One random day in 2008.
Soccer fans all over the world were counting down the seconds to this moment. Today was the day UEFA would finally drop the official start date for the Euros on their website.
Oh, and they were also releasing the brand-new tournament promo video!
Fans were losing their minds with excitement. A hype video like this was the one time you got to see all your favorite superstars in one place.
But a lot of people following the Euros already knew something wild: this promo was directed by a woman. Most folks had no clue who Joey Grant was or what she'd directed before. Word on the street was she was some Hollywood director.
Still, plenty of fans were scratching their heads. Why on earth would they let a woman direct the Euros promo? This was supposed to be guy territory, right?
Not everybody had seen The Blind Side, and even fewer really got what Joey was about. A bunch of fans were straight-up in denial.
While everyone refreshed the UEFA page like maniacs waiting for the start time and the video, they killed time scrolling the web.
Yahoo Sports (back when it was still a big deal) even set up a dedicated page just for the Euros announcement. They talked about the promo and threw in a little section about the director, Joey Grant.
A lot of people keep asking: "Who is this chick, and how the heck did she land the gig for the biggest men's tournament on the planet?"
Yeah, she really is just a woman (not even 30 yet). The movie she's most famous for before this was that teen-girl flick Twilight. But if you paid any attention to last year's box office, The Blind Side probably blew your mind…
The article gave a quick rundown of Joey's career and films. Tons of readers left comments saying they had no idea a woman directed The Blind Side until they read that piece!
"Holy crap, The Blind Side was directed by a woman? You can't even tell—that movie's so calm, logical, and straight-up intense…"
"Just found out. The Blind Side was the only movie that made me tear up last year, and I only watch sports movies. Crazy that a woman directed it."
"Okay, now I'm actually hyped for the Euros promo."
"Seriously, the tension in that movie? And it's a chick who directed it? She should be doing Nike commercials…"
Right in the middle of all the heated discussion, UEFA finally dropped the official start date and the new promo.
Fans clicked that link faster than you can say "goal."
Three minutes long—not the longest ever, not the shortest.
The second it started playing, a lot of fans were… confused. Then disappointed.
Because in the entire three-minute video? Not a single current superstar was filmed for it. Every clip of the big-name players was just old highlight-reel goals from past games.
No Hollywood cameos, no celebrities—nothing. It was all regular people. Everyday fans you'd never look twice at: stadium stewards, sideline reporters, play-by-play guys, old grandpas in team scarves, little kids in the streets watching on busted old TVs with their pants half-down and dirt on their faces.
Just normal folks. Zero stars.
This had to be the most low-budget, bare-bones tournament promo in history. It basically had no plot—just simple shots of ordinary people reacting in real time to goals being scored on TV.
And yet… somehow this three-minute video, stitched together from random fans and old highlight clips, had grown men crying like babies.
Joey used iconic moments from past World Cups and Euros as the thread, showing how every goal, every save, every result changed individual lives and sometimes entire nations.
With tight, powerful editing, she captured the insane drama that only soccer can deliver.
Watching those regular people lose their minds over the game made every fan remember their own moments—screaming in the stands, playing pickup games as a kid, giving everything for that one perfect pass or shot.
That's the magic of film: it makes you feel, remember, hurt a little, smile a lot. If a promo can bring tears because it reminds you of who you used to be? It's a home run.
In just one day, Joey's video went mega-viral worldwide. Soccer is every guy's dream, after all.
One day. Ten days. A whole month.
That Euros promo was all sports fans could talk about. It cranked the tournament hype to eleven.
UEFA went all-in—they didn't just post it online or run it on TV. They bought cinema ad space too, blanketing every screen before every movie. Smart move; it reached everybody.
The whole planet knew the Euros were coming. And because the promo itself was so damn good, it became the most talked-about ad anywhere—higher reach than most blockbuster movie trailers.
Fans called, emailed, even faxed UEFA headquarters saying it was the best thing they'd ever seen.
A ton of people discovered Joey for the first time because of this promo. They went back and watched her other movies. Some fell even more in love with her; others were kinda let down.
The ones who loved her said every one of her movies (except the early flops) was a classic. Hollywood doesn't have another director like her—every film a hit, every film a banger.
The disappointed ones were like, "Wait… most of her stuff is chick flicks? Man, what a waste."
For a solid stretch that year, the Euros promo was the hottest thing on the internet—bigger than some actual movies and TV shows. Search numbers were through the roof.
Hollywood people started side-eyeing her in a good way. This woman wasn't just a rom-com director; she knew exactly how to get guys fired up. She and UEFA just pulled off the soccer trailer of the decade.
A bunch of the dudes who'd been doubting her ate their words and became fans. "She doesn't just do chick flicks—she knows how to make a man's heart race!"
Because the buzz was insane and the word-of-mouth was off the charts, UEFA officially invited Joey to be a VIP guest at the 2008 Euros opening ceremony.
Not the "come up on stage" kind of guest—just the "front-row seat next to all the big shots, cameras will keep cutting to you" kind.
Looks like Joey and soccer still had a lot more story to write. Fans were about to see this super low-key female director in the flesh at one of the biggest events of the summer.
Every year, People magazine puts out its list of the Sexiest Men and Women Alive.
They call it "sexiest," but half the time you'll see people like Steve Jobs or Bill Clinton on there. Because "sexy" isn't always about looks—it's about charisma, brains, the vibe you give off.
If you can make the masses swoon, you're sexy. Doesn't matter if you're conventionally hot.
You almost never see Asians or Black people near the top. Old-school American beauty standards are still a thing. Sure, every once in a while Halle Berry or Beyoncé cracks the women's list, or Will Smith or Jamie Foxx on the men's side.
So when Joey suddenly shot up the rankings? Nobody saw it coming.
At first she was hanging out somewhere past 300. Then—blink—she was inside the top 100.
For an Asian woman? That was unheard of.
A list that's historically all about traditional Western beauty giving an Asian face that kind of spot? That's huge.
People—men and women—were straight-up obsessed with her brain. Her mind was the sexiest thing about her.
Grace closed the magazine and set it gently on the table.
She never thought the woman her family had tossed aside like trash would pull off this kind of comeback.
Joey was killing it talent-wise, and now even her looks were getting some love.
Grace leaned back hard in her chair, took a deep breath, stood up, and left the room.
She walked down the hallway to the end and stopped at Hughes's door.
It was open. She could see him sitting on the sofa under the window. Sunlight poured in, catching the little lines around his eyes and turning his brown irises a warm hazel.
Grace stepped inside. "Heading out?"
Hughes stood and walked toward the door. "Yeah, about to."
Grace watched him take those slow steps. "If, back then…"
He stopped, turned slightly, and raised an eyebrow. "If what?"
She took a breath. "If Joey had shown even half this talent back then, I never would've said no to her."
Hughes gave a small, knowing smile—then looked at his mother coolly. "Too late for that, Mom."
He turned the doorknob and walked out.
The door slowly swung shut behind him, like a quiet sigh.