Malia Obama is carving a new path in the world of television and film. First, she penned an episode of Swarm, the edgy Prime Video series starring Dominique Fishback as an obsessed fan, then she helmed her first short film, The Heart, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Now, she’s behind the camera again in a high-profile campaign for WNBA star A’ja Wilson, who recently launched her signature Nike A’One sneaker. As Malia Ann, the 26-year-old daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama captured two vignette videos for the social media promos and is credited as one of the directors for the overall campaign.

Malia is shown in one photo holding a camera and directing Wilson and a young actress who’s part of the commercial. In it, the actress shows Wilson how to play a hand-clapping game of Miss Mary Mack by recounting all the high points of her career. Obama also helmed an interview with Wilson at Big T’s Bar-B-Que in her hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, where Wilson starred for the Gamecocks.

Wilson, the WNBA’s three-time MVP won two championships with the Las Vegas Aces and is one of the league’s most bankable players. She announced last season that she’d be releasing a signature shoe. Her Nike A’Ones in the Pink A’ura colorway officially launch on Tuesday, May 6, on the Nike SNKRS app. They’re listed at $110.

“When you see young people, young girls and boys want to wear your shoe, want to be a part of your journey and your legacy, that’s what it’s truly all about for me,” she told People earlier this year at the women’s Final Four. “So I will try not to cry, but it’s a big moment.”

If you’re wondering why Malia is credited as Malia Ann for her film career, it’s because, as her father explained, she doesn’t want to trade off her famous name. Some “nepo babies” as famous offspring are often called, embrace their birthright, but others want to succeed on their own terms.

“I was all like, ‘You do know they’ll know who you are,’” Obama said about his daughters on The Pivot podcast in 2024. “And she’s all like, ‘You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association.’ So I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that.”

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