Red Bull Wake Rivals

The concept

Red Bull Wake Rivals was a collegiate wakeboard championship and a Red Bull athlete photo project in one. Florida's 4 largest college wakeboard clubs battled in a nighttime jam, coached by pros Mike Dowdy, Steel Lafferty, Massi Piffaretti, and Meagan Ethell. Inspired by Tony Hawk's Pro Skater "Graffiti" mode, teams earned each obstacle one trick at a time, and theater lighting turned each obstacle the color of the school that owned it.

My role

I created the concept, tested it, executed it, and scaled it 3 years in a row. The lighting rig doubled as a content opportunity: we craned photographer Chris Garrison 75 feet over the water for overhead long exposures of Parks Bonifay, Steel Lafferty, Meagan Ethell, and Massi Piffaretti. I also wrote the event story published on RedBull.com.

Results

• 400K media impressions and 140 organic social posts
• 200% spectator growth and 200 lifelong Red Bull advocates
• Athlete photos shared by @RedBull global and awarded Red Bull Illume recognition
• Photos became a global stock background for Red Bull employees