Samsung tech connects athlete Fred VanVleet with next-gen talent  

Basketball star Fred VanVleet, creative producer Mr. KOA, and content creator Isabelle Cheng are the latest faces to be featured in Samsung’s connected experiences campaign

The newest brand campaign from Samsung continues with three new video spots showcasing the real, meaningful connections Canadians can make using Samsung technology. In the latest campaign spots, basketball star athlete Fred VanVleet, creative producer Mr. KOA, and content creator Isabelle Cheng, are leaning into their personal passions and crafts to illustrate how Canadians can “Do The SmartThings!” with connected devices that seamlessly work together.

Whether interacting with a fan, tackling a photo shoot, or creating delicious-looking food content, Fred, Isabelle, and Mr. KOA are all utilizing the power of Samsung products and SmartThings to make these experiences more efficient and enriching. We recently caught up with the stars of the videos to learn more about the meaningful connections they experienced with others through Samsung technology.

In the latest spot, up and coming basketball star and Team Canada athlete, Deniya Prawl, plays video games on her Neo QLED TV online with another gamer – not knowing that on the other end of the line is the star athlete Fred VanVleet, who surprises her with a call on her Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4. You can watch the latest video here.

We sat down with Deniya, Isabelle and Mr. KOA to learn more about their experiences with Samsung’s meaningful connections campaign, and how they themselves continue to leverage connectivity in their everyday lives.

What role does Samsung technology play in helping you perfect your craft?

Mr. KOA: The Samsung Galaxy lineup’s ease of use and customization features not only help me get all my work done efficiently, they make things look the way I want to, and make my experiences enjoyable.

Isabelle Cheng: My phone is central to my job as a food-focused content creator! I love my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Deniya Prawl: My Samsung TV helps me watch all of my favourite basketball games, learning from other amazing players.

How does technology help you balance your day-to-day life?

Mr. KOA: I live a very fast-paced and extremely unpredictable lifestyle. I absolutely rely on technology to keep me organized, to help edit and design work, as well as visual capabilities to present to clients.

Isabelle Cheng: To be honest, I would be completely lost without technology. I use my Samsung Galaxy Watch Active to track my sleep, workouts, and even make sure I get enough water – especially helpful when I’m busy. For work, I always tell people I live and die by my calendar. Being able to have all my appointments and other info at my fingertips on my phone is critical.

Deniya Prawl: Because I’m a basketball player, it’s so important for me to study the game. Watching games or footage from practice using technology helps improve my IQ and learn different moves.

Can you tell us about your experience building connections in your vignette?

Mr. KOA: Being surprised by my cousin on my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 was definitely an unexpected but welcome surprise – especially when we met in person! I recently made the decision to pick up my entire life and move from Toronto to LA at the start of this year. The transition has been quite challenging, and I hadn’t seen friends or family for almost a year. Being able to connect so easily and quickly was incredible.

Isabelle Cheng: I was able to connect with a good friend of mine that moved to Vancouver. When someone who is important to you moves across the country it can be difficult. I was so shocked when she surprised me on video chat as I was expecting someone else. It was easy to connect the Galaxy Z Flip4 to Samsung The Frame TV so I could chat comfortably on such a large screen. Even better was when she ended up surprising me in person!

Deniya Prawl: It was a great experience to connect with Fred live using my Galaxy Z Flip4! I’ve watched him play for so many years and I’m a huge fan – I was so surprised and grateful for the experience.

Provide an example of a meaningful connection that technology has enabled for you.

Mr. KOA: I recently launched a dating card game called THE FIRST DATE GAME. Thanks to technology, the game has been able to reach thousands of people – all from something I created at home.

Isabelle Cheng: Over the past two years, technology was essential to help me stay connected to my friends and loved ones who I wasn’t able to see. Having technology makes those times feel a lot less lonely until you’re able to hug in-person again.

Deniya Prawl: A lot of my family lives in Jamaica, and they all use Samsung devices, which helps us communicate with each other despite the distance.

Samsung has long been innovating across its mobile, home entertainment, home office and digital appliance products, to help Canadians curate intuitive, integrated experiences. To learn more about Samsung’s meaningful connections campaign, click here.