MacInnes
Studios
FANDOM MARKETING
2021
DALLAS MAVERICKS
“The aim is to reimagine the possibilities and push past traditional boundaries when it comes to creating a brand for a sports team that’s fit for this new era of entertainment driven by fandom.” - Mark Cuban, Mavericks Owner
In 2021 Lara Beth Seager
Chief Brand Officer and Business Manager of Dallas Maverick's Luka Dončić, contacted me about creating two new marketing initiatives for the Dallas Mavericks.
LUK.AI would be a virtual avatar of Luka Dončić that would be an AI character separate from the real Luka with a backstory of its own. LUK.AI would create its own content for fans to engage with in its own virtual universe. This was a first for a major sports star. Reed+Rader built this MetaHuman from the concept but it was not developed further.
MAVRELLO is the team mascot.
The idea as to bring this character to life with a performer driving real-time 'live' and pre-rendered animation who could run commentary on games and make fun daily Tik Tok videos. I cast Jeff Kenji Sloniker to provide the voice and facial expressions. This was the middle of the pandemic so this had to happen remotely. A home studio enabled key stakeholders and the rest of the creative team located in Seattle, Washington and Dallas to direct the performance and provide input in real time.
As Mavrello Jeff interviewed and interacted with players, celebrities, and fans, creating content that was uploaded onto social media and streaming sites, as well as broadcast live during the Mavericks' basketball games.
