Until We All Win.
Nike BeTrue.
Nike Global
Rosie Lee Creative
Client:
Nike Global
Team:
Paul Ricketts
Ken Grffith
Monty Ondriona
Photography:
Marcus Smith (Running, Basketball, Soccer) and Atiba Jefferson (Skate)
G uest Art Direction by Philip Picardi Editor in Chief at Out Magazine.
2019 marked a huge year for Pride, celebrating 50 years since the Stonewall riots, with New York hosting World Pride. It was also 40 years since the creation of the iconic Rainbow Flag, which was designed by Gilbert Baker at Harvey Milk’s request in 1968. The flag is now a global symbol of positivity, unity, and progress for the LGBTQIA+ community.
For this BeTrue campaign, Nike teamed up with the Gilbert Baker estate to amplify the message of solidarity and community pride. At its core, the campaign communicates the power of support—showing that when we all stand together, we win. Our goal was to create something iconic, celebratory, and visually striking that would cut through the noise of Pride season and make sure the BeTrue message was heard loud and clear.
With access to some of the most inspirational and celebrated LGBTQIA+ athletes, we built a campaign around progress and achievement, told through the lens of support and teamwork. We didn’t just focus on the athletes' personal stories of challenge and success but also highlighted the allies who stand by them. The aim was to showcase the importance of allyship in driving true progress and inspire the next generation to continue pushing for equality.
At the heart of the campaign is its manifesto—laying down the challenge to level the playing field for everyone, across all communities. The rallying cry is simple: Until We All Win.
To bring this vision to life, we used a mix of cinematic black-and-white portraiture and authentic footage. The only colour in the campaign came from the vibrant impact of Baker’s Rainbow Flag, set against the striking monochrome visuals. The contrast was intentional, highlighting the flag’s enduring message of equality and unity.
We worked with an incredible lineup of athletes across Nike’s Running, Basketball, Skateboarding, and Soccer teams, all representing the LGBTQIA+ community. In Basketball, we had legends like Sue Bird—11-time WNBA All-Star—and Brittney Griner, one of the most celebrated basketball players in the US. In Running, we featured Chris Mosier, the first transgender athlete on Team USA, alongside Caster Semenya, a gold-winning Olympian whose gender scrutiny has sparked international debate. These athletes, alongside their allies, embodied the spirit of the BeTrue campaign—standing together to make progress happen