“Sometime legends don’t just inspire you. They define the era you grew up in. “

This commercial was my way of honoring the one who defined mine.

When I set out to create this AI-powered Air Jordan 40th Anniversary commercial, I wasn’t just experimenting with technology. I was trying to capture a feeling — the fire, awe, and electricity of watching Michael Jordan rise in real time. For those of us who lived through that era, it was more than sports; it was witnessing a once-in-a-generation force reshape culture, confidence, and the idea of greatness itself.

You can’t fully explain that feeling to someone who wasn’t there — but maybe you can help them experience a piece of it. This project became my attempt to bridge that gap, blending archival footage with AI-driven worldbuilding to bring the mythology of Air Jordan forward for a new generation.

How It Started

This project began as something deeply personal. I’ve spent more than fifteen years as a  creative director and senior colorist, helping brands craft premium commercials, while also shaping my storytelling instincts through countless hours of analyzing great advertising. But Michael Jordan — his legacy, presence, and character — has always been one of my greatest creative influences.

Growing up during his era felt supernatural. His talent, discipline, kindness, and sense of responsibility to his community created a cultural gravity few athletes have ever matched. I wanted to honor that legacy in a way that felt cinematic, emotional, and true to who he was — and AI gave me a new canvas to do it.

While I’ve designed theme park attractions, film concepts, and commercial campaigns, this piece came from a different place: respect, nostalgia, and gratitude. The technology was exciting, but the heart behind it was the reason I made it.

Crafting The Ad

To create this commercial, I built nearly every shot using a custom AI workflow I’ve been developing for the past two years — a pipeline designed to push visual fidelity as far as possible. I combined ComfyUI, Flux, FluxContext, NanoBanana, and MidJourney, choosing each tool for its strengths in photorealism, character fidelity, and world-building. Every frame was intentionally crafted, not just generated, with countless iterations shaping the look and emotion of each moment. Most importantly, I also incorporated advanced AI video-generation tools—including Google VEO3, KLING, and Minimax—to bring the kind of cinematic movement and energy this spot required.

Even though AI played a massive role in the visuals, I’m not dogmatic about doing everything with AI. It’s about using the right tools to create the best possible work — and sometimes the right tool is a talented human. For the voiceover, I collaborated with the incredible Zac Fine, a world-class voiceover artist whose experience and craft added the level of authenticity this piece deserved.

The edit was just as essential. As any filmmaker knows, a great editor can elevate a project beyond what’s on the page or in the timeline. For this commercial, I teamed up with my colleague Ryan Rakes, whose instincts, pacing, and sense of rhythm shaped the emotional spine of the spot. His contribution was instrumental in bringing the story to life.

Color grading — something I’ve done professionally for over a decade — became the hidden engine behind making the AI visuals feel cohesive and believable. I crafted a specific look for each sequence, drawing from the texture and emotional depth of 1990s 35mm still photography. For the archival Jordan footage displayed inside the TV, I built a separate treatment: scanlines, analog breakup, noise, and subtle imperfections to make it feel authentically rooted in the era. The grade unified everything — giving both the AI imagery and the real footage a shared visual language and a deeper emotional weight.

All of this came together to push AI realism farther than I’ve ever taken it. My goal was to make something that genuinely feels like Nike could run it tomorrow — cinematic, emotional, and crafted with the visual language of real-world advertising. This wasn’t about replacing traditional techniques, but about showing what’s possible when the artistry of filmmaking meets the power of modern AI tools.

New Opportunity

This is where I believe the future of storytelling begins. High-end, fully staffed productions will always have their place — nothing replaces the energy of a real set. But now there is also an opportunity to create cinematic, emotionally powerful work using tools that open the door to new voices and new possibilities.

For filmmakers like me, this means being able to pursue ideas that would have required massive budgets, global locations, or full crews. For brands, it means creating premium, visually stunning content at a fraction of traditional production costs. And for audiences — especially younger generations who never witnessed Michael Jordan’s rise — it creates a fresh way to feel a connection to a legend they may have only seen in highlight reels.

This commercial is just the beginning. AI isn’t here to replace artists — it’s here to expand what’s possible. These tools allowed me to tell a story I’ve always wanted to tell, one that bridges nostalgia with innovation. We’re entering a moment where the boundaries of filmmaking are shifting, and the possibilities are only going to grow from here.

 

Be sure to check out Zac Fine’s Voiceover work: https://www.zacfine.com/

Be sure to check out Ryan Rake’s Edit/VFX work: https://ryanrakes.com/