Masisi x HBO Max: Juneteenth x Pride Event

Art Direction • Co-Creative Direction • Visual Identity • Experiential Design • Cultural Programming

Human By Orientation was HBO Max's nationwide Pride initiative celebrating LGBTQ+ communities through partnerships with grassroots organizations in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. Rather than creating a traditional branded event, the campaign sought to reconnect communities through locally curated experiences that centered queer joy, conversation, healing, and artistic expression.

For the Miami activation, HBO Max partnered with MASISI, a Black queer Afro-Caribbean collective dedicated to creating spaces where Black LGBTQ+ people can gather, celebrate, and thrive through art, nightlife, cultural programming, and community care. Rooted in the belief that visibility alone is not enough, MASISI's work uplifts Black and Caribbean queer voices while fostering environments centered on liberation, healing, and collective belonging.

As Art Director and Co-Producer, I led the creative vision for HBO Max's Miami Pride and Juneteenth activation, developing a comprehensive visual identity that translated the Human By Orientation campaign into an immersive, community-centered experience. My role was to bridge HBO Max's national brand campaign with MASISI's grassroots mission, creating a visual language that felt authentic to both organizations while remaining deeply rooted in Miami's Black queer cultural landscape.

From concept through execution, I directed every aspect of the campaign's visual identity, including event branding, promotional graphics, digital marketing assets, merchandise, environmental graphics, social media content, signage, and experiential design. The identity system was developed to move fluidly between digital communications and physical space, ensuring a cohesive experience across every audience touchpoint.

Beyond the visual campaign, I served as Co-Producer and Curator for the event, overseeing the recruitment and coordination of more than twenty queer artists, DJs, performers, wellness practitioners, panelists, and local vendors. Together we built a multidisciplinary program that reflected the richness of Miami's Black and Caribbean LGBTQ+ community while honoring both Pride and Juneteenth through celebration, education, and collective care.

Programming was intentionally designed to evolve throughout the day, beginning with wellness workshops and skincare services led by Black practitioners, followed by the panel discussion "Art and Dance Floors as a Platform for Healing," before transitioning into an evening of live performances, music, and dance featuring Black queer artists and DJs. Each moment reinforced the campaign's central belief that queer gathering spaces are essential sites of creativity, healing, and community building.

I also directed the experiential design of the venue, collaborating with a multidisciplinary creative team to shape an environment that extended the campaign identity into physical space. Branded installations, environmental graphics, custom signage, décor, merchandise, and spatial storytelling worked together to create an immersive atmosphere that welcomed guests from the moment they arrived and carried the visual narrative throughout the evening.

Working closely with HBO Max stakeholders, community organizers, creative collaborators, and production teams, I helped deliver an activation that balanced national brand objectives with authentic local storytelling. The resulting experience celebrated Black and Caribbean LGBTQ+ communities while demonstrating how thoughtful art direction and community-led collaboration can transform a branded campaign into a meaningful cultural event.

Role: Art Director, Visual Design Lead, Co-Producer

• Client: HBO MAX

• Campaign: Human By Orientation — Miami Pride & Juneteenth 2021

• Deliverables: Visual Identity, Brand Campaign, Environmental Graphics, Experiential Design, Merchandise, Social Campaign, Motion Assets, Event Signage, Production Design

• Leadership: Managed creative & art direction while co-producing programming featuring 20+ artists, performers, DJs, wellness practitioners, vendors, and panelists

• Impact: Developed a culturally authentic brand activation that connected HBO Max's national Pride campaign with Miami's Black and Afro-Caribbean queer community through immersive design and multidisciplinary programming