To announce the team’s new uniforms, and to generate excitement about the upcoming season, I worked with Kings VP and Creative Director Ryan Brijs to create films that launched across the team’s social platforms. “Purple Shortage” and “We Tip our Crown” will also run on TV during Kings broadcasts, and on the Jumbotron during games.
The Kings’ primary color is purple. And the bright purple “beam” that shines from the stadium into the Sacramento sky after victories has evolved into a beloved rallying cry for the team and fans everywhere (“Light the Beam!”) Unfortunately, purple gear wasn’t selling in the Kings store and the players disliked the purple uniforms. So to introduce the new Nike Icon and Association uniforms for the 2023-24 season, I wrote a launch spot to let fans know what happened to all the purple. “Purple Shortage” was released on IG in partnership with the NBA. Sportscenter loved it, so they posted the spot as well. All leading to millions of views and engagements in the first 24 hours.
A lot of people don’t know that the Kings are the oldest franchise in the NBA. They got their start in 1923 as the Rochester Seagrams (yes, the Canadian whiskey). The new Nike City Edition uniform is a celebration of “100 Years of Royalty,” so I wrote a docu-style launch film telling the story of the team’s history. Sam Elliott, who is originally from Sacramento, contributed his magnificent voice to the project. “We Tip Our Crown” was released across the team’s social channels, and was picked up and re-shared by sports properties like NBA.com and Bleacher Report.
