For as long as many Sixers fans can remember, one thing has been constant, their theme song. While fans can’t be inside the Wells Fargo Center this season, the song’s energy remains. Sixers Sadie took Twitter by storm with her rendition of the music on the piano and increased its popularity even more.

Recently, Karen Morey, the daughter of 76ers General Manager Daryl Morey, felt it was the perfect time to tell the beloved song’s tale. Morey’s “Here Come The Sixers” explains the Sixers theme song’s origins and its meaning to the city. She sat down with me to talk about creating this fantastic film.

Karen isn’t new to the film scene, having worked on around ten other documentaries. Almost all of Morey’s life, she knew this was the path she wanted to go in. 

“I’ve known I’ve wanted to go into filmmaking pretty much my entire life. Some of my best memories growing up were watching movies with my parents. My passion led me to a high school called Walnut Hill School for the Arts, where I majored in Writing, Film, and Media Arts, and then to NYU film school!”

Like many other directors, Karen draws inspiration from her past and some of her idols to create her documentaries.

“I just watched Before Sunrise for the first time over quarantine, which instantly became one of my favorite movies when I saw it. The director of the film, Richard Linklater, is from Houston, so I feel connected to him through our mutual hometown! Another filmmaker I look up to is Wes Anderson, who also is from Houston. I’ve always loved the gorgeous, colorful, symmetrical shots in his films.”

When the Sixers hired her father, she knew she had to create something regarding his new team. That’s when she took to Twitter to ask the city what her next project should be. Following several suggestions, Karen landed on the perfect one.

“Spike Eskin introduced me to the song when I tweeted out asking for Sixers documentary ideas. Then when I discovered Sadie’s videos, I started to see the story for the film really come together!”

Sadie’s idea led to an almost entire orchestra playing the infamous song. Instruments from all over joined her and helped make the experience that much better. One of Morey’s favorite parts when creating the documentary was seeing all of these people come together to create this music. When going back to Sadie, she had a particular draw to Karen outside of her talent.

“I loved working with Sadie because she reminds me a lot of what I imagine my mom was like growing up, since she’s been a huge sports fan from a really young age.”

Although her time in Philly hasn’t been long, Karen loves the city and seems to have already found a favorite Sixer to watch. 

“I love Philadelphia! I’m happy to be back in the northeast as I love snow and seasons. I also love Tyrese Maxey! It’s weird to have NBA players that are younger than me now since I’ve grown up watching the NBA.”

Although this story has been told, more could be on the way. Karen is always open to new ideas and has an ear out for the fans.

“I’m still trying to learn about the Sixers and their history. If anyone has any ideas, I’d love to hear them!”

I want to extend a huge thank you to Karen Morey for sitting down with us to help tell some behind the scenes info on her fantastic documentary. If you want to hear more from her, be sure to follow her on Twitter @KarenMorey04 and Instagram @KarenMoreyy. 

If you are interested in other documentaries, check out her most recent “Ella & K-Pop” If you are looking for more sports-related content instead, check her out at Fan Fair Media on Youtube!

Tune into Process to Progress – A Sixers Podcast from The Liberty Line