How FCB New York brought basketball to visually impaired with world’s most awarded campaign

To demonstrate its impact on the biggest stage, Cameron Black, who is blind, made history by providing live commentary for a Knicks playoff game on national television, bringing the excitement of live NBA action to all fans.

But how did this bold idea come to life? The Drum sat down with Alex Abrantes, executive vice-president and executive creative director at FCB New York, for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of ‘Dreamcaster.’

Pitching the idea to the client

The foundation of the project was built on a long-standing partnership. As Abrantes explains: “The secret to pulling off bold ideas like ‘Dreamcaster’ is to choose your partners carefully. We’re really proud of the long-lasting partnership between FCB New York and Michelob Ultra, and how the work we’ve done over the last few years has brought the brand’s point of view into the spotlight.”

When the team presented the idea, the client saw the potential. “They were immediately excited,” Abrantes says. “It was a different opportunity: millions of basketball fans around the world struggle to follow live games because they’re blind or visually impaired, depriving them of fully experiencing the joy of the game.”

To address this, the team embarked on a tech-led approach that had been successful in previous projects. “We developed our own proprietary technology that used touch, haptics, and sound to create an experience that would immerse blind and visually impaired fans in the joy of a live basketball game so deeply that they would better understand the game without seeing it,” he adds.

The Creative Process

While the idea was bold, execution was another challenge entirely. “As exciting as a project like this is, it also takes a long time to actually pull it off. When we first came up with the idea, we had no clue if it would actually work,” Abrantes admits.

The team spent three months on research and development, working closely with the American Foundation for the Blind and the blind community. “What started as a dream (for us and Cameron) became a tangible solution for thousands of people,” he explains.

Overcoming challenges

Executing such an ambitious project came with significant hurdles. “The whole premise of the project - making a blind guy call an NBA game, live was pretty challenging!” Abrantes adds.

However, the reality was more complex. “The entire project was an ongoing challenge to our belief that there was a way to make this happen. Along the way, we needed to remind ourselves this could take a long time to come to life - which it did - but we had to get it right, so we couldn’t rush it,” he says.

Pressure was high, but so was the motivation. “Hearing Cameron’s story from his parents also kept us going. He’s been through a lot, but his relentless positivity and joy are contagious,” Abrantes says.

The high-stakes live broadcast

Bringing ‘Dreamcaster’ to life wasn’t just a creative and technological feat, it also meant executing it flawlessly during a live NBA Playoff game at Madison Square Garden. “Filming was extremely stressful. And that’s just because of the sheer nature of the event… It’s live. It’s the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. It’s the NBA Playoffs. And it’s on TV, for millions of fans around the country and the world,” Abrantes recalls. “Sure, we had everything ready to go, but until the game began, and Cameron really started calling it and everything worked flawlessly, it was just nerves.”

But the pressure gave way to a deeply moving moment. “The moment it was all over, and Cameron said the famous line: ‘I’m Cameron Black, from the Michelob Ultra studio, signing off’ – the whole studio exploded in cheers and applause. I don’t know why, but at that moment, I looked at Cameron’s mom on the sidelines, and she was crying her eyes out. No one saw it, because all the focus was on Cameron, of course. I immediately ran over to her and gave her a big hug. I’m tearing up now just remembering it,” he says.

Breaking boundaries in sports advertising

“We’ve been lucky to have worked on a few ‘first-ever’ projects at FCB New York. And every time we begin something like this, the goal is simple: to make it work. It’s not ‘if’ it’ll work, but how,” says Abrantes.

“It didn’t just push creative limits; it made sports more accessible. “The live broadcast wasn’t the only thing we did. In addition to ‘Dreamcaster,’ developed with and for Cameron to augment his ability to commentate a game live on TV, we created the ‘Dreamcaster’ App. The idea was to scale the same technology that allowed Cameron to understand basketball into a mobile experience for fans in-arena, truly enhancing the game,” Abrantes explains.

Powered by official NBA game data and its proprietary AI platform Aura, the app uses Cameron’s voice to guide blind and visually impaired fans with live audio descriptions tailored to them. “Starting last year with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the app allowed thousands of fans to enjoy the live action in real-time at the arena,” he adds.

The impact of ‘Dreamcaster’

At its core, the spot is more than an innovative marketing campaign, it’s an initiative that changes how sports are experienced. “At FCB, we believe that creativity is an economic multiplier. What makes Michelob Ultra such an incredible client is that it also believes in the power of creativity to drive the bottom line. Because at the end of the day, it works! Everything we do needs to have results. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to do it over and over again. It’s a rewarding partnership that has seen Michelob Ultra become one of the fastest-growing beer brands in the US,” says Abrantes.