The power of teamwork

Fast Company

4 hours ago

Last year, Major League Baseball helped shine a spotlight on Birmingham, Alabama's historic Rickwood Field, which for decades was the home of the Birmingham Black Barons, a Negro Leagues team where Willie Mays got his start. The event was designed to celebrate the ballpark's storied past and honor the history of the Negro Leagues.
The event's centerpiece was a regular-season matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. Getting the relatively tiny—and not particularly modern—park ready for primetime took plenty of work. Enter BaAM Productions. 'Creativity is at the heart of what we do,' says Annemarie Roe, president of BaAM, '[whether that's] making an idea real or creating a concept that we can build on with our clients.'
BaAM is no stranger to such high-profile events. In the past year alone, the company helped stage the NHL Draft at the Las Vegas Sphere, managed event construction for Super Bowl LVIII, and kicked off procurement and delivery planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But while BaAM's client list is impressive, the real story is in how it does its work. Its unique team-based approach to tackling events on a global stage is a key reason why BaAM has earned a spot on Fast Compan y's list of the Most Innovative Companies.
The importance of transparency
BaAM's team members wore many hats heading into the Rickwood Field game. They coordinated construction projects to help maintain the historic feel of the stadium while also meeting MLB's stringent requirements. They designed and integrated the fan experience and MLB-led visual elements across the three-day event. And they planned event operations with nearly 40 local vendors to provide production, hospitality, concessions, and other services.
Through it all, each of the stakeholder groups collaborated closely, staying focused on the event as a whole—not just on their particular slice of the project. 'Transparent collaboration allows us to hit a new level of ideation and expertise,' Roe says.
Inside BaAM, this transparency has a name: informed creativity. The concept originated through an internal branding exercise where the BaAM team was asked to imagine the company as a person. 'The top two characteristics were creativity and wisdom,' Roe says. 'This shared concept is one we've developed and continue to foster together as a group.'
There's no 'I' in team
To help ensure all BaAM teams are on the same page and working toward a shared outcome, the company borrowed a concept from team sports: the coach. At BaAM, this role is played by the director of people and culture, who 's available to all team members throughout the conception and realization of projects. 'The coach is there as a sounding board, a trainer, an observer, and someone who can call you out or congratulate you or prop you up,' Roe says.
It makes sense that BaAM looks to sports for inspiration. Much of the company's work centers on sports, and Roe says observing what makes sports teams successful has informed how the company operates on many levels. 'We've had a lot of inspiration from the concept of team and the passion that happens in and around sports,' she says. 'Ultimately, it's that passion that gets us up in the morning and keeps us going.'