Ten Schools
One World
The West Coast Conference came to Zookeeper with a deceptively big challenge: bring its “We Rise in the West” identity to life in a way that could celebrate 10 distinct universities, stand out on national broadcasts and still feel unmistakably like one conference.
Our answer was to build an entire world.
We transformed the WCC into a custom 3D pinball universe, where a basketball becomes the pinball and sets the conference in motion. Campus landmarks rise from the board. Mascots spring to life. School colors, architecture and personalities take over each environment as the ball travels from one university to the next.
Instead of another highlight reel or logo montage, the conference itself became the entertainment: 10 schools, one interconnected world and a 30-second ride designed to reveal something new every time you watch.
One Conference
Ten Identities
The WCC brings together 10 member institutions across the Western region, each with its own campus, colors, mascot and personality.
That range gave us the raw material for the world we built. The challenge was to preserve what made each school instantly recognizable while connecting all 10 through one cohesive West Coast Conference experience.
Mascots
Uncaged
Eight of the WCC’s mascots were reimagined as custom illustrations built specifically for this world.
Each one needed to stay true to the personality fans already know while fitting naturally into the same playful visual language. The result is a cast of characters that feels familiar, expressive and completely at home inside the WCC pinball universe.
From Brick
To Blender
Each school’s campus was built around two recognizable buildings, modeled in Blender to give every university its own sense of place inside the WCC world.
We started in grey to dial in the forms, proportions and architectural details, then added materials, color and lighting to bring each structure to life. Across 10 schools, those buildings became the foundation for campuses that feel familiar at a glance while still belonging to one shared visual world.
Campuses
Become Playgrounds
Once the buildings were modeled, we pushed them beyond scenery and made the architecture part of the action.
Campuses became playable environments where structures frame the ball’s path, buildings rise into view and familiar details become pieces of the pinball machine itself. It helped turn real places into something more playful while keeping each school grounded in what makes its campus recognizable.
Setting the Scene
To make the world feel rooted in a real place, we brought in familiar landmarks from across the conference footprint.
The Golden Gate Bridge and Space Needle help orient the viewer instantly, adding another layer of regional character beyond the individual campuses. Even the fog rolling across the Golden Gate Bridge became part of the build, giving the miniature world a sense of atmosphere, scale and place.
The Ball Is
In Play
The basketball is the star of the show, becoming our pinball and guiding us through the entire WCC world.
Every bounce, hit and ricochet pushes the story forward, triggering the next campus, mascot or surprise along the way. Fast, fun and energetic animation keeps the journey moving while dynamic lighting adds another layer of motion, atmosphere and excitement.
It is a hero’s journey told one bounce at a time.
Hit. Pop. Reveal
The ball races from school to school, smacking into bumpers and setting off a new reaction each time.
With every hit, another part of the WCC world comes alive. Mascots pop up, campuses activate and each school gets its own moment before the ball launches toward the next stop.
That simple chain reaction gave the film its rhythm, keeping every reveal fast, playful and full of surprise.
Sound in
Motion
Our friends at Coupe Studios gave the world its pulse with an incredible mix of original music and detailed sound design that brings every movement to life.
Every bounce, impact, pop and transition lands with extra personality while the music keeps the whole ride moving. The result feels bigger, faster and even more playful, turning the animation into something you do not just watch. You feel it.
Find the Jackalope
We love Easter Eggs, so of course we had to hide one inside the WCC world.
Tucked somewhere in the animation is a tiny jackalope waiting to be discovered. It is one more reason to watch again, look a little closer and catch something you missed the first time.
Because the best worlds always have a few secrets.
—West Coast Conference Commissioner Stu Jackson.Our new ‘We Rise in the West’ PSA captures both the place we call home and the standard we set for ourselves,” said West Coast Conference Commissioner Stu Jackson. “It introduces audiences to the personality of the West Coast Conference, distinguishes our brand on a national stage and tells our story in a creative, authentic and refreshing way. Zookeeper understood that vision and brought it to life in something bold, cohesive and distinctly West Coast Conference.”
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