Emirates X Arsenal FC
Context & Brief
In January 2024, Arsenal FC traveled to Dubai for their mid-season training break. As the club’s long-standing sponsor, Emirates wanted to leverage exclusive access to the players with some branded content that felt fun, engaging, and culturally relevant.The brief was to create gamified, social-first content that celebrates the Emirates x Arsenal partnership, engages global football fans, and highlights Dubai as a destination all within short and long-form formats for Instagram and YouTube.
What we did
We developed two original game-show concepts filmed on location in Dubai:
1) Trivial Pursuit Challenge
Hosted by an Emirates cabin crew and filmed at Madinat Jumeirah, Arsenal’s Brazilian players answered quiz-style questions across three rounds: Arabic–Portuguese language connections, Dubai landmarks, and Emirates destinations. We initially pitched this concept with the name “The Brazilian Connection”.
2) “What’s in the Box?” Challenge
Also hosted by an Emirates cabin crew, this was a tactile guessing challenge where Arsenal players competed head to head to identify mystery Emirates and Dubai-themed objects — from a miniature A380 to a pilots hat — against the iconic backdrop of the Burj Al Arab.
THE VIDEOS
THE VIDEOS
Trivia Kickoff
We produced the video in both English and Portuguese, with players and cabin crew switching languages during key rounds. From the full 4-minute hero film, we created 1-minute and 30-second cutdowns in multiple formats (16:9, 9:16, and 1:1) to maximize platform relevance. Watch the full film in English on Arsenal FC’s YouTube channel or check out the social cutdowns shared on Arsenal’s social media feeds below.
898k views
40.6k likes
102 comments
What’s In The Emirates Box?
A playful guessing game filmed with Arsenal players and Emirates cabin crew against the backdrop of the Burj Al Arab. Teams raced to identify mystery Emirates- and Dubai-themed objects by touch alone. Our role was to oversee production on the ground, coordinating logistics, briefing talent, and ensuring the shoot aligned with the creative concept and brand tone. (Post-production was managed directly by Emirates’ in-house team.)
2.2m views
88.3k likes
356 comments
As the Creative and Strategic Lead, here’s what I did…
1) Concept Development
Conceived and developed both the Trivia Kickoff video and What’s in the Emirates Box, designing the game formats, mechanics, and cultural themes.
2) Scripting & Storyboarding
Wrote scripts, developed the video structure, and worked closely with the creative team to shape the storyboard and ensure engaging storytelling.
3) Pre-Production Planning
Created detailed production guides covering shoot logistics, roles and responsibilities, and processes for both pre-shoot and shoot-day execution.
4) Production Oversight
On-ground support for production teams and manage the players and logistics, ensuring alignment with the original concepts.
5) Post-Production Supervision
Led the editing team refining pacing, graphics, platform-specific cutdowns and bilingual versions (English & Portuguese) while consulting Brazilian colleagues for language accuracy.
6) Cross-Team Collaboration
Guided execution of What’s in the Emirates Box to ensure creative integrity, while Emirates’ in-house team managed editing.
CHECK OUT THE PROPOSAL DECK BELOW
Ask me about this project
ejamesfox@gmail.com
Phone
+971 585 808 661