“Take 1” Stephen Curry Proves To Be A Natural At Shooting ESPYS Promotions
The NBA superstar hosts The ESPYS tonight on ABC; an insider provides a look at how Curry recorded the multi-sport spot, hitting the key elements on his first take
A hallmark of Stephen Curry’s winning approach to basketball is his knack for finding the right spot to make the perfect shot.
The Golden State Warriors guard and 2022 NBA Finals MVP is a threat to sink a basket from anywhere on a 94-foot court’s confines – and even beyond, as he’s demonstrated with pre-game trick shots from arena corridors.
Curry seemingly can handle any task with uncanny aplomb, including shooting a promotion for his hosting gig for The 2022 ESPYS Presented by Capital One (live tonight, 8 ET, ABC) in Los Angeles.
In addition to playing host, the four-time NBA champion and eight-time All-Star is nominated for several awards, including best male athlete, best NBA player and best record-breaking performance.
Melissa King, Senior Vice President, Creative Marketing, ABC & General Entertainment, gives Front Row the details on Curry filming the promotion.
Plottin…@ESPYS pic.twitter.com/0PvqDuDall
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) July 19, 2022
How did the promotion’s concept come together?
Fans are already familiar with Stephen’s persona on the court – he’s a tough competitor who leads his team to championships. But what about Stephen the Awards host?
In our promos, we wanted to not only leverage the star power of the Finals MVP, but show how charming, fun, and funny he’ll be when he steps out on the ESPYs stage. Our incredible creative team, led by [executive creative director] Lauren Kenny-Rudolph, [creative director] Cheryl Beasley and [writer-producer] Sheila Alexander, came up with so many hilarious scripts it was tough to narrow it down to just a few.
We know Curry’s adept at basketball and golf – how did the football element come into play?
The ESPYs celebrate all sports, and we loved the idea of showcasing Stephen’s versatility as an all-around athlete to excite his basketball fans and sports fans across the board.
Yes, we know he’s one of the greatest basketball players and a gifted golfer, but what would happen when this Best Athlete nominee took on other popular sports? He’d crush it, of course. In fact, we had written a tennis scene for him as well but unfortunately had to cut it for time.
How many takes did it take to get the “football snag-while-phone scrolling” scene?
Stephen nailed the “football snag-while-phone scrolling” scene on Take 1 – no surprise! We only did extra takes of it for safety – in the promo world, you always want to get at least one backup take, just in case. And yes, he nailed the backup too.
How many takes were involved in the flying bat scene?
Stephen is truly a one-take wonder! He hit it out of the park on his first try. We were all so impressed with Stephen’s performance, and you could really tell he was having fun on set.
Are you a Curry fan? If so, what’s your favorite moment involving Curry from his basketball career and why?
Hells yeah! Any of his half-court shots I consider favorite moments, but I have to say, I’ve truly enjoyed his “Night Night” celebration [see below] from the NBA Finals. He’s not only the greatest shooter in NBA history, he’s a true trendsetter. I can’t wait to see what buzzy things he does when he takes the stage as ESPYs host on July 20.
