Novel Graphics

Hale Brown ’23 was an accomplished lacrosse player at Lawrenceville, earning First Team All-M.A.P.L. honors after captaining the No. 1 high school team in the country. Brown now suits up for the California-Berkeley Golden Bears, yet remains a vital cog on the high school lacrosse scene as the man behind FiveStar Media Group and creator of the Instagram commitment graphics of the nation’s top recruits.

The origins of FiveStar began while Brown was still at Lawrenceville, where he created graphics for the Athletics Department to promote upcoming games. He then lent his burgeoning Photoshop skills to a friend and fellow face-off man, Andrew Greenspan of Brunswick School in Connecticut, when the latter was set to announce his intention to play at Notre Dame. Word spread, and Brown’s highly sought commitment graphics, or “edits,” have since become one of the must-haves for top recruits when it comes to announcing their big decisions via social media.

“Every graphic starts with a blank canvas, and I think that’s something that differentiates myself,” said Brown, who eschews a templated approach. “If I had someone doing my graphic for the thing I’ve worked most of my life for, I would want it to be special and my own and not anyone else’s.”

Browns edits have since become more detailed and sophisticated, adding visual elements from his clients’ new campuses and team logos with integrated color schemes. After speaking with coaches and top recruiting evaluators about the Class of 2025, Brown also compiled a list of top targets to whom he’d send swag packs to form a relationship and stir some new business: FiveStar merchandise with a shirt and a flat-brim hat with a note inside a branded black box.

“Game recognizes game. Talk to you first, Sept. 1,” the message read.

Condensed from an Inside Lacrosse report by Kevin Brown.