Powell Lacrosse Focuses on First Spark

There’s a moment that occurs, near the beginning of every lacrosse player’s journey, when the first spark flies and you’re pulled in by the immense power of the game. Your stick surges with energy and comes alive in your hands. You look down and realize you’re not carrying a piece of equipment — you’re in possession of a portal.

In a flash, you’re transported to a field of fun and fantasy, equal parts past and future, where all the lights turn green, the doors burst open and your imagination runs free. It’s here where the game grabs ahold and never lets go.

This is the exact moment that Upstate, N.Y., based company, Powell Lacrosse, celebrates heavily and was the leading inspiration behind their latest campaign that aired on ESPN and in arenas across North America during professional games.

“Being a lacrosse company in 2025 comes with great responsibility”, Hall of Fame player and Powell president Ryan Powell said. “It’s so much more than selling product. We’re as passionate about innovating as we are dedicated to preserving the unique qualities of lacrosse. There’s a soul that lives inside this game that’s like nothing else. I felt it the first time I picked up a stick back in the late 80s. It totally blew me away and lit a fire in me, I want more kids to feel what I felt that day.”

The commercial, which the brand officially released to the public on NCAA final four weekend, isn’t focused on a specific product and instead casts a much wider net. The piece opens with a driving rhythm that sets you up to be sucked into an immersive experience that just makes you want to play. It explodes with color and uses cutting edge visual effects that make it feel more like a high-energy amusement park ride than a sales attempt.

“Visually representing an emotion isn’t easy, especially when you only have a :30 window”, Ryan Powell said. “Authenticity is everything to us. When it came to this project, we knew we needed to work with someone who has a relationship with the game.”

Enter Emmy nominated writer and director Daniel Stessen, a teammate of the Powells at Syracuse University. Stessen received critical acclaim after creating Dream Corp LLC, a show that aired on the Adult Swim network.

“He’s a cutting-edge artist, with a mind like no one I’ve ever met,” Ryan Powell said. “We won a national championship together, and he was raised in one of the world’s most lacrosse-rich communities. He knows the feeling.”

All of the visual effects were created by yet another talented artist with lacrosse experience, Brandon Hirzel, aka Bemo, who has worked with major brands like Honda, Converse, Konica Minolta and Adidas. From front to back, the piece is very much by lacrosse players for lacrosse players.

The spot also signifies a major shift in the brand’s direction after bringing on younger brother, Mike, to lead creative direction and product design. In many ways, this piece is the brand’s first spark and foreshadows an incoming rush of energy, style and product innovation.