THE BRIEF

The untold story of Soul Train.

When BET set out to launch American Soul, its first scripted period drama, we weren't simply introducing a new television series. We were revisiting one of the most culturally significant institutions in Black American history.

Working with BET and Soul Train Holdings, I led creative development for the Season One launch campaign, centering the story of visionary entrepreneur Don Cornelius and the extraordinary world he built.

Our challenge was to honor the legacy of Soul Train while introducing its untold story to a new generation—balancing nostalgia for audiences who grew up with the iconic show and a fresh perspective for younger viewers.

Creative Strategy · 360° Campaign Development · Art Direction · Experiential Design · Out-of-Home · Music-Led Storytelling

Music was equally essential. I advocated for a significant investment in music licensing, recognizing that the era's extraordinary soul and R&B catalog would be one of our most powerful storytelling tools—connecting memory, emotion, and cultural identity.

Every touchpoint was designed to evoke the energy, beauty, and cultural significance of the era - the iconic fashion, dance and hair that defined the period - while inviting contemporary audiences into the story.

THE PROCESS

The Audacity to Dream.

Soul Train was born in an era of extraordinary cultural expression and political upheaval. Against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, Black Power, and the Vietnam War, Don Cornelius imagined a platform where Black music, fashion, dance, beauty, and identity could be celebrated on our own terms. To me, this was a story about more than entertainment. It was about the revolutionary act of dreaming while Black.

The creative vision became a love letter to Black America: to the audacity of building something beautiful in a world that continually challenges your right to succeed. We wanted to capture both the intoxicating possibility of the Black American Dream and the complicated realities behind its pursuit.

To ground our visual language in the period, I immersed the team in the art and culture of the early 1970s. I organized a visit to the Brooklyn Museum's Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power exhibition, drawing inspiration from the revolutionary graphics, bold colors, political iconography, and extraordinary artistic expression of the era.

We had the extraordinary privilege of drawing from the rich visual and cultural legacy of Soul Train. That history came vividly to life on set, where the legendary Soul Train stage was meticulously recreated, transporting us back to the very heart of the cultural phenomenon we were celebrating. As a girl who grew up watching Soul Train every Saturday morning, this project felt surreal.

THE PROMOS