Hawks and Moet Hennessy Team Up with Marcus Graham Project to create pathways for young professionals

Last week, the Atlanta Hawks and Moët Hennessy teamed up with the Marcus Graham Project (MGP), to provide 25 local Atlanta students and professionals the opportunity to participate in a best-in-class six-day Sports Marketing Workshop. The Marcus Graham Project’s iCR8™ programs exist to cultivate the next generation of multicultural talent across media, marketing, advertising, PR and content creation.

"Marcus Graham Project was thrilled to get back to Atlanta, our first program in the city since 2021. The area represents so much cultural and creative connectivity that it was only right that the opportunity to return was ushered in by the Atlanta Hawks and Moët Hennessy. Two organizations that over the years have shown through their actions that their values align with the mission of MGP. I'd say that it was long overdue but after connecting and watching the talent of our cohort in action this past week, we must have been right on time," said Larry Yarrell, Marcus Graham Project Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer.

This multi-day workshop provided a diverse group of emerging professionals with exposure and hands-on experience needed to further their career interest within advertising, media and marketing. In addition to career panels and networking opportunities with Hawks staff and executives, participants were divided into teams and tasked with creating a 360-degree marketing campaign based on the real-life partnership between the Atlanta Hawks and Moët Hennessy. The winning team received Hawks jerseys for their achievement, and one standout participant was named by Marcus Graham Project as the MVP to attend MGP’s iCR8 BootCamp this summer.

“Hennessy is proud to collaborate with Marcus Graham Project alongside the Hawks to support the next generation of talent here in Atlanta, a city filled with culture and pride” said Antoine Varlet, Senior Vice President, Hennessy. “Atlanta continues to be a cultural mecca and we are honored to continue supporting the city and its extremely talented, emerging professionals as they embark on their career journeys.”

On Wednesday, participants toured the award-winning State Farm Arena and engaged in a Hawks career panel with senior leadership across a variety of departments to get an inside look into the organization’s marketing strategy, creative operations, multicultural engagement and corporate partnerships. This was followed by a creative industries panel with members of the Hawks’ graphic design and social media teams, giving participants insight into roles in production and social content. After receiving team assignments, the group was briefed on their 360-degree campaign challenge to develop authentic ways for Moët Hennessy to parter with the Hawks during the regular season, highlight brand versatility and expand its footprint in the Metro-Atlanta community.

Thursday began with a brand panel featuring individuals from Genesco and Moët Hennessy who provided insight into brand-agency relationships and how brand partnerships come to life. All participants were in attendance for the Hawks win over Utah.

On Friday, the workshop cohort joined Hawks and State Farm Arena CEO Steve Koonin, Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Proctor and President of Business Enterprise and Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Saltzman for breakfast to gain career insights from the Hawks’ top leadership. The cohort finished the day with a career panel of the organization’s emerging talent and rising stars. The panelists, representing multiple business areas from guest experience and community impact to brand communications, shared pivotal experiences and perspectives that shaped their careers.

Following a specialized session on AI in marketing led by Kiera Henry, participants spent Saturday engaged in a mentorship block with industry coaches and ended the day with intensive team breakout sessions to collaborate on their marketing campaigns. The group spent Sunday making final preparations for their campaign presentations.

On Monday, the cohort rejoined their marketing campaign project groups to present their proposals in front of a panel of Hawks and Hennessy executive leaders. The winning team received custom Hawks jerseys for their innovative campaign concept and polished visual presentation. One MVP was selected from the cohort for their leadership abilities and thoughtful questions throughout the program and will attend MGP’s iCR8 BootCamp in the summer.

The iCR8 Sports Marketing Workshop marks the first collaboration between the Atlanta Hawks and Marcus Graham Project. The Marcus Graham Project was founded to diversify media and marketing by providing mentorship and professional development for multicultural talent.

Hennessy, the world’s best-selling Cognac has been the official spirit of the Atlanta Hawks since 2021. Throughout our partnership, Hennessy has worked to authentically immerse themselves in Hawks culture via bespoke content and events that tap into the unique and diverse heritage of Atlanta.