Overall Thunder Brand Expansion on Social Media

I joined the Thunder a few months into the 2019-20 season, and began working game nights halfway through the 2020-21 season. My goal was to expand OKC’s social impact by implementing a new brand voice, creating bolder visuals, connecting more directly+indirectly with fans, and providing more comprehensive and timely coverage. At the end of the 2021-22 season, the Thunder were now two years into a heavy rebuild and three years away from when franchise icon Russell Westbrook left the team. Now more than ever, strong social execution can raise what could otherwise be an extremely low floor of engagement with the team, both in everyday fandom and on social media.

82 games over 173 days, let’s get it 😤

Social Focused Video Editing - Features

In a condensed schedule environment, it is really special to carve out time over a handful of days to work on impactful and fun projects. I was especially proud of these edits, two of which were for impactful moments for one of our new franchise cornerstones, and the third being a fun way to spice up pregame for a plain old a regular season game.

Social Focused Photography & Quick Video Edits

you know the drill. 60 minutes. get your shots. flip the edits. post a nice and tidy content piece before pregame ends!

Brand Expansion Through Copywriting

by far my biggest undertaking has been to re-develop our brand voice. our audience is our fans and our players, and we need to frame our output toward what they are interested in. OKC’s core ethos is about teamwork and hard work, but that doesn’t mean we have to speak in a PR tone or that we can’t find a team angle to celebrate individual accomplishments.

Leaning into individual player Brands

The Draft

for the 2021-22 season this process started as early as the draft, where I spent two days writing copy for every top-100 draft prospect that could be potentially welcomed to the Thunder. being drafted is a flashbulb moment for any professional athlete, and I wanted to ensure our welcome of every player was timely, welcoming, and distinct. anyone can say “welcome to the family” or “we’re bringing Player X to OKC”. I wanted to ensure that this moment had some personality.

Josh Giddey

Spicing up “standard” posts

On a Monday following a wild Bedlam weekend, where Oklahoma State broke a 6 year draught followed the next day by former University of Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley leaving for USC, all we needed was a light touch to acknowledge what went down, and that the state of Oklahoma’s team was here for everyone to root for.

Interaction with Social Media Figures, Thunder Media, and Fans

Leveraging Access for Timeliness

TikTok

G League All-Around Coverage

Fan Anecdotes

These are a collection of social projects I fully pitched, planned, and directed. At the conclusion of the 2022 NBA Season, the Director and Manager in the OKC Thunder Social Media Department left for new opportunities. I was tasked with fully running our offseason social, with help from our new hire Social Media Specialist. I am extremely proud of the trust I earned with the organization to run these projects, and proud of my work.