10.15.25 By Bridgenext Content Studio Team
Few professionals in the world of sports media can claim the kind of resume Anthony J. Cortese has built. A career that has garnered not just awards, but unforgettable stories. With 14 Emmys to his name and collaborations with everyone from John Malkovich to Zlatan Ibrahimović, Anthony’s journey reflects both technical mastery and an unwavering passion for storytelling. From his early days editing wedding videos on Long Island to shaping some of the most iconic sports broadcasts of the past two decades, Anthony embodies the creative spirit that fuels the Bridgenext Content Studio.
Name:
Anthony J. Cortese…The J. is very personal to me. It represents my mom, my grandfather, my godfather and is a symbol of who and where I come from. So, I make sure to use it professionally (despite it sounding a little pompous).
State:
I grew up on Long Island, but have lived in New Jersey for nearly 30 years now.
Role:
VP of Editorial, though there are folks who are probably far more qualified for the technical aspects of that position. I just like to make stuff.
Favorite go-to snack/drink to keep your creative juices flowing:
Nuts and seeds. But, keep an eye on your chocolate if you’re around me.
How did you enter the field of video production or post-production? Share your career journey.
I had jobs editing wedding and industrial videos all throughout my college years at NYU, but I always considered my first real job in the industry to be when I was hired as an in-house editor for DMB&B, an iconic ad agency in NYC. I learned so much about my craft and what it takes to do this job creatively and technically in those years. It’s even where I fully made the switch to non-linear editing in the late 90s. Then in 2008, while working at PostWorks in NY, I was introduced to Pete Radovich of CBS Sports and filled in as an editor on a project with a tight deadline. The piece ended up winning an Emmy and Pete pretty much hasn’t stopped working with me since. These days, our relationship has grown into a real creative partnership where I am involved in every aspect of a project. Producing, writing, directing, editing, music composition…you name it, I have a hand in it.
Sum up your work style in three emojis.
🚀 😵💫 🎯
What do you love most about working with your team at Bridgenext?
In my 9+ years working with this group, I have never once been told “no, you can’t do that”. When margins are tight, and every billable hour is a consideration, that is a level of trust and freedom that not many shops would offer.
What’s your favorite tool that you rely on daily?
The legal pad that sits to my right on my desk at all times. Not even a joke. If I don’t write it down.. it is gone forever.
As far as tech goes, though…every few years a tool seems to come along that is a total game changer. From non-linear editing itself (I am old enough to have begun my career editing on tape), to drives that were portable enough, big enough and fast enough to work on a bus in the Lincoln Tunnel, to LucidLink which completely changed how and where we were able to collaborate as a team. Right now, the tool that has changed how I work is AI. Particularly when it comes to audio editing. Rather than spending hours piecing together words and even syllables to make soundbites that sound right, I now have the ability to sample my interview subjects voice and simply have them join two thoughts or end a sentence naturally. I have very real issues with AI in general, so the ethics of it is the biggest challenge for me. But if you are vigilant about using the tech in an honest way, from a time and quality perspective, there is no turning back.
What fuels your creative fire? (Besides caffeine and money, of course!)
More than anything else, music is that thing for me. Maybe because I was a radio major before I switched to production, sound is where it all starts. Every morning before I start my day, I sit at my old piano and play for half an hour, minimum. Nothing puts me in the right frame of mind to create more than that.
What’s your biggest career achievement?
I somehow won the Emmy for short form editing three years in a row, and also won a Cannes Lion for editing in the same period. That was definitely a stretch in my career that I will never forget. Obviously, winning awards is not why I do what I do, but it kind of confirmed that I chose a career that I seem to have some sort of aptitude for.
2008/NYC – Moments after winning his first Emmy.
Being a 13-time Emmy winner, what was the first thought that came to your mind after winning your first Emmy?
It’s actually “14-time” (not to be a stickler). But yeah…I remember that moment. I was fairly certain someone must have made a mistake in tabulating the votes. I called my wife. Then I called my mom and dad and we all cried. It was just too surreal.
You can explore the full list of Emmy-winning projects on our Sports Marketing Page.
2018/NYC – With Bridgenext’s Dan O’Sullivan and John Gill, who were also nominated for Emmys that evening.
Tell us about a project that you are proud of.
The year that we won a billion awards for the Malkovich AFC Championship Tease, we had also produced an incredible open for the Army/Navy game.
2016/Boston – Shooting the iconic AFC Championship Tease with John Malkovich.
It was nominated and lost in virtually every Emmy category that it was up against the Malkovich tease in except for Post Sound Engineering which Dan O’Sullivan took home, very deservedly. In many ways, I am far more proud of that piece than the AFC Tease, simply because it was so different than anything we had ever done and absolutely blew people away. There are Army/Navy fans who have told me they watch it every year, without having any clue that I was involved. That is when you know you have done something right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bQQWhkg4-E
Nearly every project Anthony has been involved in has brought with it something unforgettable. And having worked on 7 Super Bowls, there have been a ton of those moments. Cortese edited his first documentary “A Game of Honor” on the heels of having worked his very first Super Bowl in 2010. For Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco, he collaborated with Ron Howard, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Talk about intimidating! But, each Super Bowl project has just reinforced how global and high-stakes sports storytelling can be. Here’s a glimpse from behind the scenes:
What is your go-to plugin / software for creating stunning visuals?
I’m probably not the right person to answer this question. Although I am quite proficient in software like After Effects, and for years built my work around complicated effects, I don’t really use them in my work today in a way where you would notice them. I strongly believe that story is everything. Full stop.
What’s the most exciting trend in video production right now?
Kind of the same answer as above. Though, I will say I am extremely excited by the amount of quality storytelling that is available today as a viewer. In the height of the reality boom, I feared we might be done-for as an industry. But, that sort of content found its place in the entertainment industry rather than permeating it, thankfully.
The democratization of filmmaking through the affordability of really high quality tech is very exciting, though. When used well, it means that great stories can come from anywhere and be told and promoted organically, without the meddling fingers of studio execs and focus groups.
How are you adapting to the video production / industry that’s always evolving?
I’m not sure my “style” will or should ever change because of trends.
But, from a tech standpoint, sometimes it feels more like keeping up than adapting. One good thing that came out of Covid was a TON of innovation that took away the roadblocks to collaboration. And you have to adapt because these things tend to become the standard very, very rapidly.
Honestly, I kind of live in a little bit of a bubble technologically. But, thankfully I’m surrounded by guys within the Bridgenext Content Studio team like Chris Reinhart, Luis Albritton and Todd Feuer who have their finger on the pulse of innovation and loop me in when a game changer comes along.
Favorite Quote (nice way to leave the blog)
I forget the exact quote, but Martin Scorsese once said something like “film is just as much about what is inside the frame as what is outside of it”. I love that because, while he probably was speaking about character backstory and the whole concept of ‘show, don’t tell’, it gets to the heart of storytelling in a very elegant way. The best we can do as storytellers is make someone feel something. And it’s not really for us to say what that thing is.
Anthony’s career is proof that great storytelling is timeless, even as tools, platforms, and technologies continue to evolve. What sets him apart is not just the recognition or the accolades, but the heart he pours into every project, and the way he lifts his team to dream bigger and push boundaries further. At Bridgenext Content Studio, we’re proud to call him a leader, collaborator, and friend, and we can’t wait to see what unforgettable stories he’ll create next.
Stay tuned for more stories on our Meet the team series.
