A chance to meet legends and legends in the making.

Last week, and at very last minute, I was asked to shoot stills for a 25th Anniversary video for Steiner Sports Marketing & Memorabilia. If you don’t know Steiner Sports, you’re either 1) not into sports or 2) have never stepped foot in a sports arena or stadium – because they are everywhere! In just 25 years, Brandon Steiner has built a multi-million dollar marketing empire based on, as he puts it, “capturing and preserving moments” – those moments, are moments in sports history.

As I learned from an off-the-cuff conversation after he finished an interview with one of the many media outlets that showed up to celebrate Steiner’s 25th Anniversary, his empire started in a 1,000 square foot office space in Manhattan that he shared with two other companies.

Bradley Ennis, 1st Assistant at Kevin Michael Reed Studio, stands in for a test shot in our make shift studio at the Steiner Sports warehouse.

Over two days, Monday and Tuesday, I had the opportunity to walk the same halls as legends, sit and talk with those legends, and even create some portraits of a few in a makeshift studio that I setup in the Steiner warehouse.

My first moment of pure shock was after Coach Bob Knight finished an interview, Yankees star Mark Teixeira walked in the room to introduce himself to Coach Knight. Coach Knight stood up to shake Mark’s hand and tell him how much he liked watching him play. He then proceeded to teach Teixeira the best way to pick a guy off at first base — his idea was pretty clever, but I’m not sure that any major leaguer would fall for it.

Coach Knight and New York Yankee Mark Teixeira at Steiner Sports

Over the next couple days, I had the opportunity to shoot portraits of Otis “OJ” Anderson (NY Giants 1986-1992), Ryan Callahan (NY Rangers), Mark Messier (NY Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, now assistant to president of NY Rangers), Victor Cruz (NY Giants), John Starks (NY Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz), Joe Morris (NY Giants), and Don Larson (NY Yankees, Orioles, KC A’s, White Sox, Giants, Cubs). And though I only got some snap shots of them Mariano Rivera (NY Yankees), Mookie Wilson, and Cecil fielder.

Overall, a very cool event to be a part of. Here’s a shot of me photographing Giants Star Victor Cruz in our makeshift studio in the Steiner Sports Warehouse.

Kevin Michael Reed

Kevin Michael Reed is a theatre maker from New York City living in Dublin and London. His production credits have included producer, director, playwright, dramaturg and designer. He is Artistic Director of Squire Lane Theatrical UK, a theatre production company specialising in developing new works for the stage. He holds a BFA in Photography from the Fashion Institute of Technology (SUNY), a MA in Playwriting from City, University of London, and a MFA in Theatre Directing from The Lir, National Academy of Dramatic Art, Trinity College Dublin.

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