As a big NBA fan, getting the chance to shape NBA Europe’s content has been a dream come true. Providing a point of difference to the brand in America. Creating culturally relevant content that reflects the diversity and individuality of the players and fans across Europe and using creativity and the many cultural crossovers in the sport to excite this new generation of fans.
There are so many reasons I loved creating Ella: A Modern Day Fairytale.
Firstly because it was a real labour of love. From the first conversations with the FA, Disney & Nike about how we could reimagine an iconic story to highlight the barriers many girls face when trying to play football, to the incredible kindness of Alex Scott & Leah Williamson helping me turn a simple idea into a reality.
Secondly, because this was also a personal project. I have my own version of Ella, my daughter Emilia, who experienced a similar story but never gave up on her love for the sport. Helping me craft and edit the scenarios.
And lastly because it’s not often you get to work on a project like this. With a copy of the book going to every school in the country, a bespoke Instagram Bedtime stories post, 1 million social impressions and the amazing work FA and Disney are doing with the Shooting Stars project to change perceptions in the playground, I’ve seen with my own eyes what a difference it can make.
Sometimes wishes do come true.
To launch the premium sportswear brand Castore to the world I helped create Better Never Stops. A philosophy about the mentality of striving for better.
Over 10 different films the brand campaign showed the mentality of athletes like Owen Farrell, Adam Peaty, Jos Buttler, Andy Murray and Patrick Reed. And how that transcended to clubs like Rangers, Wolves & Saracens.
The campaign helped establish the brand and elevated Castore to the fastest growing sportswear brand in the UK.
To celebrate World Mental Health Day we created a campaign for Asics called ‘In my shoes.’ A series of inspiring stories were shared from people who had discovered the benefits of sport and movement to their mental health. The nice idea was this collection of audio stories were collated into an immersive podcast specifically designed to be listened to on the move. So people could literally experience what it was like to put themselves in the shoes of the storyteller.
With the 2020 F1 season postponed due to COVID-19, something had to be done to enable the fans to keep watching the sport they love. So we helped F1 create and implement the Virtual Grand Prix series.
Broadcast on the F1 YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels, the series pitted current F1 stars against a host of celebrities. With qualifying and game settings configures to encourage competitive racing the series was a massive hit. With a 1000% month-on-month growth in streaming figures, allowing F1 to reach new and existing audiences.
Italy was one of the nations worst hit by the global coronavirus pandemic and in particular Milan. To raise awareness, money and spirits we wanted to put on a show of unity. With the countries bitterest football rivals coming together for the first ever Milan eDerby.
Rafael Leao (AC Milan) took on Sebastiano Esposito (Inter) in a game of PES2020 in front of 270,00 fans live on YouTube.
23 players unveiled by 23 world famous ambassadors on social media. Some of the biggest names in sport, entertainment and even royalty, coming together to reveal the names of each player across a four hour window which dominated the sports, lifestyle and social media agenda.
With 170 million combined followers, 1.3 million UK tweets and viewed more than 6.7m times in the first 72 hours, the squad announcement became a cultural moment and an inflection point for women’s football.
BT’s campaign to fundamentally change the way women’s football is viewed in the UK.
When Pokémon and the FA teamed up to help grow the national Futsal programme, they had big aspirations. But first they needed a creative idea. A visual identity. A participation and activation programme. Merchandise. And an advertising campaign. Pika!
Wembley big screen half time ad.
Our FA campaign to combat the increasing amount of touchline aggression from parents and supporters at grassroots levels. The solution was a physical line you shouldn’t cross. A written pledge from the nations captains to persuade parents of the power of being a positive supporter.
The lines were implemented at grassroots grounds throughout the country with over 1,000 clubs signing up to the pledge of positivity.
To promote the Asics philosophy of ‘sound mind, sound body’ at the London 10km we created a digital campaign to highlight that although we are all different and face our own challenges, we can run united.
In association with Asics front runner influencers we told how running had helped them overcome their mental challenges. The campaign was amplified through their follows and media spend.
For HSBC’s global rebrand we took their iconic hexagon and made it a window into a thriving world. 130 individual executions were crafted across 17 countries. It took 2 years and took over my life but I’m very happy with the results. Although I do now see hexagons in my sleep.
Viewed over 6 million times on the European Tour’s YouTube page without any media spend. And was voted Twitter’s best golf advert of all time.
As part of the FA’s ‘You can’t be it if you can’t see it’ campaign. We created this film to raise awareness of the players journey to inspire the next generation and show them what’s possible if you follow your dreams.
