Buffalo Nickel Creative Continues Strategic Collaborative Partnership with Cinematographer Justin Ivan Hong for 2022 Nike N7 Campaign

The relationship between major global brands and Indigenous-led creative agencies is rapidly evolving, moving from transactional consultation to deep, collaborative partnership. A prime example is the strategic alliance formed between Nike N7 — the brand’s initiative to support and celebrate Native American and Indigenous communities — and Buffalo Nickel Creative, the Indigenous-owned and operated content production agency led by Ryan Redcorn (Osage) and Joseph Brown Thunder (Ho-Chunk and Lakota).

Buffalo Nickel has been engaged to produce a comprehensive content series supporting the Nike N7 collection launch for 2022, which centered on themes of Indigenous identity, the significance of basketball ("Rez Ball"), and the core philosophy of the Seventh Generation Principle. The partnership ensures that the campaign's visual narrative is authentically directed, produced, and owned by Indigenous creators.

However, mirroring a strategic choice previously made in their independent film work, Buffalo Nickel have once again brought internationally acclaimed Cinematographer Justin Ivan Hong to lead the camera department for the commercial campaign, continuing a deliberate investment in elevating the technical quality of Indigenous-led commercial production to a global standard.

The Mandate: Authenticity and Technical Excellence

Buffalo Nickel Creative, known for its work in the commercial and documentary space and its recent success with the film Dead Bird Hearts, has a foundational philosophy: Indigenous stories demand the highest possible level of craft and polish to compete globally.

This principle is central to the Nike N7 campaign, which will feature prominent Indigenous athletes and cultural figures like Sarain Fox, Lindy Waters III and Michael Linklater. Unlike traditional advertising approaches, Buffalo Nickel needed to create content that felt deeply rooted and visually impactful, celebrating the subject matter rather than just selling a product.

"When we were approached by Nike N7, it was clear that the core creative control had to stay Indigenous," said Joseph Brown Thunder, Producer and Co-Founder at Buffalo Nickel Creative.

"But the lesson we learned from our recent narrative work work, specifically with Dead Bird Hearts, is that true self-determination means also achieving world-class technical execution. This is another opportunity for our younger team members to witness how a high end commercial is produced and conducted."

Strategic Collaboration: A Model for Capacity Building

The decision to hire Hong is consistent with Buffalo Nickel's previously articulated mission of capacity building within the Indigenous technical pipeline. As Director Ryan Redcorn noted during the production of Dead Bird Hearts, bringing on a Cinematographer who works on the international stage to their table allows their entire crew — composed predominantly of emerging Indigenous technicians — to learn and internalize high-end logistical and lighting techniques.

"Based on our previous successful collaboration, we chose to bring Justin on again to simply continue what we had started - exposing our younger crew and future filmmakers to international best practices and ideas" Redcorn noted.

Cinematographer Justin Ivan Hong

"I'm extremely pleased and excited to be working with the good folks at Buffalo Nickel Creative again" Hong said, Dead Bird Hearts was such a great experience for all involved and I'm certain that this N7 campaign would not be any less. This is another great opportunity for the Indigenous crew to see the commercial side of the media industry; it's a slightly different set of skills and the creative decisions do deviate a bit from what a narrative project might require. I'm really looking forward to this."

Production is slated to begin in the Spring.