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Golden State Warriors' Cristina Pandol on the NBA Team's Documentary Series
Plus: the launch of the Golden State Valkyries and more
Cristina is the executive creative director of the Golden State Warriors.
We spent two minutes with Cristina to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired.
Cristina, tell us …
Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?
My dad is an international table grape farmer who followed the agricultural harvest. So, he usually spent four months in California’s Central Valley, four months in Mexico and four months in Chile every year. I was born in Santiago, and grew up spending eight months in California and four months in Chile annually. While I still claim Los Angeles as home, I now live in San Francisco.
What is your earliest sports memory?
Marcelo Rios defeating Andre Agassi in the final of the Miami Masters in 1998.
Who are your favorite sports team(s)?
I’m loyal to my USC Trojans and both the Croatian and Chilean National Soccer Teams during the World Cup.
Who are your favorite athlete(s)?
What is your favorite sports movie and/or show?
Movie: Moneyball (2011) is my favorite because I love seeing statistics face off against intuition. Also up there: King Richard (2021), Rudy (1993), Love & Basketball (2000), Concussion (2015) and TV: Ted Lasso (2020).
What is your favorite sports podcast or news show?
SBJ‘s Morning Buzz and ESPN‘s Pardon the Interruption.
What is your favorite sports video game, if you have one?
Duck Hunt—I consider shooting a sport—but SSX Tricky, Gran Turismo and Mario Tennis were childhood favorites.
What is a recent project you’ve been part of that you’re proud of?
In the last year, several projects have been incredibly meaningful for different reasons. These include the Warriors’ long-form episodic documentary, First in 40: The Story of the 2014-15 Warriors; the brand identity creation and launch of the Golden State Valkyries; and the recolored Town Edition jersey.
Can you share someone else’s recent work that you admire?
I’ve been blown away by the work coming out of BigTime Creative Shop in Riyadh. And I always have my eye on what Liquid Death is doing because they’re keeping us all on our toes.
What can sports do that nothing else can?
A sporting event is the only time you can walk into a building with 10,000+ strangers and, simply by wearing the right color shirt and a smile, suddenly find yourself in a community. In a world that is so digital and often feels lacking in personal connection, sports provide that bond and welcome anyone to become a fan at any stage of life or level of knowledge.
What would you be doing if you weren’t working in the sports space?
I have a secret desire to be a certified master gardener. Which is a bit delusional, since I’ve always lived in city centers without a yard. Potted houseplants are as close as I get for now. So I’ll stick with sports.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
