NBA BEAT Episodic Video Series

ROLE
Creative Direction, Video Production, Casting, Photography Assets, SNS Copywriting, Logo Design
DELIVERABLE
Video, SNS Asset
DATE
May 2023

To spotlight the NBA in Japan, where basketball has been growing in popularity yearly, NBA started a collaboration with poweredby.tokyo: a monopo group company and cultural marketing platform. Over the course of a year, poweredby.tokyo was responsible for the creative direction, planning and production of a 14-episodic series: "NBA Beat," as well as SNS video assets and the series logo.

CLIENT BRIEF

  • Create video content that showcases the NBA's influence on Japanese street culture

  • Increase awareness of the NBA brand among people who do not watch basketball games

  • Increase the number of people who know about and support the NBA League

OUR PROPOSAL

  • Plan and produce "NBA Beat," a 14-episodic video series

  • Cast talents within the five pillars: Fashion, Art, Music, Gaming, and Manga

  • Design and production of assets for SNS, cut-down videos of one minute or less for each episode, and the series logo

Celebrating NBA culture that transcends sports and individual values

The “NBA Beat” video series consists of 14 episodes, celebrating individuality, creativity, and passion as seen through the eyes of diverse individuals of various professions including artists, entrepreneurs, musicians and community organizers based in Japan. Each person has their own personal attachment to NBA and basketball culture and uses it as a major source of inspiration and sustenance in their work. The video series aims to showcase the appeal of the NBA from different perspectives by encouraging each interviewee to speak freely about the role of basketball culture in their daily lives. It seeks to take the viewer beyond the realm of "basketball as a sport" and deepen their understanding of the history and growing street culture of the NBA with the objective of turning casual fans into lifelong superfans.

Casting unique individuals connecting basketball and the streets of Japan

To bring the "NBA Beat" series to life, poweredby.tokyo leveraged its extensive network to cast a diverse and talented group of individuals. The cast includes a freestyle basketball performer, ZiNEZ, illustration artist Dai Tamura, "SpaceBall Mag" editor Bang Lee, artist kZm, women’s basketball team "GODDESS BASKETBALL CLUB," and many others representing modern Japanese street culture. Focusing on casting and story structure, our team was able to bridge the gap between domestic and international viewers, cultivating a deeper appreciation for Japanese basketball culture among NBA fans worldwide. To ensure seamless collaboration with the client in the U.S., we made sure to document and communicate every step of the project with utmost care and attention.

CREDITS

CLIENT
National Basketball Association
ROLE
Creative Direction, Video Production, Casting, Photography Assets, SNS Copywriting, Logo Design
THE TEAM

Executive Producer
Chace Fedorpoweredby.tokyo

Creative Director
Steve Gaudin

Creative Producer
Hibiki Katopoweredby.tokyo

Producer
David Dicembre

Sound
Nico Amblard

Sound
Steve LeFever

Logo Design
Nock

Director / Editor / Music Composer
Jeremy Rubier

Sound Engineer
Steven Lefever

Photographer
Steve Gaudin

Casting
Hibiki Katopoweredby.tokyo

Project Manager
Manami Kuriyama

Talent
Zinez Kamikaze, BUG!?, Kengo Maeda

Director / Editor / Sound Design / Music Composer
Jeremy Rubier

Photographer
Steve Gaudin

Casting
Hibiki Katopoweredby.tokyo

Project Manager
Manami Kuriyama

Talent
Dai Tamura

Director / Editor / Sound Design / Music Composer
Jeremy Rubier

Photographer
Steve Gaudin

Project Manager
Manami Kuriyama

Talent
Bang Lee

Director/ Editor / Colour
Issam Kechouri

Sound Record / Sound Design
Nicolas Amblard

Photographer
Steve Gaudin

Project Manager / Casting
Manami Kuriyama

Talent
Ryo Wakazuki, Meg Wakazuki, Chris Muwe

Director
Artem Ski

DoP
Brandon Strack

Editor
Alexis Wuillaume

Photographer
Steve Gaudin

Casting
Hibiki Katopoweredby.tokyo

Project Manager
Manami Kuriyama

Talent
MQ

Director / Editor
Artem Ski

DoP
Brandon Strack

Casting
Hibiki Katopoweredby.tokyo

Project Manager
Manami Kuriyama

Photographer
Jun Ishibashi

Music
kZm

Talent
kZm

Director / Editor / Sound Design / Music Composer
Jeremy Rubier

Project Manager / Casting
Manami Kuriyama

Talent
Nobu

Director / Editor / Colour
Issam Kechouri

Sound Record / Sound Design
Nicolas Amblard

Photographer
Steve Gaudin

Casting
Hibiki Katopoweredby.tokyo

Project Manager
Manami Kuriyama

Talent
JUNJUN

Director / Editor / Colour
Issam Kechouri

Sound Record / Sound Design
Nicolas Amblard

Project Manager / Casting
Manami Kuriyama

Photographer
Jeremy Renault

Talent
Yusuke Oishi

Director / Editor / Sound Design
Jeremy Rubier

Photographer
Steve Gaudin

Project Manager / Casting
Manami Kuriyama

Music Composer
Jeremy Rubier

Talent
Tana

Director / DoP
Jeremy Rubier

Editor
Alexis Wuillaume

Photographer
Steve Gaudin

Producer / Casting
Utana Kishinopoweredby.tokyo

Project Manager
Shion Kimura

Talent
Goddess Basketball Club

Director / DoP
Will Kyaw

Editor
Alexis Wuillaume

Photographer
Steve Gaudin

Producer / Casting
Hibiki Katopoweredby.tokyo

Project Manager
Utana Kishinopoweredby.tokyo

Talent
Chris Sasaki

OTHER MONOPO GROUP MEMBERS
ON THIS PROJECT