the remix.mp4
they're playing basketball...we love that basketball....
Hey! Long time no see teammates. We’ve had our heads down applying to jobs and adjusting to post-grad life, but we figured it was time to come up for air and give you a quick debrief:
Ethan is obsessed with Liquid Death sodas, and he recently ordered the variety pack for the early Black Friday sale! It comes with a cola, lemon-lime, and root beer flavor, in addition to their version of Dr. Pepper. Ethan has only tried the root beer in the past, so he is excited to try news ones.
Jade made yummy gingerbread muffins! If you’re craving those classic holiday flavors but aren’t too fond of gingerbread cookies, these muffins are a delicious alternative. Jade ate one with a hot cup of coffee, which was the perfect pick-me-up! You can find the recipe here.
Firings, trades, contract negotiations… whew, there’s a lot to catch up on!
The Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets shook up the NFL at the trade deadline, as the Colts bet big and traded for star Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner. The Jets are planning for the future as they hold first-round picks, but will that be enough to rescue a struggling franchise?
Speaking of trade deadlines, beleaguered GM of the Dallas Mavericks Nico Harrison was fired, likely due in part to the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade that sent the team’s superstar to the Lakers. Like Jade, it looks like Nico is also #OpenToWork.
Trinity Rodman, forward for the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, may be considering offers to play in England or the USL Super League. Rodman, who’s helped lead the Spirit to the upcoming championship this weekend, said she’s focused on the present, but we can’t help but wonder if she’ll be exchanging her morning coffee for an afternoon tea.
It’s safe to say that all these shake-ups have thrown the sports world into a blender, mixing everything up, if you will. Which brings us to the…
Main Course: the remix.mp4
For this week’s main course, we had the pleasure of talking over email with Max Frishberg, a talented writer and editor who tells stories in the basketball realm. He also frequently works on projects alongside his brother Harry, carrying on the ‘double team’ tradition. Thank you, Max, for sharing your insights and experiences. Enjoy!
Feel free to introduce yourself! How did you get into editing? What do you do now? What teams/players did you grow up admiring?
Hi! My name is Max Frishberg, aka MaxaMillion711. Growing up as a huge fan of the NBA and movies/filmmaking, I wanted to find a way to combine both interests. I was drawn to the idea of taking the music of the film scores I loved and playing them to my favorite NBA highlights. Whether it was an action track by Hans Zimmer synced up to dunks or a memorable overtime finish with David Arnold’s 007 music timed out to when the ball goes through the net, it was the most fun thing in the world for me to create these short NBA films.
I found it very creatively fulfilling, and it helped me identify what I loved about both movies and the NBA: storytelling. Whether it was a great story with characters in a movie or the story of an NBA game, storytelling was the common thread in both interests.
I pretty much self-taught myself to edit by doing. My first edits weren’t the best, but I kept at it, trying to improve one after the other. Learning those editing skills helped me grow into an all-around editor, which is still what I do today. I was able to launch a production company with my brother, where we edit not only NBA and sports content but commercials, social media campaigns, short films, music videos and even some independent feature films.
Growing up in Portland, Oregon, I became a die-hard Blazers fan, starting with the Rasheed Wallace/Damon Stoudamire/Scottie Pippen era, through the Brandon Roy era, the Dame era, and now this new era (Dame again!).
But Vince Carter will always be my favorite individual player. Seeing his amazing plays, dunks, and game-winners inspired me to start recording NBA games on my own — capturing his highlights [and] creating a library of plays I could rewatch and use for edits. I credit VC with motivating me to learn about video capture and that whole process.
How do you research clips or come up with mix ideas?
I try to follow what I’m actually interested in, and not to follow “what’s hot” right now. I look for players and stories that inspire me and give me some kind of reaction. Sometimes the most popular thing coincides with that, like when Jeremy Lin was going off. But more often than not, I like to make videos I myself would want to watch as a fan.
What’s your favorite video that you have edited?
Since I was a kid, I captured everything Vince Carter did during his career. Mostly I recorded the games myself, but I had to track down footage from collectors all around the world to fill out my collection for his early year stuff. So after 20 years, I had amassed a huge library of his career. And the one video I am most proud of is creating a 3 and a half hour career tribute to VC. That was always my goal, even when he was in Year 6, I said, “When his career is over, I am going to make a movie out of it.” So in 2024, I finally completed that goal.
How do you feel about extremely short-form content, like TikTok edits and Instagram reels?
The shorter form stuff feels disposable to me. I personally try not to consume NBA content like that. I realize it’s extremely popular now. But I much prefer longer compilations, more focused videos, and most importantly videos that I would want to return to, weeks or months later.
Adam Silver has recently said that the NBA is a highlight sport. How do you feel about that statement? Do you agree or disagree?
For certain people, it definitely is. I myself can relate to what he’s saying. I just look at how I grew up as an NBA fan: capturing highlights, editing highlights, tracking down highlights from collectors. Highlights were how I remembered games, remembered players, remembered moments.
What future project are you most excited about?
Being a partner with NBA Playmakers on Youtube has me extremely excited about future projects. Already since joining, the team over there has helped me track down high quality footage from some of my favorite players and teams. Creating videos focused on Jason Williams, Allan Houston, Rasheed Wallace, Stromile Swift, Desmond Mason … These have been dreams of mine since I was younger to see their footage in great quality.
My focus these days is celebrating the 90s and 2000s era of NBA basketball. I feel that era is under-represented on YouTube. So whether it’s creating a 20-minute Penny Hardaway video, or a comprehensive compilation of T-Macs 2002-03 season, those are the projects that I’m super excited about. Videos that can be evergreen and hopefully show the younger generations what the NBA I loved is all about.
The interview has been edited for clarity.
Buzzer Beater
Jade is SOOO pumped to try out some new recipes as we transition from fall to winter. Sweet potato pound cake is next up, so stay tuned!
Ethan is very excited to eat Thanksgiving foods, including his favorite mashed sweet potatoes.
That’s all for today!
See you soon,
Double Team