Elevate Creative Co. LLC

Project Overview

A Small-Town Football Program on a National Stage

In 2026, McClain High School in Greenfield, Ohio, was selected as one of 40 schools nationwide to compete in T-Mobile's Friday Night 5G Lights competition, an initiative designed to support high school football programs and their communities.

As Ohio's only school represented in the national Top 40, McClain had an opportunity to compete for significant funding to improve its athletic facilities.

But competing against schools from across the country meant we needed more than local support.

We needed a strategy that would introduce our story to people who had never heard of Greenfield, Ohio.

As Director of Marketing Strategy, Videographer, and a member of the T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights Competition Committee, I helped lead the creative direction, digital marketing strategy, content production, and promotional outreach behind McClain's national campaign.

The goal was to create content that people wanted to watch, share, and act on while highlighting the athletes, traditions, and community that make McClain football special.

What followed was a community-wide movement that extended far beyond the football field.

By the end of the competition, McClain had received 314,410 votes, the second-highest total in the nation, while the district's Facebook and Instagram accounts generated approximately 9.7 million combined views during the August–October reporting period.

Campaign Performance at a Glance

Analytics Reporting Period: August 9 – October 31, 2026

National Competition Votes: 314,410 | 2nd Highest Nationwide – McClain finished with the second-most votes in the national competition, demonstrating the scale of participation and community support generated throughout the campaign.
Combined Social Media Views: 9.7 Million – The district's Facebook and Instagram content generated millions of views, expanding its visibility throughout the campaign period.
Facebook Views: 6.3 Million ↑ 2,300% – Significant growth in video and content consumption, supported by original storytelling, campaign updates, and shareable promotional content.
Instagram Views: 3.4 Million ↑ 40,600% – Exceptional growth in content visibility, introducing the district to audiences beyond its established following.
Combined Content Interactions: 162K – More than 162,000 interactions across Facebook and Instagram, demonstrating strong audience participation.
Facebook Content Interactions: 139.7K ↑ 3,900% – Major growth in reactions, comments, shares, and other audience engagement.
Instagram Content Interactions: 22.3K ↑ 10,000% – Increased engagement as the campaign gained momentum.
Facebook Unique Viewers: 468.2K ↑ 1,400% – Nearly half a million individual viewers engaged with the district's Facebook content.
Instagram Reach: 164.9K ↑ 23,500% – Substantial growth in account visibility and content discovery.
Facebook Profile Visits: 210.3K ↑ 1,600% – A significant increase in visitors exploring the district's Facebook presence.
Instagram Profile Visits: 3.1K ↑ 2,700% – Increased interest in the district's Instagram content.
Facebook Link Clicks: 96.1K ↑ 89,700% – Significant traffic generated through campaign-related links and shared content.
Facebook Follows: 2.8K ↑ 2,500% – Thousands of new follows during the reporting period.
Instagram Follows: 258 ↑ 1,600% – Additional audience growth as the district's social media visibility expanded.

Analytics reflect Greenfield Exempted Village Schools' Facebook and Instagram performance from August 9 through October 31, 2026, including the T-Mobile campaign. Voting totals represent the competition's reported final results. Social media metrics include content outside the competition and are not solely attributable to the campaign. Percentage changes are rounded from Meta Business Suite.

314,410 Votes. Second in the Nation.

Turning Online Attention Into Real-World Action

One of the most significant accomplishments of the T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights campaign was the level of participation McClain generated.

Competing against schools from across the United States, McClain finished with 314,410 total votes, the second-highest national vote total.

For a small-town school, that accomplishment represented months of planning, coordinated promotion, and community participation.

Our marketing strategy focused on keeping McClain visible throughout the competition while making it easy for supporters to participate and share the campaign with others.

Through consistent content, timely voting updates, promotional videos, media outreach, and community initiatives, we worked to turn awareness into action.

At different points during the competition, McClain held first place in both the Midwest division and the national voting standings.

As the competition intensified, our content strategy evolved to maintain momentum, communicate important updates, and encourage supporters to remain involved through the final voting period.

The final vote total became one of the strongest measures of the campaign's ability to mobilize an audience.

Sports Videography & Creative Storytelling

Capturing More Than the Game

A major part of my role was creating original sports content that gave audiences a reason to connect with McClain football.

While game-day highlights and athlete-focused content were important, our storytelling extended beyond the scoreboard.

We highlighted the traditions, relationships, and experiences that define the program.

From senior football traditions and emotional team moments to high-energy promotional videos and community celebrations, the goal was to create content that felt authentic to McClain while appealing to audiences outside our community.

Content production included:

Football videography and athlete-focused storytelling
High-energy promotional reels and game-day content
Behind-the-scenes footage and school traditions
Emotional storytelling centered on athletes, coaches, and community members
Campaign announcement and milestone videos
Social media videos designed to encourage sharing and participation
Community event coverage and promotional content
Short-form video production for Facebook and Instagram

By combining creative storytelling with strategic distribution, individual campaign videos generated tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of views.

Top-Performing Campaign Content

Sports Storytelling That Reached Beyond Greenfield

Tigers, We're Now in Second Place (October 22)
→ 693.7K views, 325 reactions, 227 comments, 3.5K shares – A critical campaign update that generated widespread distribution and helped mobilize supporters during the final days of voting.
First in the Midwest. First in the Nation. (October 12)
→ 290.6K views, 1.1K reactions, 132 comments, 1.4K shares – A milestone announcement celebrating McClain's national standing and encouraging continued participation.
McClain Is Top 40, But We're Not Done (October 8)
→ 265.6K views, 464 reactions, 277 comments, 1.3K shares – A major announcement introducing McClain's national recognition and building excitement around the competition.
One Last Hit. A McClain Tradition (October 23)
→ 169.3K views, 8.6K reactions, 8 comments, 715 shares – An emotional sports video documenting a senior football tradition, highlighting the value of meaningful, authentic storytelling.
T-Mobile Celebrates Small-Town High School Football (August 10)
→ 107.7K views, 978 reactions, 71 comments, 330 shares – An early campaign video highlighting the athletes, school pride, and community behind McClain football.
Thank You, T-Mobile! (October 9)
→ 105.6K views, 1.7K reactions, 80 comments, 262 shares – Coverage of McClain's T-Mobile celebration and the excitement surrounding the school's national recognition.
Paint Greenfield Magenta (October 15)
→ 51.2K views, 1.1K reactions, 37 comments, 348 shares – A creative community participation video showcasing how the campaign extended beyond social media and into the community.

Marketing Strategy & Creative Direction

Building Momentum Through Strategic Sports Marketing

This project required more than creating videos and publishing social media posts.

As Director of Marketing Strategy, I helped coordinate a multifaceted marketing approach that connected digital content, promotional outreach, community engagement, and media relations.

Our strategy focused on maintaining consistent visibility while developing content that audiences would actively share.

Social Media Campaign Strategy

Developed and implemented campaign messaging, promotional concepts, publishing strategies, and engagement initiatives to keep McClain's story visible throughout the competition.

Creative Direction & Content Production

Conceptualized and produced original videos, promotional graphics, campaign announcements, and storytelling content designed to capture attention and encourage participation.

Sports Photography & Videography

Documented athletes, coaches, traditions, and community events, creating visual content that showcased the identity of McClain athletics.

Digital Audience Engagement

Monitored campaign performance, identified successful content formats, and adjusted messaging during important voting periods.

Campaign Branding & Promotional Materials

Helped develop cohesive campaign graphics, digital signage, QR-code materials, and promotional content to maintain recognizable messaging across platforms.

Community Marketing

Supported initiatives that brought the campaign into local businesses, schools, sporting events, and neighborhoods, extending its reach beyond social media.

Athlete, Celebrity & Professional Sports Outreach

Taking McClain's Story Beyond Our Community

An important part of our national campaign strategy involved reaching audiences who had no existing connection to McClain High School.

We pursued promotional support from professional athletes, former collegiate players, entertainers, media personalities, sports organizations, and established brands.

Our outreach focused on finding individuals and organizations whose audiences could help introduce McClain's story to people outside southern Ohio.

This included developing personalized messages, coordinating promotional video requests, and identifying opportunities for outside supporters to share the campaign.

Outreach efforts extended into professional and collegiate sports, entertainment, radio, television, and business partnerships.

The objective was simple: create opportunities for McClain's story to reach audiences we could not access through the district's existing social media following alone.

The experience demonstrated the value of relationship-building, creative promotional strategy, and coordinated outreach in sports marketing.

Media Relations & Publicity

Bringing a Local Story to a Larger Audience

Alongside digital content production, our campaign strategy included outreach to regional television stations, radio personalities, and media organizations.

The goal was to introduce McClain's story to new audiences while highlighting the opportunity the T-Mobile competition represented for our athletes and community.

Our media strategy included identifying relevant outlets, developing campaign messaging, coordinating promotional opportunities, and communicating important milestones.

By combining digital storytelling with traditional media outreach, we worked to extend the campaign beyond the district's owned social media channels.

Community Engagement & Grassroots Marketing

From Social Media to Storefronts

One of the most memorable aspects of the campaign was seeing how much of Greenfield became involved.

Local businesses, students, families, alumni, and community members helped spread awareness and encourage voting.

Our promotional efforts extended into storefronts, school events, athletic facilities, and community gathering spaces.

Campaign initiatives included:

Paint the Town Magenta: Encouraging businesses and community members to participate in T-Mobile's signature campaign color.
Local Business Partnerships: Providing promotional materials and encouraging businesses to help spread awareness.
QR-Code Voting Materials: Creating accessible promotional signage for businesses, events, and public spaces.
School Spirit Initiatives: Developing opportunities for students, athletes, and staff to participate in campaign content.
Community Events: Capturing and promoting celebrations, school activities, and campaign milestones.
Daily Voting Promotion: Creating consistent reminders and updates to maintain participation throughout the competition.

The campaign became more than a digital marketing project. It became a coordinated community effort built around a shared goal.

National Recognition & Campaign Achievements

One of the Nation's Most-Supported Schools

McClain High School's participation in T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights brought national attention to a small-town Ohio football program.

Campaign Highlights

Selected as one of 40 schools nationwide in T-Mobile's Friday Night 5G Lights competition.
The only Ohio school represented in the national Top 40.
Generated 314,410 total competition votes.
Finished with the second-highest vote total in the nation.
Held first place in Midwest and national voting standings during portions of the competition.
Earned $25,000 in competition funding.
Generated approximately 9.7 million combined Facebook and Instagram views during the reporting period.
Recorded approximately 162,000 content interactions across both platforms.
Generated more than 96,000 Facebook link clicks.
Produced individual campaign posts reaching nearly 700,000 views.
Coordinated a community-wide promotional effort involving schools, businesses, athletes, media outreach, and outside supporters.

The Results & Lasting Impact

A Campaign Built on Strategy, Storytelling & Community

The T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights competition became one of the most significant sports marketing and content production projects in my portfolio.

The campaign demonstrated what can happen when strategic marketing, original video production, audience engagement, and community involvement work together.

It required the ability to develop a creative vision, execute content consistently, respond to changing circumstances, coordinate outside outreach, and maintain momentum throughout a competitive national campaign.

For me, it reinforced something I've always believed about sports media.

The most meaningful content isn't always the biggest play or the final score.

Sometimes it's a senior taking one last hit on the practice field. A coach sharing a tradition. A community filling the stands. Or a small-town football program inspiring hundreds of thousands of votes from supporters across the country.

Those are the moments worth capturing.

And when they're told well, their impact can extend far beyond the sidelines.

314,410 votes. Second in the nation. 9.7 million social media views.

One small Ohio town, and a story that reached far beyond it.

Sports Media That Goes Beyond the Sidelines

As a sports videographer, photographer, and marketing strategist, I specialize in capturing the energy, emotion, and stories that make athletics meaningful.

My work combines visual storytelling with an understanding of digital audiences, creative strategy, and the impact strong sports content can have on a team, organization, or community.

From high school athletics to collegiate and professional sports, my focus remains the same: create content that captures the moment, connects with the audience, and tells a story worth remembering.

Photography. Videography. Strategy. Storytelling.

From the Sidelines by Kiersten Beatty | Elevate Creative Co.

T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights | National Sports Marketing Campaign

314,410 Votes. Second in the Nation. 9.7 Million Social Media Views.