LOS ANGELES — The Rams rolled out Thursday, a draft campaign that reimagines the 1995 comedy Friday, on the team’s digital and social platforms ahead of the NFL Draft next week. The project puts O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Destin Tucker at the center of a playful push meant to build anticipation around who might eventually land on the Rams roster.
The team said Thursday is designed to capture the excitement around draft week, and it was developed with TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles. The production filmed at the original Friday house in West Athens, southeast of SoFi Stadium headquarters in Inglewood, tying the campaign to one of the movie’s most recognizable settings.
Thursday also widens the Rams’ draft-week footprint across Los Angeles. The Zillow Draft House is open near Cinépolis Inglewood in Hollywood Park and includes a branded living room, a small-scale turf football field and a retail experience. From April 23-25, the team will host a Rams Block Party presented by Zillow at Hollywood Park, with carnival-style rides and games, “Main Street” activations and spaces to watch the NFL Draft live.
Rams chief marketing officer Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick called the campaign “a celebration of Los Angeles — the city we call home — and its culture, creativity and global influence.” She also said Friday is “more than a movie; it’s a cultural touchstone.”
The movie connection gives the campaign a built-in audience. Friday, released in 1995, starred Ice Cube as Craig and Chris Tucker as Smokey, two friends trying to come up with $200 they owe a local bully or there will not be a Saturday. The Rams are leaning on that legacy to turn draft week into a fan event that blends football with a familiar piece of Los Angeles pop culture.
Jackson, who portrayed his father in Straight Outta Compton, and Tucker, who stars in the short film W.T.A.F., are joined in Thursday by Terry Crews, YG, Kevin Dotson, Jared Verse, Byron Young and Big Boy. Proceeds from the Rams Block Party will benefit the Rams Foundation, giving the team’s draft celebration a community angle as well as a promotional one.
For the Rams, the message is clear: draft week is not just about the picks. It is about wrapping the rams roster conversation in a local story, then giving fans a place to watch how it all unfolds.