Red Hook Labs

As part of the WNBA's 2019 rebranding efforts to showcase its players' stories through a more personal lens, the Red Hook Labs portrait series aimed to capture the diverse personalities of the women in the league. Additionally, the series provided a platform for a group of talented, young, and multicultural photography students to showcase their skills.

Five young female students of color (ages 17-21) from Red Hook Lab's non-profit education program were paired with ten players from six WNBA teams to create a first-of-its-kind series for the league encompassing 20 unique and individual portraits.

Red Hook Labs' Brooklyn-based non-profit education program equips underprivileged (and often minority) students with the tools to succeed in the photography business.

Recap Video

This project was the first time the WNBA publicized players off-court in a non-sports context, enabling audiences to connect and see the players in a new light.

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"To see us off the court and in our element and to be able to showcase our style and where we're from is important."
_{Kahleah Copper, WNBA Champion}

Results

The photo campaign made an impact in its sheer reach in terms of tapping into non-traditional media and audiences for the WNBA.

The overall project received earned media pick-up from MTV, Essence, The Source, and other traditional non-sports outlets, and a rotation of images was posted at over 300 outdoor advertising placements across Manhattan and Brooklyn from October 2019 to January 2020. In total, the project garnered over 119+ million impressions, extending our brand and player awareness to new consumer audiences.

_{Above in order: Jonquel Jones by Denise Stephanie; Natalie Achonwa by Nyahlee Fermin; Crystal Langhorne by Lucci Mia}