Inside the campaign that reinvented how NBA playoffs are broadcast
Cameron Black aspired to be a sports broadcaster. He was also born completely blind. Last year, FCB New York, with the backing of Michelob Ultra, helped Black commentate on a basketball game – and this wasn’t just any game, it was an NBA playoff, with the New York Knicks, at Madison Square Garden. Black’s commentary was to be broadcast on national TV. All live. No pressure.
The technology that allowed this included a continually updated Braille touchscreen sending Black live statistics, and a haptic vest that alerted him to in-game events like fouls, baskets and time-outs. All this was relayed second-by-second, just as it is for a sighted person, and meant Black could handle the full three-hour stream flawlessly. It was a dream turned into reality.
This isn’t just an inspiring human story of achievement and excellence, it’s also an activation firmly in-line with Michelob Ultra’s brand equity and role as a major sports sponsor. For the event, the tagline, “it’s only worth it if you enjoy it” was changed to: “it’s only worth it if we all enjoy it”. The work won three Yellow Pencils, four Graphite, and four Wood Pencils, across Experiential, Casting, Media and more. The technology is currently in place at Madison Square Garden, where it can be used by other visually impaired people, and is being developed further by a major technology company.
“What we learned with this project is that innovation is possible and is affordable– you just need to understand how to design an idea that is executable and scalable at a later date.”
“People might think innovation is out of reach, like it's far away, but it's not,” says Daniel Roversi, VP Executive Producer at FCB New York. “What we learned with this project is that innovation is possible and is affordable– you just need to understand how to design an idea that is executable and scalable at a later date. You don't need to think scalability from the start. You need to think iteration. The first iteration just has to have the reach, the potential to be later expanded.”
It also, of course, has much to teach other agencies working with people with disabilities. “If there's anything that I think a non-disabled staff member could learn from a disabled person or a coworker or a colleague with special needs, I think the word that comes to my mind is determination,” says Black, who also works as a voice over artist. “It is very common for someone with special needs or someone with a disability to work at a very similar, if not the exact same, job as someone with no special needs. And what it requires is an amount of determination. It requires an amount of adaptation. Just because you might lack your hearing or you might lack your sight, or you might lack the ability to walk or something like that, does not mean that a job cannot be adapted for you, and that you cannot adapt yourself to that job.”