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Nike

Risk Everything

Building a real-time parallel world alongside the World Cup.

The Moment

The World Cup is the biggest cultural moment in global sport, unfolding nonstop for a month. Nike wasn't an official sponsor, which meant there was no direct way to participate — even as the entire world's attention was fixed on the tournament.

The challenge was finding a way in without playing by the usual rules.

What I Did

I helped create a world that could exist alongside the World Cup and move with it in real time. We turned Nike's top players into animated characters, giving us the freedom to tell stories without using official footage or imagery.

Each night, we created new work based on what had just happened in the tournament — writing, producing, and delivering animated films that ran immediately on television and across social. I helped design the systems, rhythms, and decision-making clarity that allowed a massive team to operate at that speed, night after night.

At the center was a temporary studio with nearly 200 people working together every day. My role was to bring clarity to the chaos and keep the world alive as culture shifted around it.

What Became Possible

Nike didn't just show up during the World Cup. It built a parallel experience fans could engage with throughout the tournament — effectively hijacking the moment by creating a world of its own.

↓ the work & behind the scenes

Neymar real time image
Neymar real time image
Real time matchup image
Real time matchup image
Rooney real time image
Rooney real time image
Rooney out-of-home billboard
Rooney OOH — Broadgate
Zlatan Animated Google Hangout
Zlatan Animated Google Hangout
BTS — face mapping
BTS — face mapping
BTS — Live animation
BTS — Live animation
BTS — real time character control
BTS — real time character control
BTS — Real time animation studio
BTS — Real time animation studio
Role
Creative Direction
Agency
Wieden+Kennedy
Client
Nike

Creative Directors: Ryan O'Rourke & Alberto Ponte
Creative Director: Dan Viens
Creatives: Al Merry, Jason Karley, John Battle & Jeff Salomonsson