LIGHTS, CAMERA, ATHLETICS
 

International champion figure skater Sasha Cohen, New York Ranger Matthew Barnaby, & American tennis pro James Blake are some of the celebrity athletes that have recently filmed right here in Central Florida – not at the Disney MGM Studios or Universal Studios – but here at home in Maitland at the RDV Sportsplex. More productions are looking to the Sportplex’s authentic athletic atmosphere as a backdrop for TV shows, national commercials, and local media stories.

“We have the element of real people versus actors,” explains Kim Miller, RDV Marketing Coordinator. “We have all the resources – power, lighting, and broadcasting – for major productions.”

This is what attracted MJZ, a Los Angeles based production company, to produce a national Citizen Watch commercial featuring Sasha Cohen and James Blake last April.

“It was a commercial...utilizing the up and coming stars of tomorrow: tennis, figure skating, auto racing, golf, and others,” states RDV Tennis Team Leader, Ken Obermeier. MJZ brought in three semi trucks, cranes, lights, and cameras, two mobile homes for the athletes and director, and a crew of 25 people including 10 from Los Angeles.

“Commercials that are shot here at RDV show people what an amazing facility we have,” avows Ken. We have “diverse membership, unlimited training, and fun activities.”

“In our case, you can’t replicate an ice rink on a sound stage,” explains RDV Hockey Team Leader, Jim Haverstrom. Jim should know. Not only is he in charge of all RDV hockey programs, but he also appeared, with Nickelodeon co-host Jonah Travick, on an episode of Nickelodeon’s Slimetime Live. “It was quite a production,” continues Jim, “seeing them turn the rink into a giant sound stage.” He played an angry coach determined to turn the timid Travick into a lean, mean, hockey-playing machine.

The show, which aired on Nickelodeon last May, also featured Slimetime Live Host Dave Aizer, co-host Jessica Holmes, RDV hockey players from the girl’s league, 65 Nickelodeon crewmembers, multiple cameras, lights, audio, and gallons of slime! “The kids had a blast,” laughs Jim, “and one of the big questions always was how are you going to get the slime off the ice?” A few passes on the zamboni took care of that.

The production also featured New York Ranger Matthew Barnaby and Darcy Hordichuck from the Florida Panthers. They were brought in to appear on Slimetime Live for an NHL promotion. In addition, a local video crew gathered additional “behind-the-scenes” footage featured on ESPN.

Slimetime Live Producer/Director Jason Harper found significant support at RDV. “Slimetime Live needed to put together a show that featured NHL players, hockey-themed games, hockey-themed costuming, and do it all on ice.” After his team assembled these elements, they looked to RDV and found that they solved their biggest issue: shooting on ice with all necessary production assistance at their fingertips.

It is because of member friendly planning by RDV’s expert staff that these large-scale productions don’t interfere with normal athletic activities. The entire Slimetime Live crew loaded in at 2:30AM and wrapped at 12:30PM, leaving the rest of the day for members to practice on the standard NHL rink.

“There is a delicate balance,” comments RDV Ice Den Director Chuck Osterink, “between maintaining our programming schedule and hosting unique opportunities like these. In the case of Slimetime Live, we were able to give several of our young boys and girls a chance to participate in one of their favorite shows, so that was a win-win for us.”   

Practically every location at RDV can serve as a production stage. “We have it all,” Kim Miller affirms, “a tennis center, athletic club, 2 ice skating rinks, sand volleyball, inline skating, salon and spa, 3 pools, basketball courts, multi-sport gym, racquetball, and squash courts.” There is also plenty of power, room for wardrobe, hair & make-up, space for production offices, and dressing rooms. Crews will find a real sports environment and save money by avoiding high design costs.

Commercials and TV shows aren’t the only productions that have shot at RDV. Channel 13 highlighted the NFL Combine, an annual test of skill, intelligence, and physical condition. Featuring Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper and Pittsburg Stealers linebacker Levon Kirkland, RDV’s “Sport Specific Training Program” prepared players to compete against other NFL hopefuls in the Combine.

"RDV productions are a great way to promote our facility and to let [everyone] know that this is the #2 health club facility in the nation." RDV is truly a place that accommodates commercials, TV shows, and the media as well as it does its athletes and members.