NHL 25 Reveal Trailer
Electronic Arts
Role: Principal / Senior Editor
Client: Electronic Arts
Production Company: Electronic Arts
For this year’s NHL 25 Reveal Trailer, I rejoined the NHL team to collaborate on ideation and editing. Partnering with Visual Content Supervisor Man Hong and Creative Cole Nowicki, we developed a compelling concept and executed it from start to finish.
Our team crafted a ripo that clearly conveyed the game’s new AI and gameplay features. Uniquely, we secured our music track early and planned both in-game and live-action footage before the shoot—allowing us to focus on capturing key moments with the Hughes brothers rather than relying on b-roll to shape the narrative.
The shoot took place at Hazel Park Ice Arena in Detroit, where we had exclusive access to an NHL-sized rink for three days. We maintained a controlled environment to keep the athletes’ involvement under wraps, utilizing dedicated spaces for the cover shoot and social content. The location, rich in grassroots hockey culture, was especially meaningful as it’s where Luke Hughes grew up playing.
This year was a milestone for the franchise, featuring three cover athletes for the first time — Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes. With our reveal trailer breaking the news, we had a unique opportunity to create something special. We built the edit around the cover shoot, seamlessly blending in-game capture and live-action footage to highlight the brothers’ impact on the game’s technological advancements.
Given their reputation for focusing on performance rather than the cameras, we structured the shoot as a friendly competition, bringing out their natural chemistry and sibling rivalry. This dynamic approach gave us an authentic glimpse into the Hughes household energy while capturing compelling footage.
Personally, this project was very significant as I finally had the chance to be on set after 7.5 years, problem-solving in real time rather than working with post-shoot footage. When our film time was unexpectedly cut in half, Man Hong and I quickly adapted to ensure we captured what we needed for the final trailer.
We ran a dual-camera setup:
– Cam A focused on dynamic close-up action.
– Cam B captured a long-lens, docu-style perspective.
We brought in two talented local cinematographers — John Anderson Beavers, skilled at filming while skating, and Sean Mouton, who delivered stunning shots on and off the ice. Their ability to hustle under time constraints was invaluable.
Here are some shots from the set — hopefully, this won’t be the last time we take this approach:
In addition to capturing footage, Man Hong conducted interviews with each Hughes brother, providing soundbites for the trailer and broader campaign. Throughout the shoot, I quickly integrated new shots into the edit, keeping the studio team updated in real-time. This workflow allowed for instant feedback and adjustments, ensuring we captured everything we needed before wrapping.
Back at the studio, we collaborated with the capture team to create seamless transitions between live-action and in-game content — a challenge given the game was still in development. Thanks to the capture artists’ hard work, we made it happen.
With our music track approved early, we worked with Source Sound to develop a custom composition, using AI to extract stems from the live recording. This gave us the flexibility to shape the narrative rather than cutting around a fixed track. Source Sound delivered exceptional work, elevating the final edit.
While the trailer leaked four days early, it still resonated with the Chel community, kicking off the campaign on a strong note. This project reinforced the value of adaptive workflows and innovative production methods — pushing beyond traditional approaches to create something fresh.
Big thanks to everyone involved — looking forward to the next one!
