FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 8th, 2018

“THIS IS US” STAR STERLING K. BROWN VOICES NBC’S OPENING FILM THAT WELCOMES VIEWERS TO THE WINTER OLYMPICS

Opening Film, Always Start with the Dreams, Kicks off NBC’s Opening Ceremony Coverage on Friday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

 

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – February 8, 2018 – NBC Olympics celebrates its coverage of the Opening Ceremony for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang, South Korea, with an emotional, evocative and energetic opening film narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Sterling K. Brown. The seven-minute opening film, titled “Always Start with the Dreams,” celebrates the world’s athletes coming together in South Korea, and will be the very first piece of content presented when viewers tune into coverage of the Opening Ceremony tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

 

Brown currently stars in NBC’s Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated drama series This Is Us. For his role as Randall Pearson, Brown has won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, as well as a Golden Globe, SAG Award and Critics Choice Award. This Is Us returns to NBC Tuesday, February 27.

 

Click here for a preview of Always Start with the Dreams.

 

Representing nearly 3,000 athletes and 90 nations competing in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, the opening film features alpine skiers Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, figure skater Nathan Chen, short track speed skater Maame Biney, snowboarders Shaun White, Chloe Kim and Kelly Clark, as well as Russian figure skater Yevgenia Medvedeva and Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, among many others.

 

The seven-minute feature was filmed and produced over the course of 18 months, and showcases South Korea’s picturesque coastal plains and rugged mountain regions. The film was co-produced by Mark Levy, Senior Vice President, Original Productions and Creative, NBC Sports Group; Joe Gesue, Senior Vice President, Olympic Production and Executive Editor, NBC Sports Group; Phil Parrish, Senior Producer, NBC Sports Group; and Matt Allen, Senior Features Producer, NBC Sports Group. Always Start with the Dreams was written by Aaron Cohen.

 

“Our opening film has become our signature Olympic welcome for the American audience, and it is an honor to have a performer of the caliber of Sterling K. Brown to bring it to life,” said Levy. “This year’s film centers on the theme of Olympic dreams, and is highlighted by the very best imagery our production team has collected over the months leading up to these Games.”

 

Prior narrators for NBC Olympics opening films include Academy Award-winning actor James Earl Jones (2000 Sydney Games and 2004 Athens Games), NBC Olympics host Bob Costas and veteran Olympic Games host Jim McKay (2002 Salt Lake City Games), Emmy Award-winner Andre Braugher (2006 Turin Games, 2008 Beijing Games, and 2010 Vancouver Games), Emmy Award-nominee Ewan McGregor and Golden Globe-winner Emily Blunt (2012 London Games), Emmy Award-winner Peter Dinklage (2014 Sochi Games), and Emmy Award-nominee Giancarlo Esposito (2016 Rio Games).

 

Mike Tirico, who will be making his debut as NBC’s primetime Olympic host, will anchor coverage of the Opening Ceremony, alongside award-winning journalist Katie Couric, who co-hosted the Opening Ceremony in Sydney 2000, Salt Lake 2002, and Athens 2004. Also joining NBC’s Opening Ceremony coverage will be Joshua Cooper Ramo, Co-CEO of Kissinger Associates, who is returning to NBC Olympics’ coverage after discussing culture and geo-political issues during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

 

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s Olympic Games coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032.

 

— PYEONGCHANG 2018 —