How it Began

In early 2009, as a brand new director and after my first proper short film won a Jury Award at a film festival here in Los Angeles, I was approached by NIKE BASKETBALL executives to create a no-budget digital skit for them. This was long before "going viral" became a thing, and without featuring any celebrities, the first skit reached over 1 million views in just its first week. Shortly after, I was asked to replicate this success with a similar budget, but this time featuring arguably the biggest star in the world, LeBron James, and his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates. Lightning struck twice as our branded skit received, earned media placements throughout ESPN's news cycle in less than 36 hours from our first take. Within 48 hours, the project became the focus of its own featured segment during halftime of the NBA finals on ABC.

Citing my ability to work with and gain the trust of global icons such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant, among others, even under the most stringent time and budget constraints, while consistently and quantifiably exceeding any reasonable expectations, this project led me, as a brand new and fully self-taught director, to a productive, nearly 5-year creative relationship with the worldwide leader in sports apparel.