Between the marching bands and game-winning drives, a new kind of Big Ten message is hitting the airwaves this fall — and it features some Husker handiwork.
The new 30-second spot, “We Are Here,” is the first in a series of Big Ten advertisements highlighting the real-world impact of the conference’s 18 universities. And, Nebraska’s Aaron Nix, director of visual media with University Communication and Marketing, helped develop the project, serving as lead editor.
The ad (above) was created as part of a Big Ten Academic Alliance initiative to expand the conference’s messaging beyond athletics — and onto the national stage — using airtime already built into Big Ten media agreements.
“The video is an extension of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, and wanting to capitalize on broadcast, national TV time to complement the existing 'Maps' ad,” Nix said. “Whereas the 'Maps' ad is focused on athletics… this ad is focused on what did we want to say as a conference about academics and the importance of academics in people’s everyday life.”
Working with a team of creatives from across the conference — under the direction of Valentina Gomez Bravo, executive creative director at the University of Washington — Nix helped shape the ad’s visual pacing and content using footage from all 18 institutions. The message is focused on how Big Ten universities drive progress in areas like health, innovation and community impact.
Despite its polished look and national distribution, total production cost of the spot was just $1,450.
“It was a good challenge,” Nix said. “It’s probably one of the most challenging projects I’ve had to work on ever simply because of the number of approvals necessary across all the Big Ten.”
Nebraska appears in six scenes throughout the final ad, with representation from campus programs including engineering, architecture, ROTC and Nebraska Innovation Studio.
For Nix, who earned his degree in theater and film/new media in 2009 from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, the project was more than a creative milestone — it was a professional dream come true.
“I feel incredibly lucky to do it,” he said. “To do something to represent Nebraska for then a bigger conference… is also really, really special and really cool.”
The “We Are Here” ad is set to air during Big Ten sporting events throughout the fall. It will be followed by two additional spots later this academic year, with the next installment expected during basketball season.
