There are few more storied college football programs than Ohio State.

Since 1922, Ohio Stadium has been home to iconic gameday rituals: Script Ohio, the playing of “Buckeye Battle Cry,” and the postgame singalong of Carmen Ohio.

So when Ohio State Athletics reached out about creating a video to promote a brand new gameday tradition, we knew it had to be special.

Any Buckeye fan knows the sound of the Victory Bell after a home win. Its toll echoes down Lane Avenue, signaling that the celebration has begun.

The new idea flipped that moment on its head: ring the bell before kickoff. Give the Buckeyes a pregame tradition on par with the Browns’ guitar smash or the Seahawks’ 12th Man flag raising. And make it a platform to honor a different Buckeye legend each week.

Our job was to craft a script and storyboard that would both introduce this tradition and build anticipation for the very first bell ringer: Archie Griffin, the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in college football history.

The video would debut online ahead of the season and then play in-stadium at the 2025 opener against the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns. More than 100,000 fans. The biggest game of opening weekend. The stakes were clear: this needed to feel big.

Ohio State Athletics

Client

Christa Cox

Head of Production/Executive Producer

Mike Beaumont

Creative Director, Writer

Miranda Dumm

Director

Olivia Ciotti, Rimma Dreyband

Producers

Lew Holder

Editor

Kurt Keaner

Colorist

Jonny Sidlo, Dan Hildebrand

Animators

AAF ADDYS | Gold, Judge's Choice

Award

CSCA Award of Excellence

Award

WRITING THE SCRIPT

We wanted the language to feel timeless, reverent, almost mythic, as if the bell had been waiting in the quiet all along. The narration is poetic but direct, weaving together the sounds and symbols of Buckeye tradition before building to a rallying cry: “From this day forward, the bell rings first.”

STORYBOARDS

With the script set, we mapped out a visual approach that leaned into atmosphere. Dawn at an empty Horseshoe. Warm, golden light. Drone shots gliding around the bell tower. Slow, deliberate reveals. Thanks to full access from the university, we were able to turn the stadium into a cinematic stage.

Archie was fully on board and a blast to work with. We spared him the 4 a.m. call time and used a body double for those first-light shots, then brought him in to deliver the hero moment.

Animatic & Gameday

Less junkMore space

WE DON’T STICK TO SAFE SPACE

Let’s Build something great together

Get in touch

We are Standing By