Ella-A modern day fairytale

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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.

European Tour: Rory vs Robot

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Across the 5 years I was the creative director for the European Tour I was lucky enough to make some of the most fun and successful work of my career. In a ground breaking approach at the time, we grew the brand by creating organic content that focused on the personality of the players and the elements that made the tour unique. My favourite was this film. Getting 14million organic views and being voted Twitter’s favourite ever piece of golf content it become the model that a lot of rights holder followed.

NBA Europe

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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.

When the NBA returned to Paris we celebrated the moment by showing the raw and authentic basketball culture of the city.

To celebrate their 75th anniversary the NBA created a fan vote to pick the All time European 1st & 2nd starting fives. We created a series of NFT style commemorative digital trading cards. Each one showing the stats and moments that showed why these iconic players were chosen for this ultimate honour.

Perfect for the social channels, the content caught the eye with its animation and cutting edge design. So much so that the content itself became pieces of virtual memorabilia in its own right. Reaching 97.5 million people, the conversation became not just about which players made the team but how fans could get hold of the commemorative digital cards.

England Football

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It only seems like yesterday, but it’s over 4 years since we created and launched England Football as the home of grassroots football, and I can honestly say it’s become one of the most rewarding and enjoyable accounts I’ve ever worked on. As someone who has played or coached grassroots football all my life, having the opportunity to tell the real stories that get right to the heart of the behaviours and culture of grassroots football has been amazing. With 109% increase in positive sentiment, an increase of 55% in fans under 24 years old and a 210% annual growth rate we have helped drive grassroots participation like never before.

Part of our England Football strategy has been to link the grassroots to the elite game. Reminding fans that without all the tremendous work done at grassroots level, we wouldn’t the nations superstars we see today. For the FIFA Women’s World Cup we created ‘All the way from’ A campaign that showcased the players football journey and how it look them from their local pitches to the world’s biggest stage.

FIFA

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I’ve been lucky enough to work on the FIFA account for the last 4 years, across both the men’s and women’s World Cups, the Best awards and the Club World Cup. The numbers are crazy with over 20 billion views and attracting 200 million new followers, but really it’s just about showing you understand football culture and what fans crave. The list of work is almost endless but here’s a selection of my favourites.

Qatar Airways

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There’s never a dull moment with Qatar Airways. Sponsoring FIFA, UEFA, F1, Novak Djokovic, PSG, Inter Milan, Brooklyn Nets, RCB & the British Lions to name a few means something is always happening. I’ve been lucky enough to lead all their sports content over the last 4 years.  From using their access to some of the world’s best athletes to creating authentic fan content at various sporting events around the world, it’s been a brilliant journey.

Across more than 400 pieces of content we’ve delivered 7% engagement on IG, 3.8x the sports industry average and made them the most followed airline in the world.

To activate Qatar Airways partnership with Formula One we created ‘Seat F1.’ A fully integrated campaign to put the brand at the heart of the sport. The campaign began life as a competition to win the seat on Qatar Airways flights to selected Grand Prix’s, where the customer would receive a F1 inspired menu, branded race suit pyjamas, paddock passes and a whole host of other experiences. But that was just the start as your Seat F1 boarding pass unlocked an array of ‘money can’t buy’ F1 experiences. From a seat in a hot lap, front row seats at exclusive F1 events, grid walks, a seat in a F1 car and of course a seat with the best view of the action. The seat became the hottest ticket in F1.

To drive more fame for the initiative we teamed up with the world’s most popular TikTok star Khaby Lame, with the content creator experiencing first hand just what it’s like to sit in Seat F1.

Was a pleasure to direct this man on the court. From shooting to editing and post-production in under 24 hours (that’s an hour for every Grand Slam he’s won!)

Who says sports content can’t be beautiful.

Ferrari

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When the world’s most famous and successful Formula One team hands over the keys to its social channel it certainly sharpens the mind. I’ve been lucky enough to work with an incredible team to help Scuderia Ferrari becomes the fastest growing F1 team on social. Attracting a younger and diverse new audience through captivating storytelling and beautiful design.

We’ve told the Ferrari story through their whole group. Creating content for the F1 team, the driver academy, their esports team, the launch of the Ferrari app and their incredible re-entry into the World Endurance championship, winning at Le Mans after a 50 year break.

Its been a hell of a ride.