Quidditch Coast-to-Coast
Fast Break News Presents a Regional Highlight Reel Initiative
Steven Belitzky (University of Rochester, #1) throws a beat at Eddie Molina (Texas Quidditch, #12).
Photo Credit: taken by Isabella Gong and edited by Zach Shaffer
“We wanted to create highlight reels for every region so that teams that usually don’t get recognized for their talent and hard work can see themselves on the screen.”
Fast Break News is excited to announce Quidditch Coast-to-Coast, the first-ever regional highlight reel initiative. For the past four months, Fast Break News (FBN) has been working hard to create captivating videos that highlight the amazing breadth of collegiate talent in each of the seven USQ regions: the Great Lakes, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, the Northeast, the South, the Southwest, and the West.
“Representation is critical for this sport. I first pitched this idea with the future of recruiting in mind. Many teams are showing highlight reels of players who have no connection to their team. We wanted to create highlight reels for every region so that teams that usually don't get recognized for their talent and hard work can see themselves on the screen in quidditch media.”- Naresh Edala, Co-Founder & Editor of Fast Break News and quidditch coach & player based in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.
In order to tackle this immense initiative, FBN partnered with a group of incredible filmmakers from the quidditch community: Ariel Heiblum, Harry Queeney, Ally Manzella, Luke Meissner, Ian Scura, and Gerry Taylor.
“Exciting and engaging videos like these are what will help legitimize the sport to those who are unaware of quidditch. ”
“Exciting and engaging videos like these are what will help legitimize the sport to those who are unaware of quidditch. This was truly a team effort. From the volunteers who spent hours finding the best footage from each region to the talented filmmakers and editors who were driven by their love of the sport, we worked hard to make sure that these videos highlight the skill and unique character of each region.”- Jake Zaslav, Senior Video Producer at Fast Break News.
This initiative would not have been possible without FBN’s incredible team of Archival Producer Volunteers (APVs). They have spent countless hours watching film and identifying highlights over the last 4 months. Josh Anglum, Abraham Beningson, Colby Chen, Naresh Edala, Mike Li, Juan Martinez, Jack Moseley, Joe Robles, Alexander Scherger, Eric Shen, Caleb Van Buren, and Fiona Wisehart all put in an enormous amount of time to make this project happen and we are immensely grateful for their efforts. Serena Monteiro, Volunteer Coordinator & Project Manager, Jake Zaslav, Senior Video Producer, and Naresh Edala, Co-Founder & Editor, were also instrumental in organizing this project.
Fast Break News will be releasing a new highlight reel every Tuesday, beginning tomorrow, April 6th. They will be posted to our website and our socials. The first to be released will be the Mid-Atlantic Regional Highlight Reel, directed by Ian Scura.