What I was walking into

The Clinic needed a content position grounded in the history of women’s basketball footwear. At the same time, league language, athlete names, likenesses and archival materials remained subject to approval. The series needed to remain truthful and publishable even if the most direct version of the story became unavailable.

What caught my attention

The footwear was already an archive. The Air Swoopes, Lisa Leslie’s Total Air 9 and Air Max L9, and the Sabrina 2 could carry the historical progression through physical evidence rather than relying entirely on footage or likenesses that might not clear.

What I shaped

I led the research, series structure and script development for three concise films hosted by Alicia-Monique Blanco. I created attributed and rights-reduced narrative paths so the story could narrow without collapsing. I traveled to Sacramento to provide on-set creative and talent direction, then managed the work through final review. Hidden Temple handled filming, photography and editing.

What became real

Three Foot Locker Instagram Reels published from July 19 through July 21, moving from the Air Swoopes through Lisa Leslie’s footwear and into the Sabrina 2. The films also played on the LED screen behind the Full Court Press stage, placing the footwear history inside the live environment before the panel began.

What stayed with me

I learned to write for the approval outcome rather than around it. Building a truthful alternate path into the concept turned rights uncertainty into a creative system. The story could lose language, footage or attribution without losing its reason for existing.