WHERE SPORTS & CULTURE OVERLAP

For many years Toddy had two overriding passions: surfing and soccer. After moving to New York City at the turn of the century, he was delighted to have found a place surprisingly amenable to both. While surfing would infiltrate his work in many unexpected ways, soccer proved to be the slightly more immediate avenue, with generations of expats tumbling into the city creating perhaps the most vibrant and diverse soccer culture on the planet.

Having witnessed the passionate soccer culture during the ‘02, ‘06 and ‘10 finals, for the 2014 tournament Toddy realized there was a simple story to tell: New York, full of ethnic enclaves stretching from New Jersey to Queens, would be on virtual stand-still for some as games played out, with whatever unlikely matchup might take place. Each culture with their own traditions and favorite venues, fans glued to the screens across town from each other. Toddy directed two teams, one stationed at each bar during a single game, to capture the action and reaction, and the films would be cut overnight, branded by Bacardi, and broadcast by ESPN the next day as highlights. A lot of work, even more heartbreak.

For the 2018 iteration of the tournament, FOX Sports and Verizon were looking for something a little more intimate, so Toddy pitched a similar concept, but more culturally particular: instead of telling these stories himself, he’d find filmmakers from the countries themselves to get the most creative “inside scoop” possible. Staying in the Americas with Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina with personal films made by filmmakers from those countries. Toddy would oversee the project, called “Home Turf,” from an executive producer and creative director role, letting the artists tell their own stories.