For the last 11 years, Southern Brand Collective has helped the Miami HEAT set the standard for intro videos within the sports and entertainment industry - and this year was no exception. It started as a “simple” idea over a brainstorming session with HEAT Executive Marketing VP Michael McCullough (a music aficionado and avid vinyl collector) who wanted to do a “Blue Note” inspired look. It became, as they do every year, the benchmark for the NBA.

After creating mood boards & designing type treatments, we enlisted the help and cred of director Gil Green - known best for his work on videos for artists like Lil Wayne, Usher, Lil Jon, Akon, Rick Ross, Drake, Flo Rida and DMX as well as TV commercials for And 1. The final stylish touches came courtesy of Wade’s own professional stylist Calyann Barnett. The result is a 1-minute intro video that doesn’t just raise the bar - it pushes team intros to a whole new level that has other teams talking and even left the seasoned director with goosebumps. “I think the first time I saw it was opening night against the Knicks,” Green said. “I think that was the first time they used the new Jumbotron with high def. I got chills from watching it. I mean 10,000 to 15,000 fans screaming their heads off is very exciting and something totally new for me.”

The fan and internal reaction was great, so we took the rich, moody Blue Note look and made collectible album covers, wallpapers and merch for HEAT fans to dig. “We like to make our guys seem larger than life,” said HEAT Executive Marketing VP Michael McCullough, “Kind of like rock stars, or in this case, cool jazz icons.”