How a New Era of Race Storytelling is Changing How Teams Tackle Big Productions

For many sitting at home (or even for folks who have made the trek), the major appeal of the NAB Show to the majority of followers will undoubtedly have to do with all of the major camera news and gear and tech announcements at the conference.However, while the NAB Show might be a great place for these announcements, it’s also quietly turned into a really awesome resource for those simply looking to learn and grow their careers. There are tons of networking possibilities, plus some pretty helpful sessions that share insights and tips for those looking to level up their skills.One highlight from this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas was "Rewriting the Rules: A New Era of Race Storytelling," featuring Shannon Vandivier and Blake Campbell of Cold Collaborative. Presented by OWC, this session gave some helpful insights into how teams, both big and small, can take on major productions of any scope. Here are some of our key takeaways from this session at NAB 2025.Rewriting the Rules: A New Era of Race StorytellingCold Collaborative, led by filmmaker Shannon Vandivier and editor Blake Campbell, shared how they redefined race storytelling through their cinematic cycling series—fueled by OWC's cutting-edge hardware. Their focus was on innovation, risk-taking, and game-changing workflows, especially with same-day or rapid-turnaround editing under tight deadlines. Some highlights from the project include: Inspired by Netflix’s Drive to Survive, the idea began in 2021 to transform how cycling races were covered—character-driven, cinematic, and emotionally engaging.The series revolved around the Lifetime Grand Prix, combining gravel and mountain biking into one race series—an unprecedented format in North America.Early Struggles and EvolutionFrom the discussion with Shannon and Blake of Cold Collaborative, the team experienced some early struggles as only 8 minutes of usable footage from the track was available in Season 1. This presented challenges as the lack of clear storytelling and real-time narratives presented themselves. Campbell and Blake had to learn by doing—facing editorial chaos, missed shots, and poor infrastructure for fast turnarounds. By Season 2, though, the team was turning in 40-minute edits with detailed race breakdowns. The Leadville 2023 race, in particular, became a pivotal moment. The client demanded a 24-hour turnaround. Cold Collaborative made it work with a combination of helicopter filmmaking, real-time announcer commentary, and quick offloading and editing of multiple angles. But the system was fragile—Blake described it as a “breakup” with the workflow due to how technically chaotic it became.Helpful Gear for the JobOne of the most helpful pieces of gear and tech innovation used by the team was the OWC Jellyfish—a centralized, high-speed, NVMe-based server that allowed multiple editors to work simultaneously.This enabled streamlined workflows, real-time collaboration, and significant stress reduction. With OWC’s help, Cold Collaborative created a mobile broadcast-like production system with fast-turn storytelling, leading to 65-minute feature-length edits delivered in under 48 hours.The team was also thankful for massive community support—athletes, families, and fans were finally able to connect emotionally with cycling on a deeper level. International interest included attention from the European cycling scenes, and the videos have now garnered hundreds of thousands of views, proving there’s an appetite for this new form of storytelling.Key Lesson and TakeawaysAt the end of the session, Shannon and Blake broke down their key lessons and advice into the following points: Innovation = Big dreams + a team crazy enough to chase them.Don’t quit: failure and struggle are inevitable, but they lead to breakthroughs.Build your team: Long-standing relationships and trust are irreplaceable in high-pressure creative environments.The right tools matter: Investing in hardware that reduces stress and speeds up production pays dividends. Next for the team, Cold Collaborative is aiming even bigger—possibly exploring other sports like soccer or MotoGP with the same storytelling lens. The team is also driven by a desire to keep evolving, never becoming complacent, and using technology to push the boundaries of emotional, human-centered sports storytelling.

Apr 15, 2025 - 20:57

How a New Era of Race Storytelling is Changing How Teams Tackle Big Productions

For many sitting at home (or even for folks who have made the trek), the major appeal of the NAB Show to the majority of followers will undoubtedly have to do with all of the major camera news and gear and tech announcements at the conference.

However, while the NAB Show might be a great place for these announcements, it’s also quietly turned into a really awesome resource for those simply looking to learn and grow their careers. There are tons of networking possibilities, plus some pretty helpful sessions that share insights and tips for those looking to level up their skills.

One highlight from this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas was "Rewriting the Rules: A New Era of Race Storytelling," featuring Shannon Vandivier and Blake Campbell of Cold Collaborative. Presented by OWC, this session gave some helpful insights into how teams, both big and small, can take on major productions of any scope.

Here are some of our key takeaways from this session at NAB 2025.

Rewriting the Rules: A New Era of Race Storytelling

Cold Collaborative, led by filmmaker Shannon Vandivier and editor Blake Campbell, shared how they redefined race storytelling through their cinematic cycling series—fueled by OWC's cutting-edge hardware. Their focus was on innovation, risk-taking, and game-changing workflows, especially with same-day or rapid-turnaround editing under tight deadlines.

Some highlights from the project include:

Inspired by Netflix’s Drive to Survive, the idea began in 2021 to transform how cycling races were covered—character-driven, cinematic, and emotionally engaging.

The series revolved around the Lifetime Grand Prix, combining gravel and mountain biking into one race series—an unprecedented format in North America.

Early Struggles and Evolution

From the discussion with Shannon and Blake of Cold Collaborative, the team experienced some early struggles as only 8 minutes of usable footage from the track was available in Season 1. This presented challenges as the lack of clear storytelling and real-time narratives presented themselves.

Campbell and Blake had to learn by doing—facing editorial chaos, missed shots, and poor infrastructure for fast turnarounds. By Season 2, though, the team was turning in 40-minute edits with detailed race breakdowns.

The Leadville 2023 race, in particular, became a pivotal moment. The client demanded a 24-hour turnaround. Cold Collaborative made it work with a combination of helicopter filmmaking, real-time announcer commentary, and quick offloading and editing of multiple angles.

But the system was fragile—Blake described it as a “breakup” with the workflow due to how technically chaotic it became.

Helpful Gear for the Job

One of the most helpful pieces of gear and tech innovation used by the team was the OWC Jellyfish—a centralized, high-speed, NVMe-based server that allowed multiple editors to work simultaneously.

This enabled streamlined workflows, real-time collaboration, and significant stress reduction. With OWC’s help, Cold Collaborative created a mobile broadcast-like production system with fast-turn storytelling, leading to 65-minute feature-length edits delivered in under 48 hours.

The team was also thankful for massive community support—athletes, families, and fans were finally able to connect emotionally with cycling on a deeper level. International interest included attention from the European cycling scenes, and the videos have now garnered hundreds of thousands of views, proving there’s an appetite for this new form of storytelling.

Key Lesson and Takeaways

At the end of the session, Shannon and Blake broke down their key lessons and advice into the following points:

Innovation = Big dreams + a team crazy enough to chase them.
Don’t quit: failure and struggle are inevitable, but they lead to breakthroughs.
Build your team: Long-standing relationships and trust are irreplaceable in high-pressure creative environments.
The right tools matter: Investing in hardware that reduces stress and speeds up production pays dividends.

Next for the team, Cold Collaborative is aiming even bigger—possibly exploring other sports like soccer or MotoGP with the same storytelling lens. The team is also driven by a desire to keep evolving, never becoming complacent, and using technology to push the boundaries of emotional, human-centered sports storytelling.