Original IP / Program Design
NFL TNG
A weekly gaming show built to bring the NFL to a younger audience as its fanbase got older.
CLIENT
NFL
MY ROLE
Program design, talent strategy, brand integration
YEAR
2022–2023
CHALLENGE
In past gaming partnerships, the NFL licensed its marks to organizations like FaZe, who paid for the rights and ran the content themselves. That put the logo in front of gamers for a set term, but the league had no say in the programming, and fans could tell it was a licensing deal and not something the NFL was really part of.
INSIGHT
I’ve spent years in Twitch chat, and people can tell right away when someone is just visiting. That’s where a lot of athlete and gaming crossovers fall apart. If players get introduced as special guests, chat treats them like guests, but if they’re competing and talking trash with creators, they get treated like players.
APPROACH
I was involved from the earliest days and helped shape the program from the ground up, from team structures and captain formats to NIL usage, side programming and brand integration. Since the NFL co-owned the program and wasn’t just sponsoring it, we could keep adjusting the show week to week and bring other brands in as partners. It ran for two seasons with weekly live shows, short and long-form content, and a live Play Day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted by Quavo. Every sponsor got an integration built for the show, and I helped come up with and cast them, like a Campbell’s Chunky Soup Showdown, a Family Game Night special with Nickelodeon and a Carnival Cruises activation during Super Bowl week. We ran a brand lift study with Wonderful Pistachios, and brand affinity was up 11 points by the end of the partnership. Sour Patch Kids went a step further with its own campaign, Fruit Fight, which included an amateur tournament in the lead up to the Super Bowl.
RESULTS
111M+
Season two impressions
53%
Growth over season one
24+
Brand sponsors, up from 11
26
Episodes per season
24%
In-season impression growth
TALENT PARTNERS
Quavo / Ninja / Scott Hanson / JID / Robert Griffin III / DeMarcus Ware / Leonard Fournette / DeSean Jackson / Andre Reed / Austin Ekeler / Amon-Ra St. Brown / Mecole Hardman / Melvin Gordon III / LilyPichu / SypherPK / Typical Gamer / Nick Eh 30 / Swagg / QTCinderella / Will Neff / Fuslie / Austin Show / Ronnie2K / Symfuhny / MMG, and more
BRAND PARTNERS
Sour Patch Kids / Netflix / Disney+ / Hulu / Xbox / Nickelodeon / Carnival / Campbell’s Chunky / Wonderful Pistachios / Puss in Boots, and more
Gold, Video – Sports / 2023 MUSE Creative Awards Gold, Video – Entertainment / 2023 MUSE Creative Awards
VIDEO
Because the NFL owned the program, the league got to decide how it all came together, and it could keep shaping the show around what fans actually responded to.
MORE WORK
LACS 5
Creator Partnership / Branded Entertainment
Fruit Fight
Original Format / Events
Warp Speed Tour
In-Game Activation / Local Awareness
Ambulance
In-Game Activation / Creator Partnership
Ludwig’s Flying Aces
Branded Entertainment / Original Format
adidas Ozworld
In-Game Activation / Product Launch
NOPE
Creator Partnership / Social
Logitech G435
Product Launch / Creator Partnership
Geeked: Toon-In
Original Format / Live Programming
Toothbrush Tycoon
In-Game Activation / Product Launch
Sticks ’n’ Strips
Creator Partnership / Product Discovery
US Navy
Creator Partnership / Public Sector
Ms. Marvel
Creator Partnership / Livestream
Cocaine Bear
In-Game Activation / Creator Partnership
Scream VI
Creator Partnership / Livestream
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Creator Partnership / Branded Content
The 355 Showdown
Creator Partnership / Live Event
Halloween Ends
Creator Partnership / Livestream
Smirnoff Saturdays
Creator Partnership / Livestream Series
Minions
Creator Partnership / Branded Content
Game Nights
Creator Partnership / Livestream Series
Cricket Wireless
Branded Content / Documentary
She Moves Us
Branded Content / Creator Partnership
Like a Good Neighbor
Creator Partnership / Livestream Series
Pandora
Creator Partnership / Livestream