Creating Viral NBA & WNBA Campaign Films for Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Juwann Nelson & Joe Sailer on the 'Yes Cers' set with actor Kerrington Shorter (Corey Duncan Jr, Story League)

In 2025, not many sports markets witnessed the economic & social growth like Indianapolis. With the high level of play from players like Caitlin & Tyrese Haliburton, the city has had the world's attention.

Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) is the entity behind the Indiana Pacers & Indiana Fever organizations. Under the ownership of the Simon family since 1983, PS&E have usually been participants of a more reserved marketing & branding style. Organizations in bigger markets like New York, Los Angeles & Chicago have historically been more aggressive & boisterous with their approach to storytelling & attracting fans.

Indianapolis prior to the 1980s was referred to as “Naptown” or “sleepy” due to the lack of national attractions & fanfare other than the Indianapolis 500 race - the largest one day sports event in the world. This would eventually be debunked once the Pacers became an NBA team, then Indianapolis Colts came to town in the middle of the night.

Downtown Indianapolis featuring Market Square Arena in 1974 (Indiana Historical Society)

Today, PS&E has built on the work prior city leaders put worth to make Indianapolis an epicenter for sports culture in the Bill Hudnut era during the '1970s. They've adopted a new confidence and attitude to promote its future hoop stars & rich basketball culture in the Hoosier state.

That new attitude and confidence started with the Indiana Fever brand. After the addition of #1 draft picks Aliyah Boston & Caitlin Clark, the organization has been injected with raw talent to compete with the top teams in the WNBA. At the start of the 2025 WNBA season, PS&E launched their 'Now You Know' content & marketing campaign. Their most boisterous campaign to date.

Fever fans in Gainbridge Fieldhouse during the 2025 season. (Gerad Encarnacion, Story League)

PS&E connected with us at Story League to help bring this campaign vision to life on screen. With this opportunity, we knew right away we wanted to keep the story authentic to Indianapolis and its history of trailblazing woman leaders. We decided to honor arguably the most influential woman to live in Indianapolis, Madam CJ Walker - America’s 1st self-made woman millionaire.

We used the Madam Walker Legacy Center's historic theater as the backdrop for the campaign film. The Madam Walker Theater, built in 1927, represents the hard work & perseverance of America’s 1st self-made woman millionaire, Madam CJ Walker.

Justin King & Juwann Nelson capturing Aliyah Boston inside the Madam Walker Legacy Center (Corey Duncan Jr, Story League)

Juwann Nelson directing Caitlin Clark inside the Madam Walker Legacy Center (Corey Duncan Jr, Story League)

It meant a lot for us to have the Fever ladies & team in this space. Madam Walker is a trailblazer & inspiration for women to strive for the stars. We believe this current wave of women’s basketball can do just that for the next generation. The release of this :30 spot ended up netting millions of views & impressions across multiple social platforms including Instagram & X.

On the other side of PS&E, the Indiana Pacers had also captured the attention of the national sports world. The squad, led by superstar Tyrese Haliburton, went on a magical playoff run & reached the 2025 NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years. However, a dramatic and tragic playoff Game 7 loss suddenly halted the city's plan to finally become NBA Champions. Heading into the following season, there was a need to send a message to their fans that the team would not be defined by this adversity.

Fans celebrate outside of Gainbridge Fieldhouse after a Game 3 victory in the 2025 NBA Finals over the Oklahoma City Thunder. (Gerad Encarnacion, Story League)

PS&E reached out to us at Story League to build on the recent success of their 'Yes Cers' campaign and help tell a story of resilience of belief, even when the road ahead seems foggy & dark.

This spot starred no players or celebrities. We got straight to the point with the help of Kerrington Shorter, an actor based in Indianapolis. PS&E decided to acknowledge & face their past head on in order to move on to a brighter future - a mindset that is a total 360 of what their marketing efforts communicated in the past. This resonated with fans in a major way.

Kerrington Shorter & Juwann Nelson on set for the Yes 'Cers Pacers campaign in 2025 (Corey Duncan Jr, Story League)

Regardless of market size, there's a need for fans to feel a great sense of authenticity & the impact of storytelling they can relate to. PS&E understands this and has paved the way for medium-sized & smaller markets to lean into their own stories and the qualities that make them unique. At the end of the day, either you be real with your fans, or they might find another team.

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IG: @storyleague.tv

Reach out to Juwann: jnelson@storyleague.tv