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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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