P004 → It’s Always Dame Time

Primary Role: Concept Lead / Acting Creative Director 
Partners: In-house adidas Basketball team + external agency (BAPE collaboration)

Conceptual Storytelling · Cinematic Composition & Mood Design · Creative Leadership
Humor + Humanity Balance · Cultural Intelligence · Hybrid Thinking
Emotional Design Language · Systemic Storytelling

As Concept Lead, I drove the creative narrative and campaign direction for Damian Lillard’s Always Dame Time. A film and social campaign exploring how Dame’s “clutch” mindset extends beyond the court into everyday life. With no formal Creative or Art Director on basketball at the time, I led visual tone, scripting, casting, and post-production direction in close partnership with our agency and adidas Statement (Collaborations) Team.

“Always Dame Time” reimagines Damian Lillard’s clutch superpower beyond basketball — showing that his ability to rise to the moment extends into everyday life. The campaign follows Offseason Father Dame as he shares words of wisdom with the next generation, setting up what feels like a classic hoops story before pulling the rug to reveal he’s actually coaching life’s smaller moments; mowing the lawn, ironing, grilling for the family BBQ, moving day, cleaning up spilled milk, or hanging Halloween decorations. The message: whether on the court or at home, it’s always Dame Time because clutch moments can happen anywhere.

The story redefined “performance” by humanizing Dame as both athlete and father figure. By centering family moments, humor, and off-season authenticity, we made him more relatable to fans who wear his shoes for life as much as for sport. The concept unlocked deeper access with Dame (an 8-hour shoot day unprecedented for him) and set a new creative tone for adidas Basketball storytelling.

This project embodies Supermajor64: it flips the expected basketball narrative on its head, using humor, humanity, and design to make performance storytelling feel personal, cinematic, and culturally aware.

Essential Creative Strengths

Theoretical Function: Reframed “clutch” from game-winner to fatherhood, family, and daily life
Practical Craft: Directed casting, scripts, color, and edit flow for cinematic tone
Strategic Thinking: Positioned Dame as multidimensional: athlete, artist, and father
Application & Execution: Oversaw creative delivery across film, digital, and BAPE co-branded assets
Cultural & Future Readiness: Blended lifestyle and performance aesthetics—setting a modern template for athlete storytelling