My middle name is Jordan. It’s not a family name. It’s not a nickname. It’s not something my parents found in a trendy baby book like Gwyneth Paltrow.
It’s the last name of the greatest athlete to ever walk the planet.
Ever since my Dad put a bite-sized Bulls Jersey and miniature Flu Game Jordan 12’s on me after I was born, I developed a crippling love of basketball coupled with a debilitating sneaker dependency. They still blame themselves to this day.
Like MJ, I too was once cut from my high-school basketball team. Unlike MJ, I used that rejection to fuel my creative pursuits - whereas he used it to become a multi-billion dollar brand and the most recognizable name in the world. Only time will tell which route paid off. But at the end of the day, only one of us knows how to make a Squarespace website and hyperlink images - so let’s call it a draw.
— — —
Below is my resume and cover letter, along with a collection of my designs taking you through the rise of Jordan Brand and every shoe MJ wore on court. Much more importantly, it’ll also take you through my own journey - putting my life’s work and achievements next to a gym shoe, and somehow still managing to not look that impressive.
Jordan 1
The shoe that started it all, and catapulted a kid from North Carolina to the biggest stage on earth. Coincidentally, I too was catapulted from North Carolina* to the biggest stage on earth.**
*I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Davidson College, with degrees in the only two things every human baby in America is born already knowing how to do - English (Creative Writing) & Communications
**for a mid-level American donut-based QSR brand copywriter
Jordan 2
This Jordan was made in Italy and designed to look like Italian luxury shoes, crafted with cutting edge technology.
While we’re on the topic of cutting-edge technology, I am proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, Microsoft Paint, and papier-mache.
Jordan 3
Arguably the most famous shoe of all time (and the first designed by the legendary Tinker Hatfield), the Jordan 3 launched during Jordan’s historical 1988 season - winning both MVP and DPOTY in only his third year.
Similarly - during my sophomore and junior summers, I interned at BBDO as both a Copywriter and Art Director - a Jordan-like feat forever etched in the annals of BBDO history.
Jordan 4
The first ever global Jordan release - and the shoe that catapulted the brand from functional footwear to a pop culture icon, featured in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing.
seamless transition - I was awarded the Servant Leadership medal in high-school for always doing the right thing.
*placeholder copy, please revise*
Jordan 5
Tinker Hatfield designed this shoe after the aesthetic of military fighter planes from WW2.
My grandfather fought in the military, and never stopped tinkering (*hold for applause*) with his notepads, constantly drawing and designing in his free time. He raised my Mom - who is a professional artist featured in galleries, residences, and public places across the country - in a creative household, and she passed it on to her two sons. Me and this guy.
Jordan 6
The shoe Jordan wore for his first championship - designed to look like Jordan's own beloved German sports car.
Although - it was no 2008 slightly dented Toyota 4Runner: the first car I owned, and the last thing I sold before moving to New York to pursue a career on the Big Screen*
*creating banner ads for the big screen in Time Square where Dunkin’ has a standing media buy
Jordan 7
The shoe Jordan sported as a member of the legendary Olympic Dream Team.
As a member of the illustrious and equally lauded Dunkin’ Dream Team (2018-2019), I worked on the Cosmic Coolatta, Halloween, Holiday, NHL, Dunkin’ Delivers, Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwich, and Go 2’s campaigns. Outside of Dunkin’, I have worked on Lay’s and Mountain Dew as a copywriter - and AT&T, Foot Locker, Bacardi, and Visa as an intern.
Jordan 8
The highly-stylized and material-blending sneaker Jordan wore while winning his first three-peat against the Phoenix Suns.
In order for me to defeat the Sun*, I have my own three-peat regimen: Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry Touch SPF 100+ sunscreen, a t-shirt, and staying inside.
*my skin is frail and pallid, like the pages in an old King James Bible or a woman’s blouse in the montage scene of a Lifetime movie
Jordan 9
The shoe that proved Jordan remained a successful brand regardless of whether or not he was on the court - released in 1993 after Jordan announced his sudden retirement from the NBA.
*In the year 2000 at age 4 - with the eyes of the nation upon me - I announced my retirement from preschool. I took a year off to travel Europe, experiment with psychedelics, realign my chakras, and find myself spiritually before I returned in time for senior kindergarten.
*exaggerated for effect, but I did skip pre-school. Much like Jordan - I had grown weary, having already accomplished all there was
Jordan 10
The shoe Tinker designed for Jordan as he took a year off to play minor-league baseball. Although it was designed with both the past (design elements on the sole of the shoe highlighted all of Jordan’s basketball accomplishments) and the present (structurally mirroring a baseball cleat) in mind, it made its return to the court in triumphant fashion - as Jordan wore it while sporting a 45 jersey and dropping 55 points on the New York Knicks in his first game back.
I also dabbled in *minor-league **baseball, and in similar fashion hung my cleats up after a historic 2-month career due to bat fatigue and my hatred of the uniforms to return to my first love: sucking at basketball.
*minor as in legal minor, I was 8
**technically tee-ball
Jordan 11
After his departure from baseball and disappointing second-round exit at the hands (or wands?) of the Orlando Magic in 94, Jordan torched the league in his 95 campaign in patent leather performance shoes designed after the body of sports car - marking his bold return to the court. He drove the Bulls to a 41-3 start on their way to a historical 72-10 finish, culminating on Father’s Day with his 4th championship ring (and first since his father’s death). And after etching its place in history on the hardwood, the shoe garnered more hype in Hollywood with its appearance in “Space Jam” - solidifying the shoe as an all-time classic.
In a shocking coincidence, inspired equally by Jordan’s revenge season and the whiconic** band Train’s comeback record Save Me San Francisco - I ended my historical run at BBDO and was Jammed into a new Space at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco (editor’s note: think of a better or at least coherent Space Jam pun, redact Train reference, and just generally be better).
**iconic exclusively in the white community
Jordan 12
Jordan 13
Jordan 14
