Based in Los Angeles
Cultural Strategist + Creative Director
The Lion King
Disney x Twitter
Impact
The campaign transformed Twitter into a live marketing engine for The Lion King, generating massive social conversation and cultural momentum ahead of release. The activation included character-led social programming, an exclusive pre-release screening for Twitter guests, and a premium hospitality event featuring a filmed cast Q&A and live performances, proving that social media could drive real-world cultural moments at scale.
Case Study
In 2019, The Walt Disney Company and Twitter partnered to turn the platform into a live marketing engine for The Lion King, using real-time culture, fandom, and social conversation to build momentum ahead of release.
As Creative Direction and Strategy Lead, I worked closely with Disney, Twitter, and agency partner BeCore to develop a campaign that moved beyond traditional promotion and treated audience participation as part of the launch strategy.
The opportunity was clear: The Lion King already had global recognition. Our task was not awareness, it was relevance. We needed to reintroduce an iconic story to a digital-first audience in a way that felt native to platform behavior and worthy of conversation.
To spark anticipation, we launched character-led social activations designed to generate hype, deepen fan engagement, and keep the film embedded in daily platform conversation leading up to release. By giving beloved characters a presence within the social ecosystem, the campaign transformed nostalgia into active participation.
Once momentum reached critical mass, we extended the campaign into the real world with an exclusive pre-release screening for Twitter guests, one of the earliest viewings of the film before public release.
The experience continued with a premium hospitality event featuring a filmed cast Q&A and live performance moments, creating content and social currency that carried the campaign beyond a single night.
Talent and audience alignment were central to the success of the rollout.
The Lion King demanded multi-generational appeal: legacy fans, younger digital audiences, entertainment tastemakers, and creators who could amplify the moment organically. By bringing together cast, influencers, and culturally connected guests in one environment, we built an experience that honored the emotional legacy of the franchise while making it feel current inside internet culture.
The result was a launch strategy that connected studio storytelling with platform behavior, proving that social media was no longer just a distribution channel, but a stage where fandom, conversation, and real-world experience could drive cultural momentum at scale.