Since the dawn of the NIL era, March Madness has given previously unknown college basketball players unprecedented opportunities for monetization. However, the fleeting nature of these moments makes securing endorsements a race against time.

Enter North Carolina State Center DJ Burns. At six-foot-nine and 275 pounds, he quickly captured audiences’ hearts with a gap-toothed grin and unabashed love for basketball — a joyful contrast to the stone-faced stars he would soon send packing.

Taking a gamble on NC State’s continued success, our team swiftly pursued opportunities for Burns, pitching the viral sensation to several potential partners, including Manscaped.

Serving as the liaison between Manscaped and Burns’s management, we secured an endorsement deal just hours before NC State’s second-round victory over Oakland. Manscaped promptly shipped products to Burns’s Dallas hotel in advance of his game against No. 2-seeded Marquette. Meanwhile, our team arranged an impromptu video-shoot, developing a script, recruiting local videographers, and coaching Burns’ performance less than 48 hours before tipoff.