KENNY SMITH ALL-STAR WEEKEND — ALWAYS BET ON A FULL HOUSE

MISSION

Advance a multi-year partnership with Kenny Smith by producing NBA All-Star Weekend’s must-attend experience — transforming a San Francisco museum into a one-night journey, from charity poker to an elevated nightlife destination, with a full-scale concert and integrated brand activations.

ACTION

Shaped the end-to-end experience with Kenny Smith and EMPIRE — fusing poker with philanthropy, and curating a seamless nightlife-to-concert journey for 1,600 VIPs. Instead of siloed activations, the strategy was storytelling — one integrated production that carried guests from room to room, brand to brand, act to act.

EXECUTION

• Curated dual environments inside the museum — overseeing partner execution to bring the vision to life, from spatial design through staging, flow, and sponsor activations.

• Programmed a live concert experience with EMPIRE — connecting legends, rising talent, and national headliners like Too $hort, Larry June, and 2 Chainz to put the Bay Area’s culture center stage.

• Integrated sponsors NBA2K, Patrón, Saratoga Water, Resorts World, and Bentley directly into the guest journey — ensuring a seamless flow, from poker to nightlife to concert.

IMPACT

• 1,600+ VIPs and guests in attendance — cementing it as All-Star Weekend’s most exclusive ticket.

• 2.4M+ video views and 300K+ social engagements amplified the experience beyond the room.

• $1M+ raised for education reform, adding philanthropic impact to the cultural moment.