Adam's
Memorial Scholarship

If you are interested in helping us grow the Adam Brent Jackson Memorial Scholarship Endowment at NC State University, please contact the NC Ag Foundation, Campus Box 7645, Raleigh, NC 27695-7645 or via email: cals_foundation@ncsu.edu.

Deliciously Fresh! Basketballs ready for promotion on DirectTV.

This past summer, Brent and Debbie Jackson received a unique offer to add to the endowment scholarship for their son, Adam, a three-sport standout at Midway High School in Sampson County. It came from Motion Theories, Inc., a Los Angeles production company that developed the promotional concept to advertise ESPN's Full Court Basketball Package on DirectTV this fall and winter. Here's how the opportunity came about, filmed in farm fields where Adam toiled when not on the athletic fields at school.

Motion Theories' Javier Jimenez and Bo Platt pose with Brent Jackson
sitting in the director's chair.

As they set out to find a site to film their promos literally depicting basketballs as being harvested from America's farm fields, Motion Theory came across Jackson Farming Company, the largest producer of melons and cantaloupes in the heart of basketball country. With the Jackson's agreement to host the film crew for about four days of shooting their fields, equipment and facilities, Motion Theory contributed $4,000 to the Adam Brent Jackson Memorial Scholarship in NC State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where Adam was planning to attend and major in agricultural business.

Film crew set up basketball field scenes.

Workers pick and throw basketballs growing in Jackson Farms' fields.

Basketballs transported from fields to pack house.

In all, Motion Theories filmed shots of basketballs "growing" in a field of foot-high cantaloupe blossoms, as well as being cultivated in a greenhouse, sorted and graded in a pack house and hauled to market. Adam's dad, Brent, and younger brother, Josh, were among 40 to 50 actors and actresses appearing with out 500 basketballs in the four scene spots filmed on the Jackson's farm.

Jackson's cantaloupe fields sprouted basketballs overnight.

Of Motion Theories' filming activities on his Sampson County farm and their contribution to Adam's Memorial Scholarship, Brent says, "Adam would have been thrilled at the commercial because he loved basketball and sports so much. I thought it was fantastic and they were more than willing to help fund education for worthy students."

Film crew captures basketballs on Jackson's grading and packing line.