The commercial was created by Uninterrupted, a production brand under the umbrella of Black-owned entertainment firm SpringHill Company, which is helmed by National Basketball Association great LeBron James and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter.
“I think where we are today and where we were 100 years ago … not a lot has changed in terms of sentiment,” says Carter, who serves as the CEO of SpringHill. For him, Black history and American history are inseparable—an idea that lent itself to the “empowering” message of the new commercial.
The “Dear Destiny” campaign marks the launch of Hennessy’s Never Stop Never Settle Society, a growth accelerator co-created with the Marcus Graham Project that will ensure Black entrepreneurs receive the resources, funding and infrastructure necessary to expand their businesses and help their communities prosper.
“We looked at [the Never Stop Never Settle Society] as a brand and a message that we thought we could really nail from a creative standpoint,” Carter says, calling the Hennessy assignment a “perfect opportunity” for Uninterrupted. The new campaign is the first creative collaboration between the storied cognac brand and SpringHill, although the two had been in talks for a while, Carter adds.
“This idea of supporting Black excellence has been a part of who we are forever,” says senior VP of Hennessy U.S. Jasmin Allen, who’s the first Black woman to hold a role at that level in the company’s history.