The youngest Brazilian ever to participate in the Olympic Games, skateboarder Rayssa Leal is also the protagonist of a Nike campaign, in which the sportswear brand champions the athlete and her presence on the sporting event’s podium. Titled the “New Fairies,” the spot is part of the company’s global series “Play New,” through which Nike invites people to discover sport in new ways.

Known as “A Fadihna do Skate” (“The Little Fairy of Skateboarding” in English), the 13-year-old athlete came into the spotlight at the age of seven when she performed a heelflip while wearing a blue tutu. With more than 4.8 million views and over 60,000 shares, the video went viral, eventually changing the girl’s life.

Through the one-and-a-half-minute-long campaign ad, Nike embarked on a mission to make skateboarding a more inclusive sport for the female audience, asking Leal to point this goal out, as she is a source of inspiration for many girls around the globe. Wanting to show that there’s still room in the country’s skateboarding playground, the athlete feels “very happy to encourage other girls to get started in the sport. Skateboarding is a women’s sport too, it’s a sport for everyone. I want other girls to have the same opportunity as me to see their lives and dreams come true through sport. We just need to believe in ourselves and our potential,” she says.

Signed by Wieden+Kennedy Sao Paolo, the video features Disney-like visual elements and draws inspiration from the moment when she did the skateboarding maneuver dressed as a fairy. It showcases the film hero having cartoon wings on her back and cute animated creatures following her as she skates through the city.

The campaign was implemented to inspire a new generation of athletes and highlights that true magic doesn’t happen like in a fairy tale. What it really requires is dedication to the sport, which is capable of transforming the athlete and the society in which they live in.

“Rayssa’s journey is an inspiration to all girls around the world. It shows that it is possible to be a child and believe in fairy tales, but at the same time, to have courage and enter a space that was not considered for girls before. Nike wants to encourage the sport and show that everyone can play, regardless of gender. The purpose of this sport is to bring people together,” concludes Gustavo Viana, Marketing Director at FISIA, Official Nike Distributor in Brazil.

Leal scooped a silver medal in the Games’ women’s street skateboarding event, becoming the youngest Olympic medalist in 85 years.

Credits:

Client: Nike

Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Sao Paolo

Product: Empower

Executive Creative Directors: Eduardo Lima, Renato Simões

Creative Directors: Mariana Borga, Fabiano Higashi

Copywriter: André Pallu

Art Director: Renan Molin, Cacá Barabás

Account: Camila Hamaoui, Nathalia Assad, Tabata Viana, Carolina Cavallini, Bruno Capasso, Paula Galiano

Planner: André Troster, Fernando Prado, Lucas Nunes

Social Strategy: Thiago Perin, Camila Paier| Marina Coelho

Media: Michelle Fernandes |iuellen Souza, Theodora Mello, Lucas Seigo

Agency Producer: Regiani Pettinelli, Fernanda Moura

Production Company: Stink Films

Photographer: Gabriel Bianchini

Director: Irma’s Fridman (The Fridman Sisters)

Assistant Director: Gustavo Gusmão (1ad), Nathalia Salani (2ad), Luísa Monteiro (2ad), Fred Tariki (1ad), Julia Conatti (2ad)

Director of Photography: Douglas Bernardt

Art Director: Carol Ozzi

2nd Unit: Pedro Tejada

Wardrobe: Marina Vieira

Make & Hair: Marcella Leme Ferreira

Cast Producer: Giovanna Rouvier

Location Producer: Eduardo Lima

Producer Director: Rafael Rocha

Making Of: André Cozza, André Fridman

Supervisory Skateboard: Fernando Granja

Managing Director: Ingrid Raszl

Executive Producer: Renata Dumont, Carolina Junqueira, Tico Cruz, Camila Martinez, Ana Gazal, Marcela Amstalden

Production Coordinator: Paula Macedo, Mariana Kerche, Amanda Grell

Post Production Coordinator: Roberta Bruzadin, Marcela Antunes

Editor: Danilo Abraham

Finisher: Camila Doimo

Post Production: Malaia Inc.

Illustration and Animation: Cartel Cartoon

Color Grading: Osmar Jr.

Treatment Research: Nina Coimbra, Jessica Teleze

Audio Facility: Supersonic

Music Producer, Orchestrator and Conductor: Gabriel Ferreira

Audio Account: Tatiana Nascimento, Luan Ferreira

Executive Production and Coordination: Marilia Franco and Cassia Garcia

Orchestra Supervisor: Rafael Cesário

Sound Engineer: Felipe Kim

Sound Design and Finishing: Vinicius Villani

Recorded at: Jacarandá Audio

Client Approval: Raphael Peres, Livia Pinheiro, Fabio Albuquerque, Ingrid Ferreira, Jesse Long, William Mortensen, Gino Woo, Madeline Leary