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The process to prepare and execute a successful banner drop on First Things First is an elaborate paradigm that requires successful planning, collaboration and implementation within the flow of discussion. Kevin Wildes, the co-host of the afternoon television program on FS1, recognizes that a preponderance of this work is completed before his arrival to the studio for the live venture.
After ideating a banner, people on the production team are responsible for ordering, configuring and rehearsing prior to the show. Those in audio operations ensure that the distinctive music plays in coordination with the drop, which ultimately takes a few seconds and creates an exciting moment on the screen. In the end, Wildes estimates that it requires roughly 20 people for each banner drop, representing an intricate endeavor completed without strenuous complications.
For the production of a typical episode of the show, there is a control room filled with staff that helps build the presentation surrounding the sports discussion with Wildes and his colleagues. In the hours leading up to the program, the research team explores different hypotheses and conjectures from on-air talent, delivering pertinent information in a timely manner. As someone who has performed many integral roles throughout his television career, Wildes has an understanding of the tasks at hand and aims to facilitate compiling and broadcasting the show.
“The show is a product of everybody’s enthusiasm, intelligence and hard work,” Wildes said. “I’m just the guy that sort of puts the finishing coat of paint on it.”
Wildes has been one-third of a trio that includes Nick Wright and Chris Broussard since the new configuration of First Things First was revealed three years ago. Emanating with a tangible background in management and television production, he has offered his credible knowledge and opinions towards enhancing the viewing experience. Although he formally opens the program emphasizing that it is live from New York City and prepares for astute sports discussion, he does not take himself too seriously and engages in lighthearted revelry while exhibiting authenticity and candor.
“I grew up loving the Red Sox when I’ve lived in New York for 30 years, and I know I’m supposed to hate the Yankees – I don’t, I’m sorry,” Wildes explained. “I like Aaron Judge, I kind of like the Yankees. Like, ‘You’re not allowed to do that.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I am.’”
Drawing off a lesson he learned earlier in his career as a producer at ESPN, Wildes aims for First Things First to strike smiles, smarts and surprises. These three pillars function as a guiding light for every project on which he has worked, something he adopted after incessantly pitching ideas during a meeting with ESPN executive John Walsh. Walsh emphasized that shows are good when they contain the aforementioned triumvirate, a principle thereupon embedded in his logic.
“I think that we have an enthusiastic team, that we try to deliver on the proposition of smart, smile and surprise, and I think that we are trying our best to both make each other laugh – me in front of the camera – we’re trying to make each other laugh, we’re trying to make each other smarter, and everyone that’s on the show is legitimately interested in what the other person has to say,” Wildes said, “and I think that’s kind of like the key.”
Consumers of sports media content find themselves immersed in an environment replete with selection where independent creators and larger conglomerates among different verticals are competing for attention. A potential value proposition for viewers to watch First Things First can be ascribed to recurring franchises rooted in the larger show. From a weekly segment that ranks NFL quarterbacks on specific tiers based on their play to displaying highlights classified as ‘Weird and Wonderful,’ the show offers creative, fresh content that merits discourse and debate.
“It’s naturally easier to have things be fresh than if, for example, we were doing a food show,” Wildes surmised. “If it was Food Things First and we were like, ‘Alright, top 10 Thanksgiving foods. Yet again, turkey coming in the top. Cranberry sauce makes a run,’ there’s nothing changing. So because sports is constantly changing, everything is going to change, and then we’re just trying to put a little spin on it, and a lot of that is Nick’s creativity as well and Brou’s creativity of how that segment is set up so that we’re always kind of pushing each other to move things around.”
Yet the program is not rooted in the debate format, nor does it have a traditional moderator guiding the conversation. Instead, Wildes offers an analogy in that he and his colleagues rotate serving as the lead singer of a band and can also play drums and guitar to contribute towards the melody. Versatility and an assortment of previous ventures enables the cast to quickly change roles, ostensibly expanding the palette on which they can ideate and create compelling, informative and entertaining segments.
“They are committed to excellence, and there’s a healthy rivalry between us all on who gets to make the best point and who was right about whatever prediction, and it really fuels some fun television,” Wildes said of his on-air colleagues. “The other thing [is] they are like legit great guys, so even when we’re [in] the fiercest debate, there is an undercurrent of caring for the other person and respecting the other person. We really do like each other, bottom line. We just legit like each other, and we hope that comes through.”
From the time the show premiered in September 2017, it had aired within the morning timeslot preceding Undisputed with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe. Wildes joined the program in 2020 shortly before professional sports leagues stopped play as a result of health and safety concerns surrounding an emerging global pandemic.
The challenge of starring on a sports television show with a dearth of games and storylines to discuss, combined with the fact that Wildes had never been a front-facing on-air talent in this capacity, represented a unique environment through which to navigate. Working in his favor, however, was his familiarity with sports and television production in general, fostered during his time at La Salle University where he interned on The Late Show with David Letterman as a junior. In fact, it was from this show that Wildes drew the inspiration for his distinguished introduction for episodes of First Things First.
“My boss at Letterman ended up working at ESPN, and two or three years later, he hired me to work at ESPN,” Wildes said. “So that was kind of like the serendipitous moment of sort of getting into the sports world.”
During his stint at ESPN, Wildes worked behind the camera where he served as the coordinating producer of studio shows such as SportsNation, Numbers Never Lie and Winners Bracket. The network later named him the vice president of original content for NBA studio production that resulted in the expansion of NBA Countdown to an hour-long program and the development and subsequent premiere of The Jump. Additionally, he collaborated with Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on a project that deciphered rudimental and analytical elements of basketball.
Wildes attributes his chance to step in front of the camera to executives at FS1 willing to take a leap of faith, and it is something for which he remains thankful. Part of the concomitant ambiguity was diminished from his appearances on The Bill Simmons Podcast within the “Half-Baked Ideas” segment, cultivating familiarity with his approach towards conversation. At the same time, Wildes was afforded the patience necessary to ascertain his responsibilities and how to best fulfill his role.
“I think people look at it as, ‘Oh, you were behind the scenes, and now you’re in front of the camera,’ and they view that as a real pivot, which makes total sense, but I don’t view it as a big a pivot [as] maybe someone on the outside world,” Wildes explained. “I view it as, ‘I used to play second base and now I have to pitch.’ It’s a pivot, but it’s not a massive pivot.”
Whereas the show was previously 90 minutes in duration, FS1 decided to expand the show to two hours in length this past July. The revamped FS1 lineup, which was revealed in late August, contains several new personalities in different timeslots as the network adapts to altered consumption habits and distribution verticals. Prior to Game 4 of the World Series, First Things First broadcast live from Yankee Stadium, a surreal moment that required Wildes to fight the urge to be awestruck.
“We’re really thankful for the opportunity,” Wildes said. “It’s funny – we were there, we were saying, ‘It’s this funny mix of us trying to act.’ You have to act like it’s just, you know, ‘Welcome to the show. We’re here before the World Series.’”
Despite the incessant nature of change, First Things First has garnered longevity and elicited positive reviews from the viewing audience. Displaying expertise, rapport and relatability, the team crafts an afternoon offering that conveys a comprehensive, nuanced picture of the landscape without inundating or confusing its viewing audience with enigmatic parlance. With two new shows in morning drive and reconfigured timing in the afternoons, Wildes has confidence that FS1 can continue to thrive through industry headwinds and challenges.
“I believe in everybody involved in the network,” Wildes said. “I’ve worked [at] a lot of places, and I’ve been very lucky to work with a lot of smart people, and I 100% believe in the teams in front of and behind the camera.”
After cooking a steak on the grill, it is generally advised to let it rest so the liquids are able to effectively be reabsorbed. Applying this credence to sports television, Wildes does not evaluate an episode of the show once it concludes; rather, he waits a few weeks to a month to review his performance. In this manner, he is able to eliminate subjectivity or bias and examine his performance through a different lens. Upon satisfying this interlude, he scrutinizes facets of the show and considers incremental changes he can make while concurrently thinking about longer plays, such as Super Bowl LIX and the NBA Playoffs.
“I kind of vacillate between those two things – tiny, picking weeds, like, ‘Oh, that transition should be a little bit different,’ or, ‘I should be tighter on ‘Weird and Wonderful,’’ to, ‘Oh, we should think about doing something huge for Opening Day maybe or the next Dodgers-Yankees game,’” Wildes outlined. “So those are kind of the two contrasting creative tasks that I look at.”
Wildes surmises that if he won the lottery and obtained a jackpot, he would still continue to show up for work and partake in First Things First. Being able to stay motivated and invested throughout the year is not only derived from his inherent passion for sports, but also through the collective spirit of the team and its dedication to presenting smarts, smiles and surprises on a daily basis. The synergy evident between Wildes and his colleagues is portrayed on the screen, and it has proven to resonate with sports fans and consumers across the country.
“‘Why are my kids jumping on a trampoline?’ They don’t necessarily need motivation; they just really like it,” Wildes presumed. “So the atmosphere, the team, Nick and Chris, it’s just fun, and I’m very lucky to be working with such great people on such a great team.”
Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
