SPORTS & LIVE EVENTS
THE DREW LEAGUE
Live Game Production & Real-Time Content for the World's Most Famous Pro-Am
YEAR
2023
LOCATION
Los Angeles, CA
ROLE
Live Producer & Partner Marketing Manager — Caffeine
OVERVIEW
On the ground. In the moment. On the platform.
The Drew League is the most famous pro-am basketball league in the world — a Los Angeles institution where NBA players, legends, and elite amateurs compete in front of packed crowds, with hip-hop, sneaker culture, and community woven into every game.
As Partner Marketing Manager at Caffeine, Ayanna Henderson shot Drew League games live and edited content in real time for distribution on the platform. The work combined on-the-ground production with a coordinated multi-channel campaign — connecting the Drew League's deeply loyal audience with live programming on Caffeine and building a content pipeline that captured the energy of the games and delivered it across social, email, and the platform itself.
SERVICES
- Live Production
- Real-Time Editing
- Content Strategy
- Partner Marketing
- Social Media
- Distribution
THE CHALLENGE
Authenticity at speed.
The Drew League's audience already had a relationship with the league through Instagram, YouTube, and word of mouth. The challenge was to extend that relationship to a new platform — Caffeine — without disrupting the authenticity that makes the Drew League what it is.
Live sports content has a short window. The moments that matter — a signature move, a crowd reaction, a celebrity appearance — need to be captured, edited, and published while the energy is still live. That required being on the ground at games, making editorial decisions in real time, and turning raw footage into shareable content fast enough to reach audiences while the game was still happening.
The campaign also had to speak to a specific cultural audience: basketball fans who care about the intersection of sport, hip-hop, sneakers, and LA culture. Generic sports content would not land. The creative had to reflect the Drew League's identity.
THE APPROACH
Shoot it. Cut it. Ship it.
Ayanna attended Drew League games in person, shooting footage live and editing content in real time for immediate distribution on Caffeine and across social channels. Content capture categories included athlete arrivals, sneaker moments, crowd energy, personalities, and game action — the full cultural experience of a Drew League game, not just the basketball.
The campaign strategy organized promotion around the Drew League's existing cultural touchpoints: basketball communities, Ballislife, battle rap audiences, and sneaker culture. Each channel had a specific job — short-form social content created anticipation and surfaced memorable moments; partner accounts provided a trusted introduction to Caffeine; YouTube offered longer promotional content; email and push notifications connected programming to specific viewing opportunities.
On-site activation concepts included a Caffeine-branded step-and-repeat, QR codes for platform download, and mobile broadcasting — turning the physical event into a digital acquisition moment. Push-notification sequences were timed to the programming schedule, giving existing Caffeine users a direct path back to the games.
LIVE PRODUCTION
What real-time content production looks like.
On-Site Capture
Attended games in person with camera equipment — shooting athlete arrivals, sneaker moments, crowd energy, personalities, and game action as they happened.
Real-Time Editing
Cut and assembled footage on-site during games, making editorial decisions under live-event conditions to produce shareable content before the final buzzer.
Immediate Distribution
Published content to Caffeine and social channels while games were still in progress — maximizing the live-energy window that makes sports content resonate.
Event Recaps
Produced comprehensive post-game recaps highlighting key moments, standout plays, and cultural moments for audiences who missed the live stream.
THE RESULTS
Live
Shot and edited Drew League games in real time — content captured, cut, and published while games were still in progress
360°
Full campaign coverage: on-site production, social, YouTube, email, push notifications, and on-platform placements
Multi
Cultural audience targeting across basketball, Ballislife, battle rap, and sneaker communities
LA
On-site activation — Caffeine-branded step-and-repeat, QR codes, and mobile broadcasting at the Drew League
“The Drew League is where basketball, hip-hop, and LA culture meet. Shooting games live and editing in real time meant being part of that world — capturing the moments that matter and getting them in front of audiences while the energy was still there.”
— Ayanna Henderson, Partner Marketing Manager — Caffeine
NEXT PROJECT
CAFFEINE — Partner Marketing Strategy for a Live Streaming Start-Up