LA Galaxy: The Future Is Now
Prologue: When the Deadline Is Too Tight, and the Stakes Are Too High — Say Yes
We got the call. “Can you make a mini documentary about the entire history of LA Galaxy — in three days?” It wasn’t phrased exactly like that, but close enough. We said yes, obviously. Because when a club that changed the face of American soccer asks for something, you don’t think. You jump in, headfirst.
We didn’t pitch. We didn’t plan. We just started exploringg. Into archives, into fan chants, into grainy footage of Rose Bowl eruptions and 2000s pyrotechnics and Cobi Jones’s flying dreadlocks. And we didn’t stop until the story began to tell itself.
A bold animated moment from The Future Is Now, reimagining LA Galaxy heroes as comic-book icons. Artwork frames legacy through a fan’s lens.
“All I can remember is just laughing and smiling, thinking: this is it.”
— Cobi Jones, remembering the inaugural game
The Film That Started as a Fever Dream
We called it The Future Is Now. It wasn’t a tagline. It was a manifesto — pulled from locker room speeches and tattooed on the spirit of the team. Our job was to make something that didn’t just tell the LA Galaxy story. It had to feel like it was told by LA Galaxy. And their fans, their legends, their ghosts.
The film lives on Apple TV, in the official MLS feed. But in our hearts, it lives as one of the most ferocious, full-body creative sprints we’ve ever run.
We Went in Cold. And Came Out Converted.
Landon Donovan in full flight after scoring for LA Galaxy — a moment of legacy captured in motion, surrounded by an ocean of belief.
We weren’t LA Galaxy superfans. Not at first. At first we were outsiders. Observers. New to the nuance of American soccer mythology. But immersion does funny things. After 72 straight hours mainlining match footage, fan blogs, Reddit conspiracy threads, and player interviews from the last three decades, we understood the club — and started to become fans!
We felt the weight of those five stars on the crest. The thunder of the Rose Bowl crowds in the 90s. The hope and heartbreak and halftime speeches and the Beckham flashbulb era. And most of all, we felt the fans. Their voices. Their rituals. Their absolute refusal to be passive.
“This is our city. And it’s our responsibility to own it.”
— Greg Vanney, Head Coach in the film
LA Galaxy weren’t built overnight. They were carved from sweat and spectacle. We watched that carving happen — game by game, trophy by trophy. The first title. The second. The third. And every time, we felt the story deepen.
LA Galaxy aren’t just a sports team. They are a symbol. Of LA. Of immigrant dreams. Of American soccer’s rise from punchline to powerhouse. A club where Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, David Beckham and legends past and future all wore the same jersey and made it mean something different every time.
The Beckham Effect
Then came the star that changed the constellation. David Beckham didn’t just bring brand valueThe value of perception—brand equity is the intangible worth of a brand based on consumer trust, loyalty, and recognition. — he brought Europe’s expectations. The kind of heat and pressure that transforms a league. He made the club glamorous. But he also made it credible.
We dropped this moment into the center of our film, not because it was the peak — but because it was a fulcrum. A pivot between eras. A reminder that LA Galaxy play the games and shifts its rules.
A cinematic and highly realistic split-screen image of David Beckham, showcasing his transformation over time. The left side depicts Beckham during his LA Galaxy signing era, while the right side shows the present-day Beckham.
“The league, the team, the whole culture was better because of Beckham. Without a doubt.”
— Alexi Lalas
The Visual Language of Belief
We built the film like a song: intro, crescendo, chorus, drop. We used motion graphics as a second narrative — abstract overlays that felt like memory. We paired fan interviews with poetic visual treatments, scoring triumphs with ambient unease, and stitching modern season footage into the legacy reel like muscle into bone.
We wanted the aesthetic to feel earned. Like the city. Like the team. Like the fans who were there before it was cool — and who’ll be there long after the next cup.
Blue, gold, and white rain from the skies as LA Galaxy’s supporters erupt in a stadium-wide celebration — a kinetic tribute to loyalty.
By the time the final render finished exporting, we weren’t objective anymore. We were fans. We were believers. And that’s what made this project so rare. It was a rite of passage. A three-day pilgrimage to the altar of a club we now carry with us.
RIOT creative agencyWhere strategy meets storytelling—creative agencies craft bold ideas, striking visuals, and powerful campaigns that elevate brands beyond the ordinary. doesn’t just make content. We give meaning. “The Future Is Now” wasn’t just a historical recap. It was a spiritual transmission. A transmission we were lucky enough to catch, channel, and deliver — for a team that changed a sport, and a fanbase that defines what loyalty looks like.
You can watch it in the player above, stream it on Apple TV, or check out stills in the gallery below.
