Building on its bold reputation and “Welcome to the Powerhouse” branding campaign, the University of Houston has released its 2015-16 institutional commercial, “Unleash the Power.” The 30-second commercial, produced in-house by the Division of Marketing, Communication and Media Relations, prominently features UH students — including student athletes, architecture, arts, optometry and engineering students. It also includes an appearance by first-year head football coach Tom Herman inside TDECU Stadium.
“UH is a place for discovery—whether it be the self discovery of a student finding his or her path in life or a ground-breaking scientific discovery of one our researchers,” said Richie Hunter, UH vice president for marketing, communication and media relations. “UH is a place where students can unleash their power in pursuing an education, and researchers are encouraged to be bold in their innovations. That is what this latest institutional commercial is all about—facing challenges, achieving dreams and transforming lives.”
The commercial was shot in 12 locations around the UH and UH-Northwest campuses in late July. The opening scene includes UH undergraduate Antonio Sustaita, a media production major, studying inside the M.D. Anderson Library. It is followed by scenes of other students working on various ongoing academic projects, such as engineering students building a Shell Eco-Marathon car, optometry students conducting examination exercises in a new, state-of-the-art eye simulation lab, interior architecture students designing a truss that will soon support the aging storage building of a church in the Fifth Ward, and graduate students working on Rehab Rex, a brain-controlled robotic exoskeleton designed to help patients with spinal cord injuries to walk.
The commercial will air during regional and national telecasts of UH Athletics events. It features student athletes and artists in action, including a dozen players from the Houston Cougar football team, UH track and field sprinter Bria Carter, men’s basketball guard LeRon Barnes, and Brittany Bass, a 2015 graduate of the UH School of Theatre & Dance.
“Unleash the Power” made its network debut Saturday on ESPN3 during the UH Cougars’ win over Tennessee Tech in the football season opener.