Bas is on his way to make a career in basketball media

A banned Insta-account, a change of studies, and countless nights behind a video-camera helped Bas turn his love for basketball into a growing career in sports media.

When Bas Swaving (25) first started creating basketball content back in 2017, he had no professional camera, no business, and no plans to work in sports media. He was just a teenager editing NBA clips on his phone and sharing them through an Instagram page called Crazy Basketbal. ‘It was spelled with one L, because the version with two had already been taken’, Bas says laughing.

Over three years, the account grew to more than 200,000 followers. Looking back, Bas laughs at how it all ended. ‘I didn’t film anything myself’, he admits. ‘So I pretty much stole everything.’ Eventually, copyright claims led to the page being removed. While disappointing at the time, losing the account would unexpectedly set him on the path he follows today.

Years spent posting basketball clips had taught Bas what fans wanted to see

Soon afterwards, Bas was introduced to the media team at Donar, Groningen’s professional basketball club. Initially, he helped manage social media channels using footage from broadcasts and livestreams. The role allowed him to combine two things he already understood well: basketball and online content. Years spent posting clips had taught him what fans wanted to see. ‘You sort of get a feel for what works and what doesn’t’, he says. ‘You look for those shots and figure out what the audience likes.’

Sports had always been central to Bas’s life, which is why he originally chose to study at the Teacher Education in Physical Education (Lerarenopleiding Lichamelijke Opvoeding, better known as ALO). However, as the years passed, he began questioning whether teaching physical education was really the future he wanted.

A tough decision: after spending four years studying ALO, Bas left the programme

The turning point came in the third year during a minor Medialism. The programme focused on filmmaking and documentary production, exposing him to a completely different creative world. ‘That was actually so much fun to me’, Bas says. ‘I was like, you know what? I actually want to go to school for this.’
The experience convinced him to make a difficult decision. After spending four years studying ALO, he left the programme and started over the Communication bachelor. It was a major step, but one he has never regretted.

While studying Communication, Bas followed a course focused on entrepreneurship. Around the same time, he officially registered his company, B Content. ‘It was scary at the time’, he says.

Today, his portfolio includes sports productions, podcasts, interviews, events, promotional videos and even a wedding

The business grew gradually. One of his first opportunities came through HanzeMag, which was searching for videographers to help with podcasts and video projects. Other assignments followed through personal contacts and recommendations.

Today, his portfolio includes sports productions, podcasts, interviews, events and promotional videos and even a wedding. Yet basketball remains where he feels most at home. ‘Sports is still what I like doing most’, he says.

For Donar supporters, Bas is responsible for many of the dramatic slow-motion highlights and cinematic game recaps shared online. What viewers see on social media, however, represents only a fraction of the work involved. A game day often starts hours before tip-off. Cameras must be assembled, equipment prepared and footage from previous matches organized before he even steps onto the court.

A recap video lasting little more than a minute can easily require twenty to thirty hours of work

Once the game begins, Bas rarely gets a moment to slow down. During halftime, he has just fifteen minutes to edit key moments from the first half and publish them on Donar’s social media channels before the game resumes. ‘I really only have to put the clip in there, cut it from start to end, do some slow motion if I want to, and then I can immediately put it on Instagram for Donar’, he says.

Once the final buzzer sounds, however, the real work starts, footage must be sorted, labelled, reviewed and edited. Sound design, music, colour grading and visual effects all have to be carefully assembled into a final product.

A recap video of little more than a minute can easily require twenty to thirty hours of work. Despite the long nights, Bas still finds himself obsessing over the smallest details. ‘Probably nobody notices’, he says. ‘But I do.’

Bas often analyses an interesting video frame by frame to understand how it was created

Unlike many professionals in the industry, Bas never received formal training in videography before entering the field. Most of what he knows came from experimentation, online tutorials and studying the work of others.
When he encounters a video that catches his attention, he often analyses it frame by frame to understand how it was created. ‘I try to imitate what others do first’, he explains. ‘Then, once I understand it, I try to make it my own.’

That approach has allowed him to continuously develop his skills while building a style that is increasingly recognised by players and fans alike.

The ultimate goal remains very clear: the NBA, of course

One of the highlights of Bas’s journey so far came during an internship with the Winnipeg Sea Bears in Canada. Working within a professional basketball organisation gave him a glimpse of the level he hopes to reach in the future. The scale was unlike anything he had experienced before. ‘The most we had was around twelve or thirteen thousand people in the stands’, he says.

The experience strengthened his desire to continue working in basketball media abroad. After graduating, he hopes to find opportunities in Canada, the United Kingdom, and in the end the United States. His ultimate goal remains clear. ‘NBA is number one’, he says. ‘That’s on the to-do list.’

For now, Bas is focused on taking the next step, wherever that may lead. Whether it is another internship, a new country, or a larger organisation, he views every opportunity as another chance to improve. ‘I want to be around people that are much better than me’, he says. ‘People that I can learn from and get inspired by.’