It was June 23 2019 when lighting struck and it hit me!

The Hank Mango team was off to the NRL State of Origin game 3 at Accor Stadium.

The previous year we had done a few LED panels for the game but this year we had worked on the whole shebang; LED banners, big screen graphics, player profiles, hype packages, the works. We were off to see our handiwork live for the first time. 

“When the stadium lights went out and our work started playing that was when the penny dropped and I realised “Woah! This is awesome” Here was our work Playing in front of a heaving massive crowd, whipping them into a frenzy. It was electrifying. I was hooked.”

Fast forward three years and the launch of Light & Fury, a new company specialising in the production of stadium experience graphics. Light & Fury is born of a desire to push what is possible in this space, to amplify the game day experience. We work with teams, sporting codes and events companies to help bring the graphic thunder on large scale sporting events. 

But why launch a new company?

A few reasons. 

I wanted to separate Light & Fury from Hank Mango as working on stadium graphics presents a unique set of challenges. Fundamentally, it's about creating amazing experience for the fans. But to get there, technology and creativity must work hand in hand.  By specialising we can push the boundaries of the medium through continual learning and experimentation on both sides of that coin.

The Hank Mango brand wasn’t a great fit for this space. The fun Mango always raised eyebrows in what is usually more serious arena. 

I also noticed that there’s very few places with their priorities set on this space. It’s very much a side hustle for a number of production companies.  I wanted it to be the very core of what we do. 

Finally, I wanted to create a company for other people like me to work at. People who want to work on the biggest canvasses in the country and blow the socks off 80,000 people. 

What’s been different the second time around?

Starting a new business from scratch has been an amazing experience but very different from the first time. Where Hank Mango formed quite organically, slowly getting bigger over time. I wanted Light & fury to come out swinging. Luckily, I had Matt Taylor from Revthink in my corner. I’ve been working with him for the last couple of months, getting Light & Fury’s positioning just right and a sales plan in action that means I’ve got the next couple of months laid out in terms of people I should be calling. 

But what about Hank Mango?

I forsee the creation of Light & Fury to ultimately help Hank Mango. It’s been hard telling people "oh, we’re a motion design company that does fun explainer videos as well as stadium graphics". By splitting the two I’ve made each business’ proposition a lot clearer. I’m looking forward to working with Matt later on in the year to rework Hank Mango’s positioning and focussing on it’s future. 

“I’m bloody excited to see where the next couple of months and years go with Light & Fury. With live sport back in full force it’s going to be an exciting time ahead.”

- David Cochrane, Director, Light & Fury and Hank Mango

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