Chicago City Wire

The Chicago Sky is marking its 20th season in the WNBA with a new series of brand films produced by BarkleyOKRP. The campaign highlights the team’s history, players, and its connection to the city of Chicago.

The first video in the campaign debuted at Wintrust Arena during the team’s season opener in May. A second film is being released on social media platforms, focusing on themes of resilience and community spirit that are associated with both the Sky and Chicago.

“The Chicago Sky have a legacy built on breaking boundaries and rewriting the narrative for women in sports,” said Tania Haladner, Chief Marketing Officer for the Chicago Sky. “These two films amplify the voices of our players and unify the broader Chicago community, in an acknowledgment of the power of coming together to celebrate our growth and the importance of Chicago and our fans.”

The project features appearances by players such as Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Courtney Vandersloot, Ariel Atkins, Michaela Onyenwere, and others. The videos incorporate music from PartyOf2’s “Poser,” which has reached one million weekly global streams. Scenes include shots of downtown skyscrapers alongside clips of games and city landmarks.

Grace Ferolo, Senior Brand Strategist at BarkleyOKRP, said: “We have had the privilege of working with the Chicago Sky on several initiatives around mental health and women in sport. It’s given us an inside look at the power of the Chicago Sky brand, which we leveraged to create a campaign that captures the spirit of the team as reflected through the city, its people and the fans.”

A separate film within this campaign pays tribute to Allie Quigley—whose No. 14 jersey was retired July 9—and Candace Parker—whose No. 3 jersey will be retired August 25, 2025. The film also aims to highlight women’s empowerment both on and off court.

“In Chicago, our grind knows no limits. We work round the clock. The buzzer don’t stop nothin’,” states narration from one video.

BarkleyOKRP is recognized as one of America’s largest independent advertising agencies (https://barkleyokrp.com/), serving brands like Burger King and Planet Fitness.

Founded in 2005 by principal owner Michael Alter, the Chicago Sky became known as the first independently owned women’s professional basketball team to join the WNBA (https://sky.wnba.com/). The organization won its first league championship in 2021.