What It's Like Livestreaming For The Big Rock Tournament

What is Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament?

Our work with the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament dates back to the dark ages - that’s right, COVID summer. In the summer of 2020, the tournament risked cancellation. With an expectation of lower crowds and greater exposure potential, sponsors threatened to pull their support. Thankfully, Josh and Nancy were quick on their feet. With Josh’s video production skills and Nancy’s news channel experience, our team was more than capable of streaming the action live and producing segments for sponsors to air their commercials throughout the week. Ever since that summer, TRIWORKS has been up close and personal to all the action, running the livestream from Saturday’s Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament, throughout the entire week of Big Rock’s offshore fishing and weigh-ins, on into the following Sunday’s awards banquet.

This thrilling high-stakes operation makes for a week that the team looks forward to every year, and we wanted to share a behind-the-barricade peek into our experience. Since its creation in 1957, Big Rock has become one of the most prestigious fishing tournaments around the world. Held annually in Morehead City, NC, this tournament not only celebrates sportfishing but also ignites a sense of community among its participants and supporters. With substantial prize money and the champion title on the line, Big Rock attracts top-notch captains, anglers and teams to showcase their skills. Our team is honored to have captured the tournament’s legendary moments in real time for the past five summers.

The Livestream

Getting the livestream up and running is always a good time (and never without a new challenge or two). The planning process begins months in advance. Our guys prepare the motion graphic and video transitions for the broadcast, consider the upcoming livestream’s overarching storyline and rent out all necessary equipment. The TRIWORKS van operates as our HQ for the week. Josh’s FBI stakeout-style setup allows him to watch our team’s camera monitors and switch between each perspective in real time. Thanks to our legit new headsets, he easily communicated with our cameramen from afar. 

Capturing the Big Rock Big Hero by Salt Life

While we have only streamed the tournament the past five summers, TRIWORKS’ involvement with Big Rock predates 2020. Since 2018, our team has been tasked with creating the annual Big Rock Big Hero video, packaging this incredible program into one compact story. For those unfamiliar, Big Rock Big Hero presented by Salt Life recognizes our nation’s heroes and acknowledges the great lengths they have gone to serve our country. To show their support, six Big Rock captains host these heroes on their boats for at least one day of fishing. Each year, TRIWORKS creates a documentary-style video that highlights the incredible heroes participating in the tournament. Their touching stories testify to their bravery and dedication. We were honored to capture the 2024 tournament heroes’ experiences, from their time on the water to their heartfelt reflections on service and sacrifice.

Day one brought some of the most memorable moments of this year’s tournament. The event’s competitive nature creates such a lively atmosphere, and our team feeds off that energy. This year, the Release, a local boat out of Atlantic Beach, landed the tournament's first blue marlin. Not only did it cross the finish line ahead of the fleet, it was the first marlin over 500 pounds! As the winners of this year’s Fabulous Fishermen competition, this impressive catch instantly earned the team a substantial prize of $1.7 million and set the tone for the rest of the week.

As we gear up for next year's tournament, we can't help but reflect on the incredible moments and the sense of community that comes from Big Rock. We always have the best time executing the livestream, supporting the hardworking tournament team, cheering on the action and visiting with clients and friends who came to watch it all go down! Join us as we count down to another unforgettable year at the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament!