Jared Sagal’s Young Ronaldo Film Series Inspires Youth Players
Words, while wonderful, do not have the power of a picture — which as the old saying goes — is worth a thousand words and a quality video can inspire more than any single image.
Premiering on SoccerToday: Young Ronaldo
The latest Young Ronaldo video — Part 3 in the series — is a high-quality, first-rate short film that enthusiastically encourages the viewer to reach for their soccer dreams. Exceptional in every way, Young Ronaldo is a delight to watch.
The ability to inspire a young soccer player may not always come though motivational speeches from a coach or parent. At times, children look to their favorite players to learn the process of making it to the next level, while others see guidance from their peers as motivation.
Exclusive: Filmmaker Jared Sagal‘s latest in the motivational music video/short film series Young Ronaldo blends real life with realistic fiction focusing on the growth of a player. Today, Sagal’s production company Rockerrazzi Filmz releases its third film of the series, an 8 minute soccer flick featuring the passion of soccer that transcends generations and the dreams of a young boy to be a hero on the pitch.
The young player featured in Young Ronaldo is Simon who trains at San Diego’s premier youth soccer club, Albion SC. Noah Gins, Albion SC’s Technical Director says, “It was great to be part of such a cool project as this. The whole message within exists in the every day life of young footballers and I hope it only inspires.”
“Simon — the Young Ronaldo — is a special boy in real life and is now part of the boys 2003 U.S. Development Academy,” says Gins. “Simon is the player reflected in the video and is working towards greatness.”
SoccerToday spoke with Sagal on his inspiration for the popular series and asked the response his family has received from viewers all across the globe.
Diane Scavuzzo: What inspired you to create these video series Young Ronaldo?
Jared Sagal: We are passionate soccer people and we had an idea one Christmas when our family was all together in New Mexico. My brother Marc Sagal — the father of the young soccer player Simon who is featured in the videos — and I are both avid film makers — and I am also a singer/songwriter. I had a song which inspired me to create a video and we came up with this idea of Simon as a kind of Young Ronaldo character dreaming of soccer.
Simon looked like a mini-Cristiano Ronaldo and the Real Madrid super star is Simon’s hero.
We shot the video over the course of a few days and put it up on YouTube. We were overwhelmed by the response.
We had no great expectations but people from all over the world watched Young Ronaldo and a few viewers left very emotional comments on how the video gave them the courage to follow their dreams and not give up.
As videos go, it was bit of a slow starter but the next thing we knew, the video had hit the million view mark and everything snowballed.
I had never had a viral video before and given how many music videos I had directed for other artists, the irony of a video I did for one of my own original songs going viral was bizarre!
Part 1 has close to 14 million views. The fans had started asking for a sequel so we decided to keep it going. Part 2 has close to 7 million so far and we are really excited for the latest, Young Ronaldo Part 3
Diane Scavuzzo: How would you compare the first Young Ronaldo one to this latest in the series?
Jared Sagal: I think we are much more conscious of having an audience now. People wrote us about how inspired they were when they watched the video and how much they related to the characters and the story.
We love being able to create a video that connects deeply anyone who plays sports. It’s humbling.
When we started, our goal was to create something compelling that included our family and the sport we love so much. We also wanted to put some visuals against a song that I wrote. Like most things, probably the less you think about it and let it flow the better the results.
Diane Scavuzzo: Was this financially overwhelming or did you find a way to get help and make it work?
Jared Sagal: We did the first video on a shoestring budget. Each subsequent one has been increasingly more complex and expensive. We decided to do a Kickstarter campaign for the last two videos and have received very generous support! We couldn’t have done it without the fans giving back.
Diane Scavuzzo: What’s your goal for views on YouTube for Young Ronaldo Part 3?
Jared Sagal: We don’t have a specific target – we just want to inspire as many people as possible.
It’s always a bit nerve-raking to release a new video — you cross your fingers and hope that people will be interested — but we think Part 3 is our best effort yet.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is your goal for the video? Is it a marketing tool for Simon? Is it designed to inspire players or is your goal to help grow the game of soccer in America?
Jared Sagal: We have a number of goals. First and foremost, to create something that motivates and moves people. Soccer is something that connects our family. My brother and I both played professionally and all our kids play.
There is something special and somewhat autobiographical in what we are doing. We try to blend real life with realistic fiction so that viewers can find a way to see themselves in the characters and relate in some meaningful way to the story.
We are passionate about development and what takes to succeed in soccer and in life. I know that sounds cliche but it’s true.
It also has been a good way to get my music out there. It’s been amazing that Simon now gets recognized all over the place. In fact he was just in Croatia with my brother training at Dinamo Zagreb and a few players there knew him from the videos. The world we live in now — with social media and YouTube — really connects people like never before.
Diane Scavuzzo: When did Simon start to play soccer?
Jared Sagal: Simon started playing when he was 3 years old. We live in San Diego and he trains at Albion SC since he started. Noah Gins is great and so are the other soccer coaches at Albion.
Simon has been fortunate to also have trained at professional youth academies abroad, in England, Germany and Croatia. And, he works with the SDFC (San Diego Football Center).
While Simon has had lots of great coaches, his favorite is his Dad. His dream is to play professionally. We’re not really sure where any of us have found the time to create these videos — our wives are very patient!
I guess like anything important, you find the time and dare to dream…
