Creative City KC wanted to introduce the Count Basie Orchestra to a younger, more contemporary audience without compromising the integrity, history, or cultural significance of the brand.

The challenge was to make the Orchestra feel relevant and exciting to modern audiences while preserving the sophistication and credibility associated with the Count Basie name. That required a careful balance of brand strategy, visual direction, messaging, and event promotion so the campaign could feel fresh without feeling disconnected from the legacy it represented.

Through Gaber Marketing Studios, I worked with Creative City KC to shape the positioning, creative direction, and marketing strategy for the Count Basie Orchestra event. My role included developing the campaign concept, guiding how the event and Orchestra were presented to a younger audience, and ensuring the creative remained respectful of the brand’s legacy.

I also handled hands-on development across promotional materials, sponsorship assets, presentations, digital creative, print collateral, and event marketing support.

I focused on creating a visual and messaging system that felt contemporary enough to attract a younger audience while still respecting the sophistication and legacy of the Count Basie Orchestra.

The strategy was to modernize the presentation around the event rather than reinvent the Orchestra itself, using stronger campaign concepts, updated creative direction, and coordinated promotional materials to make the experience feel current, relevant, and culturally credible.

The campaign brought together brand strategy, event marketing, creative direction, and promotional execution across multiple touchpoints, all built around the same goal: make the Count Basie Orchestra feel relevant to a new generation without diluting what made the brand iconic.

Developed the positioning and creative direction for the campaign, balancing a more contemporary visual and promotional approach with the legacy and cultural credibility of the Count Basie Orchestra. The goal was to create a campaign that felt relevant to younger audiences without making the brand feel artificially modernized.

Developed and managed the promotional campaign across digital and print channels, creating a consistent visual presence for the event while supporting audience awareness, ticket interest, and overall engagement.

Created sponsorship and presentation materials that helped Creative City communicate the value of the event to partners, sponsors, and stakeholders while keeping the campaign visually aligned with the broader brand direction.

The campaign helped present the Count Basie Orchestra in a way that felt fresh and relevant to a younger audience without sacrificing the sophistication, history, or credibility of the brand. It also gave Creative City KC a more cohesive platform for promotion, sponsorship, and event communication across channels.

Delivered a cohesive campaign system spanning brand positioning, event promotion, sponsorship materials, presentations, digital creative, and print, giving Creative City KC a unified platform for presenting the Count Basie Orchestra to a contemporary audience.