CHSN Network Launch

Role: Creative Director, Sales & Marketing
Client: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN)
Date: June–October 2024
Type: Brand Development, Experiential Strategy, Executive Communication

Overview:
In June 2024, I joined Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) as Creative Director for Sales and Marketing, just four months ahead of their public launch. At that point, the brand existed only as a name and two colors. My task was to translate that minimal identity into a full visual ecosystem — one that could support sales efforts, executive storytelling, and an experiential launch event that would mark CHSN’s entry into the Chicago sports landscape.

The launch event was a pivotal moment, not just for visibility but for commercial positioning. I led the creative development for the event’s visual brand experience, executive presentation strategy, and partner-facing materials — all designed to establish CHSN as a bold, credible home for the Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox.

The Challenge:
With an aggressive timeline and limited existing brand assets, CHSN needed to:

  • Build a clear and consistent marketing identity from scratch

  • Position itself to attract both fans and advertisers

  • Launch with a high-impact, live event that showcased its vision and value

The creative output needed to align the expectations of multiple teams: internal sales, experiential production, CHSN executives, and major league partners — all while creating space for future sponsor integrations.

The Creative Solution

  • My approach began with defining a visual language rooted in Chicago’s sports heritage while incorporating modern motion graphics, energetic type treatments, and scalable layouts for future campaigns.

    I established:

    • A design system beyond the original logo — typography, expanded color palette, layouts for digital and print.

    • Marketing collateral for the sales team: pitch decks, media kits, sponsor overviews.

    • A visual theme for the launch event that balanced the heritage of Chicago sports with the modern tone of CHSN as a broadcast and digital brand.

  • A core deliverable was the CRO’s keynote presentation, which introduced CHSN’s market strategy and platform offerings to investors, partners, and press.

    I collaborated closely with:

    • The event production team to ensure content met AV and screen specs.

    • The experiential leads to ensure brand consistency across environmental graphics and stage visuals.

    Key efforts:

    • Built the full visual story for the CRO keynote.

    • Art directed on-screen content that worked across LED walls and large-format displays.

    • Delivered event-ready decks and media assets optimized for the venue.

    • CHSN launched successfully in October 2024, now the broadcast home of the Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox.

    • The launch event was covered by major outlets including NBA.com.

    • Internal and external stakeholders praised the creative cohesion and brand polish.

    This foundational work positioned CHSN to attract and secure long-term partnerships — including a high-profile campaign with Wind Creek Casino in early 2025.

    View the Wind Creek x CHSN activation →

  • Launching a brand with minimal assets and a short runway was a challenge but also a creative opportunity. This project allowed me to:

    • Build a system from the ground up

    • Collaborate across executive, sales, and production teams

    • Set a brand tone that scaled into future campaigns