honda battle of the bands

The
Brief

In 2003 Honda made a commitment to showcase the heart-stopping musical talents of students in HBCU Bands. Since then, HBOB has served as the blueprint event that showcases the most recognizable and celebrated examples of HBCU culture to the rest of the world.

In 2023 I was brough on to provide Creative Direction for the pre-event campaign (including a 4-part docuseries) and also the main showcase. That event (which took place for the first time on an HBCU campus was a major succcess, generating buzz and maintaing HBOB's status as the ultimate HBCU marching Band showcase.

Fast forward to 2025, a new goal was set. Bring the showcase which historically took place in the south to a new market - Los Angeles California - but ensure the history and culture of the spectacle stayed in tact. The result was a star studded, swag surfing good time that took over the nations premier stadium - SOFI!

credits

BRAND: Honda

EVENT NAME: Honda Battle of the Bands 2025

LOCATION: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood California

AGENCY: VIVA Creative

CONTENT CREDIT: VIVA Creative

ROLE: Creative Director for Live Event & Pre-event Campaign

EXEC. PRODUCER: Amanda Mack

ART DIRECTOR: Venessa Cami

PRESS: Jennifer Hudson Show, VIBE, Essence, Billboard

pre-event campaign

.This project included an 8 month pre-event campaign with several milestones such as:

Location Announcement: In order build a buzz in the new market, I leveraged the energy that HBCU bands bring with the campaign slogan, "The Bands are Coming"

Band Selection & Voting: I developed a new selection system with pre-event band-to-band challenges to amplify the battle vibe, along with a public vote that drew over 600K fan submissions.

Talent Announcements: As we got closer to the event devised dynamic content with the team to announce major talent and event details

black college expo & legacy pre-show

Our goal was to create not just an event, but a moment and a movement—pushing the client and platform further by introducing new elements like:

The Black College Expo: Partnering with NCRF was a game changer, bringing nearly 25K to SoFi for a historic college fair aligned with Honda’s mission to drive the legacy of HBCUs.

Sponsor Integration: After 18 years without sponsors, Honda’s showcase saw renewed brand interest. As CD, I sought to ensure brand hierarchy and kept sponsor efforts focused on celebrating HBCUs and promoting Black excellence.

HBCU West Coast Intro: We created a proper stadium intro for each band with processions that got fans on their feet, and on-screen fun facts highlighting the accomplishments of these game-changing institutions and their stellar musicians getting ready to take to the field.

live event

The campaign broke through LA’s saturated scene, drawing nearly 40K fans to SoFi for a historic show. Key moments I built into the experience included:

HBCU History: The show opened with all six bands united in an “HBCU” field formation, performing Lift Every Voice and the National Anthem. The perfect way to kick of Black history month

Drumline Nostalgia: As a ’90s baby and former drummer, having Nick Cannon host was the perfect chance to tap into nostalgia. We opened the show with a bang—reuniting Nick with co-star Orlando Jones and all six drumlines.

Next Level Visuals: Designing for SoFi Stadium’s massive infinity screen was no small feat. We created next-level motionGFX and transformed the screen into an in-stadium assistant that interacted with the host and fans, previewing key moments and coast-to-coast music celebrations.