Built physical and digital systems for USA Powerlifting's national broadcasts — raising the bar for how their sport looks, feels, and sounds online.
USA Powerlifting brought me in to reinvent their livestream experience. I led the creation of a full broadcast system—designed, staffed, branded, and run in-house for a fraction of traditional costs.
Turning Powerlifting Broadcasts Into Professional Sports Moments
I aimed to achieve and deliver a professional sports broadcast on a budget. In the end, I built a $250,000+ production system for around 70% less by being resourceful, thinking outside the box, and learning plenty of new skills along the way.
Commentary
A custom-built two-way intercom allows commentators to chat about the action while a director cues, feeds information, and guides.
Many new production features were added, including post-lift interviews
These helped to turn major events into stories rather than simple records of what happened.
Warmup Room
Adding warmup room footage extended the competition coverage, building anticipation and giving viewers rare behind-the-scenes access.
Closeups
Varying shot composition makes viewers feel like they're at the competition, raising emotion and personalizing the athletes.
Having commentators on camera personalizes the voices and establishes trust
Like many broadcasts, commentators are the life of the show. They serve as the source of truth, amplifying emotions and guiding the audience.
Advanced Data Overlays
Forecasted prognosis, next lifters, bar speed, current standings, and automatic record detection were among the new features we added.
3D Assets
Recreated a to-scale barbell for use in transitions and assets in Blender
USA Powerlifting Saves By Purchasing and Building In-House
USA Powerlifting Cost
~ $60,000 one-time investment — $17 - 20K/event
Industry Standard Pricing
~ $175,000 - $255,000
Most sports federations outsource livestreams of this scale — often paying $200,000 or more per event to bring in external crews, rent equipment, and deliver a professional-grade broadcast. Because USA Powerlifting is a nonprofit, I had to think creatively, research deeply, and create a reusable, upgradeable system.
Professional streaming has the potential to attract major sponsors and propel the sport forward. For now, they are doing the most with what they have.
Fake It 'Til We Make It
Every limitation was just another design problem to solve. I built a scalable solution looking at big-budget sports broadcasts and asking, What can we still do? How can I fake this with what we have? In the end, resourcefulness, critical design thinking and fast learning let me turn scrappy beginnings into some of the best broadcasts in powerlifting.
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