Jump’s Passion For Sport: The NFL
We recently wrote an article about how passionate the Jump team is about football.
But, there is a different kind of football we are equally excited about – particularly Jump’s Director and Head of Marketing, Russell Hilliard.
With the new NFL season kicking off tonight with the Baltimore Ravens taking on the defending champs, the Kansas City Chiefs (AKA Taylor’s Team), we took a look at all of the American Football sequences we’ve created over the years – and chatted to Russ about his love of the game.
Russell Hilliard – Director & Head of Marketing:
“For me, like many other UK NFL fans, it all started with the launch of Channel 4 in 1982. They were the first channel to start showing American Football in the UK and as a 12 year old boy, the sight of these huge players in helmets and pads, with fantastic team names and cool logos was totally mesmerising. I was hooked straight away.
Channel 4 showed a highlights package from the previous week – but I used to try and tune into the Armed Forces Network on my radio on a Sunday evening. It was an intermittent signal at best, and terribly weather dependent – but thrilling when you could actually hear live commentary. Now I can watch live games anywhere on my mobile phone!
Thinking NYC sounded like the coolest city on Earth and loving the colour green meant I chose the New York Jets as my team. Possibly not the best decision I’ve ever made. I didn’t realise back then the years of agony this was going to bring as a fan – but they had a cool name and logo – so the decision was set in stone. Looking back I think my fascination with NFL team logos fed into my overall passion for a career in design.
A very cool moment was getting to meet NFL legend Dan Marino when he was in London at a book signing in Oxford Street. I was proudly wearing my Jets jacket. He still shook my hand and was super friendly.
In 1986 things escalated! We had an amazing family holiday to the USA – which was partially inspired by my very kind parents wanting to take me to an NFL game. We got to see the Raiders at the LA Memorial Coliseum and my beloved Jets (in the NY Sack Exchange era) take on the Denver Broncos (led by John Elway) in a Monday Night game.
The game has grown and grown so much in this country and Europe over the years. I remember going to see the first NFL games at Wembley Stadium in the 80s (who remembers the Bears’ William Perry, The Fridge) – which were just pre-season friendlies. And now I occasionally get to see my own team, the Jets, play real season games in London. Crazy!
One of my biggest thrills at Jump over the years was when we won the pitch to create the titles for Channel 4’s American Football Live show – which was presented by the brilliant Nat Coombs and ‘Iron Mike’ Carlson. We ended up making a few sequences for them. To go from being an avid fan of the show as a kid – to getting to design graphics for it later in life was a real honour.”
There’s always a lot to be excited about with a new NFL season.
Will the Chiefs be the first ever team to Threepeat?
What will the new kickoff rules look like?
And will Aaron Rodgers’ achilles last more than 4 plays this year?
LET’S GO!
