The '76 Jersey Film Project

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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The 7th Annual Awards

Nominee ✨

• Best Photography

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ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The '76 Jersey Film Project captured a once-in-50-years uniform matchup — the Buccaneers' white inaugural jersey worn against the Seattle Seahawks, the same opponent from 1976 — entirely on 35mm film, matching the medium to the historical weight of the moment. The project generated 1.2M+ impressions and outperformed the vast majority of the team's digital-native content, proving that constraint-based, analog photography can compete at the highest levels of modern fan engagement.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

Sports photography is largely a race to the fastest lens and the cleanest edit. The '76 Jersey Film Project ran the opposite direction and succeeded. The metrics prove that a deliberate, constraint-driven creative approach can compete at the highest levels of fan engagement without an advantage. For any team sitting on a historically significant moment, this project offers a clear blueprint: match the medium to the meaning, and fans will meet you there. 

Objective

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 50th season created a once-in-a-generation photographic opportunity: the team's white '76 jersey — worn only once, during the franchise's inaugural 1976 season — would be worn again against the Seattle Seahawks, the same opponent from that original matchup. The goal was to capture this unrepeatable uniform moment in a way that visually transported fans back in time, honoring the legacy of 50 seasons while leveraging modern distribution to maximize reach and resonance across every fan generation. 

To do that authentically, the answer was 35mm film. 

Strategy & Execution

The creative decision to shoot on 35mm film was rooted in both historical integrity and generational appeal. For fans who grew up with film, it triggers genuine nostalgia. For the next generation of Buccaneers supporter, it registers as something they've never seen applied to live sports — a vintage medium made fresh. That dual resonance was central to the strategy. 

Execution required solving a real logistical challenge: 35mm film must be physically processed before it can be distributed, creating a window that doesn't exist in digital workflows. The team partnered with a local Tampa film lab to expedite processing and delivery, ensuring the content met publishing deadlines without sacrificing the medium's integrity. Every frame was shot knowing there were no second chances — no instant review, no adjustments. That constraint is part of what makes the work authentic. 

The images and social-first video were distributed across platforms, blending the analog aesthetic with modern content consumption habits to meet fans where they are. 

Organizations

• Coastal Film Lab

Credits

Kyle Zedaker
Senior Team Photographer
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Max Steele
Vertical Video Lead
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Joey Nelson
Director, Digital & Social Media Content
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dan Beltran
Creative Director
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Steve Vollmer
VP, Creative
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Join us for the 7th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 24, 2025 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.