The Making of "The Wait is Over"
“I wanted the HBCU version of the commercial to be ubiquitous in Black culture” - Cameron Nolan
Cameron Nolan on his inspiration for making “Homecoming, We’re Waiting”
THE PROBLEM
As a proud alumnus of Morehouse College, I have been exposed to Morehouse’s content since 2017. The content was good, but I always knew I could improve it. In my role as the Content Manager (Copywriter) at my alma mater, I was tasked with running the official social media platforms for the College. I began my role in March 2023 and spent my first few months observing and learning how to implement effective change in the content strategy. In my research, I noticed that Morehouse did not intentionally market Homecoming except for promotional graphics, and I knew that that would be my point of attack. For the 2023 Homecoming Tailgate, Morehouse started charging an admittance fee for the first time. I understood that if we wanted to garner interest in our Tailgate and keep our community’s morale high, then the promotional materials should focus on making the Tailgate feel like an experience, and with that in mind, I put my head down and started to write.
THE SOLUTION
Have you ever seen the ESPN Mascot commercials of the late 90s? For whatever reason, those commercials have been ingrained deep in my subconscious ever since I saw them as a child. Those commercials featured the mascots from top institutions and sports teams like Duke and the Buffalo Bills, and as I got older, I always wondered what those commercials would look like if they featured talent from HBCUs like Morehouse and FAMU. My grandmother always told me that if I wanted to see something in the world that did not exist, it was my responsibility to create it. So, I did. With the inspiration clear, I wrote the storyboard for “The Wait is Over.” I wanted the HBCU version of the commercial to be ubiquitous in Black culture. In the script, I added elements like having the Morehouse mascot, King, in the barbershop getting his pre-homecoming lineup. I value comedic writing and wanted the commercial to be witty and relatable. If the final script did not reflect a shared Black experience, then as a producer and storyteller, I have failed… no pressure.
“If the final script did not reflect a shared Black experience, then as a producer and storyteller, I have failed…”
THE EXECUTION
The theme for the 2023 SpelHouse Homecoming was Ascension. With cinematography projects, I often start with the audio because it provides direction for the visuals. Honestly, it did not take me long to land on using Tem’s “Higher” as the basis for the video. The chorus was popularized by Future’s “Wait for U” featuring Drake & Tems, and I knew that culturally, it would be a hit. Tem’s melodic voice repeating, “I will wait for you,” was the exact emotion I wanted the commercial to convey; I wanted the audience to reminisce on how much fun Homecoming is. I wanted people counting down the days to the Tailgate, planning their Homecoming outfits, reaching out to distant friends, etc. After working on the script and storyboard for a few days, I was ready to pitch the concept to my senior leadership. I had only been in my role for 8 months at this time, and with a healthy amount of nerves, I presented the script and storyboard to the entire team… and all I heard was crickets. With a couple of blank stares, I could tell that some of my team members had difficulty seeing the vision, and truthfully, I do not blame them. The College had NEVER used the mascot for promotional content in this capacity, and here I am, this brand new employee, pitching that we create a commercial with no dialogue of the mascot as he walks around campus moping because he misses Homecoming. Despite the initial disconnect, the team could feel my passion for this project and trusted me to execute. So, I did. I will spare you the logistical details, but as the producer of this commercial, I coordinated with all the responsible parties and set up the recording days. From there, the last three things to do were to edit, revise, and publish to the world.
THE RESULTS
Looking back, this experience truly was a Cinderella story. I have never publicly admitted this, but I cried after this commercial aired. It was not immediate; it came maybe 24 hours after the commercial was published while I was on my way to get some ice cream from Jeni’s, but I 100% cried. I cried because I felt a weight release off of me that I did not know existed. The gravity of the situation was real for me. For the first time in my life, I could confidently say that I am a producer. Reading Spike Lee’s comment on the video was validation that I did not know I needed. At the time of this blog post, the “The Wait is Over” commercial has 106K views, 700+ shares, and 180+ saves on Instagram alone. My manager submitted the commercial to the Collegiate Advertising Awards, where we were the Gold Winners for our group in the TV/Video Advertising/PSA- Single category. Trust me when I say this: the road to get here was no crystal stair. I had to navigate disbelief, scheduling conflicts/cancellations, and more. Yet, through it all, we remained level-headed and persevered. Now, I can officially say that I am an award-winning marketer.
