SWISH
Swish pilot - Season 1
Directed by Giovanni Fumu and Maximilian Selim
Summary:
Documentary / Reality Series (Season Pilot) / New York City — Brooklyn, Harlem, Manhattan, Queens
Story:
Swish is a documentary/reality series that uses street basketball — a great socio-economic equalizer — as a vehicle to explore cities and their urban culture.
Two local coaches are each tasked with assembling a five-man basketball team in 48 hours. Over the weekend, the coaches use their intimate knowledge of the city to take us to local courts and convince players to join their team. Teams square off in a game to 21. The winner is crowned Swish champion of their city and advances to the season finale.
Filming Across New York City:
The season pilot was filmed entirely in New York City, capturing the raw energy of street basketball culture across the city’s most iconic boroughs. From outdoor courts in Harlem — where NYC pickup basketball has deep cultural roots — to Brooklyn’s waterfront courts and Queens’ neighborhood playgrounds, Swish turned New York’s diverse basketball landscape into a cinematic stage.
37th Degree managed full production across all New York City locations, coordinating multi-borough shooting schedules, local permits, and run-and-gun documentary crews working in fast-paced outdoor environments. The production required the kind of location knowledge and logistical agility that only comes from operating on the ground in NYC — moving between boroughs within tight shooting windows while maintaining the spontaneous energy that defines street basketball culture.
Swish represents 37th Degree’s range beyond music videos and commercials — demonstrating our capability in long-form documentary and unscripted content production in New York City. The series combines cinematic production values with the authenticity of real street culture, a balance that requires deep local knowledge and experienced production management.
Selected Festivals & Awards:
– Best Reality Show at Catalyst Content Festival 2021
Production Services
37th Degree provided full production services for Swish in New York City, including multi-location production management across Brooklyn, Harlem, Manhattan, and Queens; local crew coordination and documentary camera teams; NYC filming permits and outdoor court access; run-and-gun production logistics for unscripted content; and post-production pipeline coordination.
For more about our New York production capabilities, see our NYC production services page or explore our Brooklyn filming locations guide.
More work by Giovanni Fumu
