us the opportunity to gauge each player’s character through the eyes of those who spend most of the year with them and to understand the strengths and challenges they face as a group.”

“They were willing to work with us and have a real team atmosphere in the sense that they liked the idea of a number of individuals being highlighted rather than just one,” Storm said.

Said the Warriors’ Ridder: “Our players and coaches really enjoyed spending time with Hannah and, as a result, she was able to secure some terrific content.”

Producer’s Home Court Advantage
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Lizette Castaneda (above, with the special’s director of photography Josh Smith) came “face-to-face” with her hometown NBA team while working on tonight’s Face to Face with Hannah Storm: Golden State Warriors.

“Being that I was born and raised in the Bay Area and have been going to Warriors games since I can remember, as soon as I heard the Warriors were an option for the show, I honestly prayed that everything would fall into place and that I’d have this great opportunity,” said the San Jose, Calif. native, who was a cheerleader at James Lick High, whose notable sports alums include Jim Plunkett and Roger Maltbie.

Since Castaneda had worked with the Warriors while freelancing for local news stations and ESPN after graduating from San Jose State in 2001, she was instrumental in helping get team access for this special. She also expertly navigated her home turf suggesting and supervising “beauty shots” for the piece including at Pier 39, Jack London Square, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area bridges.

“I made a list of landmarks that would be essential in equally representing the Bay Area, since that the region is made up of so many cities and little towns,” she said. “And I took the crew to a couple of my favorite spots, including a taco place I love in Campbell.”

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