Running a Global, Live-Streamed, Record-Breaking $8M Charity Auction Under COVID

In 2021, I was running point on a live-streamed charity auction tied to a Marvel partnership with Audemars Piguet. Originally planned as an in person event, we had to pivot during Covid. The players were high profile including Kevin Hart, Serena Williams and LeBron James to mention a few. At this point I was well versed in high profile, luxury events, but this was my first time doing live television. I jumped in with both feet, and even wrote the script. The event raised $8 million for charity in a few short hours. The hero auction item, a one-of-a-kind Royal Oak Concept "Black Panther" Flying Tourbillon, sold for $5 million against a $2 million goal. And in the middle of the live broadcast, I made a call that could have cost me my job, and I didn't know was the right one until well after it was over. **The quick stats** - Live-streamed charity auction held during COVID, originally conceived as in-person, pivoted to a full TV-style broadcast - Raised $8 million for charity in a few hours - Hero auction item: a one-of-a-kind Royal Oak Concept "Black Panther" Flying Tourbillon, sold for $5 million against a $2 million benchmark - Co-hosted by Kevin Hart (longtime AP collaborator) and AP CEO François-Henry Bennahmias - Serena Williams and LeBron James on script, with a live musical performance by Giveon - Marvel × Audemars Piguet partnership for the Black Panther collection - Proceeds benefited AP's partnership with First Book and Ashoka, supporting youth aged 10–18 from low-income communities - Principal client watching the broadcast remotely from Switzerland due to COVID-era visa restrictions **The messy middle** **The reinvention.** When COVID closed in-person events, this could have been canceled. Instead, we rebuilt it from the ground up as a TV-style broadcast with a custom set design. The client wanted the same brand impact they'd get from a black-tie auction in New York, but we had to deliver it from a soundstage in Los Angeles with the principal watching on a delay. That meant every piece of the event had to be designed to look intentional on a screen, not just in a room. We essentially built a TV show under the masthead of an experiential agency. I'd been an event person my whole career, but this was new. **The script.** Someone had to write what Kevin, Serena, and LeBron were going to say. I volunteered, but I had never written a script before. I'd written briefs, talking points, and decks, but not lines of dialogue meant to be performed live by people who are famous for their performance. I'm proud to say that the version that ran was the version I drafted, edited with our creative director. It was a surreal moment to see that delivered by three of the most recognizable people on the planet. **The call.** The bids climbed faster than anyone projected. The hero watch had been benchmarked at $2 million. By the time we hit $5, our client at Audemars Piguet raised a real concern from across the world. He was watching the auction without the bidder context the room had, and bids moving that quickly, that high, can look like fraud. He'd seen enough auction integrity cases to know the pattern, and asked if we should stop the broadcast until we could verify. I knew that stopping a live global broadcast in front of live viewers would do more reputational damage to the brand and the charity than handling any irregularity on the back end. Two of us were trying to protect the same outcome from two different rooms. I decided to keep going; they hire us to make the tough calls. As it turns out, the bids were legitimate. The watch sold for $5 million. The charity got the money. The client and I have a fantastic relationship to this day. So much so that it was hard to transition a new team member to their account once I was promoted and no longer managing client work day to day. Overall, the event was one of the proudest moments of my career. None of this happens without Jessica, my lead producer. Complementary skills, mutual trust, the kind of partnership that's rare in this industry. Thank you, Jessica.