The Away Game Advantage: Why your best creative work happens outside your comfort zone
Roman King
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In sports, the away game is where you prove yourself under pressure in unfamiliar territory. For Roman, stepping outside his comfort zone by confronting new audiences and pushing against established norms has become the greatest catalyst for breakthrough storytelling. Bringing fresh perspective to sports leagues in pivotal moments of growth, he has helped transform fanbase engagement by rejecting safe strategies and embracing creative risk and change. Through campaigns at the WNBA and MLS, he reveals how cultural proximity, authentic storytelling and bold creative choices create connection that drives real impact.
Roman King
At MLS, Roman leads all league creative and shapes campaigns, consumer-facing marketing, narrative storytelling and visual direction to grow the game in North America. His work centres on igniting cultural relevance, brand affinity and fan connection by bringing the sport to life for a new era of fans.
Previously, Roman served as the WNBA’s first Creative Director where he orchestrated its creative evolution and helped usher in a new era for the league — spearheading creative across advertising, design, brand marketing, storytelling, television and immersive experiences. His work included launching the league’s rebrand, the WNBA's first short film We Are The W and the acclaimed "More Than Game" campaign in 2023. His work has been recognized by Ad Age, Adweek, The Business of Fashion, Communication Arts, the Clios, Ebony, Muse, MTV News, the Webby Awards, among others.
Prior to joining the WNBA, Roman held creative leadership roles at Rolling Stone, Philadelphia magazine and Condé Nast. He hails from the country roads of West Virginia, where he received a BFA (West Virginia University).
