Awards and Recognition 9 | College of Media

Burke tops charts again with award-winning Super Bowl ads

February 15, 2022

Advertising alum Patrick Burke (BS ’95), executive creative director of the Chicago-based ad agency Highdive, has once again topped the charts with award-winning Super Bowl ads. His team created both the Rocket Mortgage commercial and the Lay’s potato chip commercial, earning the #1 and #6 spots on the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter poll.

He got the #1 and #2 spots for Rocket Mortgage in 2021 and the #5 spot for them in 2020.

With Rocket Mortgage this year, Burke served as creative director, overseeing a team. His role on the Lay’s ad was more hands-on.

Burke told Adweek that the team starts each project like any other assignment by getting to one single insight that can drive the creative. Read his interview.

Read our 2021 story about Burke.

Min appointed to President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders

Sarah Min (BS ’93, journalism) has been appointed by President Biden as one of the commissioners to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

The Commission will advise the President on ways the public, private, and non-profit sectors can work together to advance equity and opportunity for every Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. The Commission is also charged with advising the President on policies to address anti-Asian xenophobia and violence, ways to build capacity in AANHPI communities through federal grantmaking, and policies to address the intersectional barriers that AANHPI women, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities face.

Min is an advocate and former media executive. From 2013 to 2019, Min was an independent consultant, working with clients such as HBO, Penguin Random House, and other nonprofits. Previously, she served as executive vice president for marketing and corporate development for ScrollMotion, an enterprise software company. Min also was the managing editor of Vibe and Domino magazines, a director at media company Bertelsmann, as well as president of literary publishing company McSweeney’s. She serves as a director on nonprofit boards, including Color of Change and EMILY’s List, and has been engaged in grassroots organizations, including the Korean American Community Foundation and the Asian American Power Network.

Read the White House press release.

Media faculty and TAs make list of teachers ranked as excellent

Congratulations to all of the College of Media faculty and teaching assistants who were ranked as excellent by their students!

This list is based on Instructor and Course Evaluation System (ICES) questionnaire forms completed by students during the Spring 2021 semester. Only those instructors who distributed ICES forms at least once during this time period and who released their data for publication are included in the list. View the complete list.

Note: * denotes that the instructor ratings were outstanding.

ADVERTISING

JACOB FISHER – ADV 305

STEVE HALL – ADV 150

CHANG-DAE HAM – ADV 460

JACQUELINE HITCHON – ADV 283

* TERRY KASDAN – ADV 409

* AMANDA MABRY-FLYNN – ADV 283

* SHACHAR MERON – ADV 498

MICHELLE NELSON – ADV 582

SANG-HWA OH – ADV 410

* MARISA PEACOCK – ADV 350, 491

PETER SHELDON – ADV 390

JOURNALISM

CHRISTOPHER BALL – JOUR 199

STEPHANIE CRAFT – JOUR 250

KEN ERDEY – JOUR 445

CAROL LOMBARDI – JOUR 220

* JEAN MCDONALD – JOUR 460

ERIC MEYER – JOUR 425

MARGARET YEE-MAN NG – JOUR 460

NIKKI USHER – JOUR 199, 452

MEDIA & CINEMA STUDIES

* VICTOR FONT – MACS 480, 481

JOSH HEUMAN – MACS 320

SUSAN MUIRHEAD – MACS 372

HARSH TANEJA – MACS 572

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

S. DAS – MACS 100

Y. GAO – MACS 100

Y. LEE – ADV 281

* G. MALO – MACS 101

A. MUKHOPADHYAY – MACS 100

J. PYO – MACS 100

Balz receives inaugural College of Media Distinguished Alumni Award

October 6, 2021 | Da Yeon Eom, Communications and Marketing Intern

When Dan Balz (BS ’68, MS ’72, journalism) arrived at the University of Illinois, he had no idea that he would choose journalism as his lifelong profession. His older brother, the late Doug Balz, who was also a journalism alumnus, had recommended that he join The Daily Illini. It was there that he fell in love with the craft as well as the camaraderie that he shared with fellow student journalists.

Balz, chief correspondent at The Washington Post, said his Illinois education and the College of Media have shaped his life and career in all kinds of ways, “from the classroom learning, to the mentoring from faculty members, to working on The Daily Illini, to the friendships that have been maintained. I am incredibly grateful for all of that.”

He has held a unique vantage point of history in the making, covering national politics since joining The Washington Post in 1978. He is also a regular panelist on PBS’s Washington Week, a frequent guest on other public affairs programs, and the author of several books on politics and elections, including two bestsellers.

Because of his extraordinary career, Balz has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the College of Media Distinguished Alumni Award.

“This new annual award honors an alum whose career accomplishments and engagement with the College of Media are exemplary,” said Dean Tracy Sulkin. “Dan has greatly contributed to the profession of journalism, reporting on our democracy for four decades, and has generously supported the College of Media and our students over the years.”

“I really enjoy political reporting,” Balz said. “You get to go around the country, you learn about the politics in different states—which every state has its own rich political heritage—and it gave me the opportunity to cover presidential campaigns and to see the evolving nature of the person who eventually gets elected as the President of the United States.”

After working as a Capitol Hill intern during his sophomore year, Balz knew that he wanted to go to Washington, D.C., as a reporter. For most of his career, he has had front-row seats to the presidential candidates before they are bound by the trappings of the Oval Office, and he gets to observe how newly appointed presidents handle high-pressure situations.

For him, a presidential campaign is like a Rorschach test for the nation.

“The candidates are important, obviously, but a lot of it has to do with the mood of the country and what voters are looking for, and trying to understand all those forces that come together as a campaign,” Balz said. “To me, that has always been stimulating and that has always been different, so it keeps you fresh.”

Balz described political reporting as part biography. “You are watching people, and learning about people, and writing about people. But it also gives you a chance to understand the country and its history.”

Some of his most memorable stories include covering the election of President Barack Obama and the death of Princess Diana.

“The 2008 election campaign was just infused with history and the competition between [Barack] Obama and [Hillary] Clinton was unlike anything that I have ever covered in a presidential campaign,” Balz said.

“The death of Princess Diana was also just an incredible story, in part because it was so revealing of the country as a whole, and the outpouring of anger towards the Royal Family and the tabloid media,” he added.

He said the most rewarding part of his career is to have been at The Washington Post for as long as he has been. He considers it to be a great fortune to have worked under talented editors and to continuously learn from other members of the newsroom for more than 40 years.

“In a sense, I have had to reinvent myself every few years as faces change and demands change and stories change,” Balz said. “That, for me, journalistically, has been the greatest thing.”

For journalism students, Balz shared: “As you start out as a journalist, you will see that every great journalist, no matter what they do, there’s intellectual curiosity, desire to read widely, a fundamental energy to chase and get the story, and a self-critical nature of never believing you’ve figured out how to do the job as good as it ought to be done.”

Davis receives inaugural College of Media Emerging Leader Award

October 6, 2021 | Da Yeon Eom, Communications and Marketing Intern

Suheily Natal Davis (BS ’04, broadcast journalism), senior director of global diversity, equity, and inclusion at McDonald’s, has led a life of championing others through her professional and personal endeavors.

She felt the difference that a welcoming community and a strong support system can make during her time at the University of Illinois.

“I think there were so many instances where such a big school felt very cozy and warm because of how other diverse students looked out for some of us who were coming in, especially from Chicago,” Davis said.

Davis notably has compassion for others—whether helping people navigate the legal system, encouraging underrepresented populations to work in law, or providing resources to expectant families.

Because of the impact of her work and volunteerism, Davis has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the College of Media Emerging Leader Award.

“We created this new annual award to honor an alum whose early career accomplishments and engagement with the College of Media are exemplary,” said Dean Tracy Sulkin. “We’re proud to acknowledge the important work that Suheily has dedicated her career to, while serving her community in leadership roles, and engaging with and supporting students in the College of Media.”

Davis currently serves on the board of directors for the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation and the National Employment Law Council. She previously served on the College of Media’s Leadership Council, on the board of directors for the Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program, and on the associate board for CARPLS, the largest provider of free legal aid to Chicago area residents. Davis also stays very close to her roots on the south side of Chicago through the graduate chapter of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, by working on mentorship programs aimed at supporting young girls from her neighborhood.

Davis has also held leadership roles in legal organizations aimed specifically at increasing the meaningful retention and participation of women of color in the legal profession, both the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Chicago and the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago. In 2017, Davis was named by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as one of the top 40 attorneys under 40 to watch.

“In my house we didn’t always have much, but what we did have we always shared with anyone who needed it. The truth is, I would not be in the rooms I am in today had it not been for others who invested in my development and brought me along with them,” Davis said. “The least I can do to honor the people who created opportunities for me is to help open doors and break down barriers for others. The experiences I have had serving my community, legal or otherwise, have helped give me so much perspective and serve as constant reminders that we are all better when we work together.”

She joined McDonald’s Corporation in 2014 as senior counsel for global labor and employment, where her work primarily focused on counseling around issues of fair treatment in the workplace, including maintaining a safe and respectful workplace free of harassment and discrimination of any kind. In 2019, after working exclusively with McDonald’s U.S. business, Davis transitioned into the role of general counsel for McDonald’s Latin American markets. During her time in the legal department, Davis helped develop and lead the legal department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. She was promoted this year to her current role, in which she partners with the McDonald’s U.S. leadership team to drive strategic diversity initiatives.

“The role combines my passion for equity and fairness with my love for counseling, people, development, and community service,” Davis said. “My best days are when I get to work alongside one of our leaders to help them grow in their journey to be more inclusive and empathetic, or when I get to weigh in on how our brand will use our size and scope to produce meaningful change in society. This is a big, new role with a lot of responsibility, but I am honored that I get to do this work.”

Her roots in journalism stemmed from being fascinated with news and people’s stories. (So much so that her childhood punishment was that she couldn’t watch the news or her favorite investigative shows, 20/20 and Dateline.)

“I think that journalism to me felt like a very good vehicle to learn more about people and how they function, what makes them tick and also to think about whose stories are being told and whose stories are being left behind,” Davis said.

It was during a First Amendment course in journalism at the University of Illinois when Professor Steve Helle, noting that the subject matter sparked excitement in her, pulled her aside and asked if she ever considered pursuing law as a profession.

After discussing it with her family, she decided to follow that career path and eventually earned her JD from DePaul Law School.

Other experiences at the University of Illinois influenced her dedication to inclusion.

She recalled how she was the only person of color in her first class as a college student and realized she would need to navigate spaces with people of different backgrounds, communicating about differences, and across cultures.

“I feel like I grew a lot,” Davis said. “I was stretched in different ways beyond just academics. That concept of lifting while you climb and making room at the table for everyone, that collaborative nature, is something that was fostered at the time I was in college.”

Davis has been lifting others in many ways. Six years ago, she and her husband started a foundation called The Perfect Cadence following the tragedy of losing their daughter. The foundation provides baby showers and celebrations for families who do not have access to resources, and it also provides support for families who have experienced similar losses.

“For me, frankly, I had to give some sort of meaning to that loss to be able to cope,” Davis said. “The foundation was a way to create memories that could stand in place of the memories that we couldn’t have with our daughter, and it’s given us just that.”

Davis has come a long way since being a college student who regularly battled self-doubt. She offered words of encouragement for current students:

“Trust that you are here for a reason, your voice matters, your instinct and your presence are valuable,” Davis said. “There’s frankly so much in the world to deter you and you may have your own difficulties or conflicts, but trust that you are right where you are supposed to be and take a moment to enjoy what’s around you.”

Hall wins distinguished Cummings Gold Medal Award from AAF

June 22, 2021 | Da Yeon Eom, Communications and Marketing Intern

Steve Hall, a senior lecturer in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, received the 2021 Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award with a unanimous vote from the American Advertising Federation.

The award recognizes distinguished individuals for their service to advertising through volunteer work with the AAF, and this is the first time that it was given to an educator; previous winners have all been members of the industry.

“I’m extremely lucky to have so many incredible people in my life. Doing what I do wouldn’t be possible without amazing students, alumni, faculty, administrators, friends, family, industry professionals, and the American Advertising Federation,” said Hall, who has served as faculty advisor since 1997 for AAF Illinois, the largest student chapter in the nation.

“To be a part of Bart Cummings’ iconic legacy is special to me because of his connection to the University of Illinois as an alumnus, supporter of Charles. H. Sandage Department of Advertising, chair of the James Webb Young Board, and All-American athlete,” Hall added.

The award is named in honor of the late Bart Cummings (BS ’35, journalism), former Chief Executive Officer of Compton Advertising (now Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising), whose career was dedicated to industry service and to advancing the social and economic values of advertising. Cummings received honors such as induction to the Advertising Hall of Fame for his volunteer work serving as chair of the AAF, the 4As, the Ad Council, the Advertising Educational Foundation, and the AAF Foundation.

Echoing Cummings’ contribution to the advertising industry, Hall’s work in the Sandage Department of Advertising has helped shape the future of the field by teaching, mentoring, advising, and connecting students, alumni, and professionals in an array of industry immersion initiatives, activities, programs, and events.

“As educators, we should be teaching advertising students how to be students of life,” Hall said. “Teaching them to approach the world around them with curiosity, eagerness, and open-mindedness so they can achieve excellence in everything that comes their way—in whatever career path they decide to take—because the greatest reward an educator can receive is when their students do awesome work in careers they absolutely love.”

As AAF Illinois Faculty Advisor for more than 20 years, Hall has led National Student Advertising Competition teams to the finals, nominated more Most Promising Multicultural Student winners than any other university, and created countless industry immersion and engagement programs for AAF student members to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Portland, and San Francisco.

“For decades, Steve selflessly devoted himself to nurturing the future leaders of advertising, both in and outside of the classrooms,” said Professor Mike Yao, head of the Sandage Department of Advertising. “He was a champion for experiential learning before experiential learning became cool. Steve’s dedication to teaching excellence and student professional development are truly inspirational.”

Hall has previously been recognized nationally as one of the best professors in the industry having received AAF’s Distinguished Advertising Educator Award, along with the University of Illinois Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, the Charles H. Sandage Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, and the AAF James S. Fish Aid to Advertising Education Award.

When designing curricula, Hall advocates for finding new and creative ways for faculty and students to learn from each other.

“Pedagogically, faculty should be willing to immerse themselves in myriad roles as educators, because significant learning also occurs when teachers become mentors, advocates, advisors, coaches, catalysts, facilitators, coordinators, collaborators, listeners, and participants in the educational process.”

Hall believes advertising education should immerse, connect, and inspire students so they can achieve great successes in their careers and shape the future in the best way possible.

“Advertising education should instill the maverick spirit of an inventor, conviction of a marathon runner, analytical mind of a scientist, empathy of a philanthropist, and creativity of a jazz musician in every student,” he said.

“It should constantly strive to develop professionals who are thought-leading ‘architects’ who have the ability to balance the most intricate details with an extraordinary vision—and create blueprints that set the standard for best practices in the industry.”

Ciafone receives Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

May 5, 2021

The Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching recognizes sustained excellence and innovative approaches in undergraduate teaching and contributions beyond classroom instruction that have an overall positive impact on undergraduate student learning. Amanda Ciafone, associate professor of media and cinema studies, was one of this year’s recipients.

Ciafone honed her classroom skills teaching large 500-student classes as well as smaller seminars, requiring an impressive range of pedagogical approaches and methodologies. Her nominator described her as committed to regularly examining the broader curriculum to ensure students’ academic, professional, and personal goals are met and challenged. She brings her keen attention to emergent curricular needs and the needs of students from different backgrounds—including underrepresented and historically marginalized students—to innovate a critical, publicly engaged education at Illinois.

See additional winners of the Campus Awards for Excellence in Instruction.

Advertising alum creates two highest-rated ads for Super Bowl

March 4, 2021 | Marissa Plescia, Communications and Marketing Intern

Patrick Burke doesn’t usually like waking up to a work text at 5 a.m. … unless it’s saying that his commercials got the #1 and #2 spots for the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter poll.

“If I’m gonna get woken up to a work text at 5 a.m., that was definitely a good one,” he said with a laugh.

Burke (BS ’95, advertising) is the group creative director for Highdive, an independently-owned agency based in Chicago. After working for larger Chicago agencies like BBDO, DDB, and Ogilvy, he decided to move to Highdive in 2019.

Highdive’s winning ads this year were two commercials for Rocket Mortgage starring Tracy Morgan, humorously demonstrating the difference between being “pretty sure” and “certain” about buying a home. Burke was the writer for both of these ads. (Watch the ads here.)

Because Rocket Mortgage isn’t a full-time client of Highdive, the agency had to pitch their idea against several other agencies. Their idea was ultimately chosen.

“What’s funny is, sort of immediately, we had Tracy Morgan’s voice in our heads when we were writing the script, and there were times in the process where we were asked to explore backups in case Tracy said no, and we could never find any,” Burke said.

This isn’t the first time Burke and Highdive were awarded top spots on the USA Today Ad Meter poll. Last year, they won the #1 spot for a Jeep commercial starring Bill Murray—which was a play on the classic film Groundhog Day—and the #5 spot for another Rocket Mortgage commercial featuring Jason Momoa.

Burke said it was very rewarding to get the #1 and #2 spots for Rocket Mortgage after getting #5 for them last year.

“I was really, really happy for our clients because it meant a lot to them and it’s a lot of PR,” he said. “It makes all their hard work and championing the idea worth it.”

He said he also enjoyed working with Tracy Morgan, although he wasn’t able to meet him in person this year due to the pandemic.

“Tracy Morgan is just super, super sweet,” Burke said. “We always dealt with him online or over Zoom or on the phone, but he is just the nicest, sweetest guy and just super funny.”

Working with Bill Murray last year, however, was an especially exciting experience for Burke because the actor is a major idol for him, he said. He shared one story about when he was finishing up work and showed up to a dinner with Murray 45 minutes late.

“It’s Bill Murray, you know, he’s famous for just giving people a hard time,” Burke said. “As soon as I walk in I know I’m getting roasted for being late to his dinner. It was just like the highlight of my life, getting made fun of by Bill Murray.”

Burke said going to UIUC and the College of Media gave him a well-rounded education that helped him in his career.

He added that the advertising faculty were very helpful, and he’s stayed in touch Steve Hall and Peter Sheldon, both senior lecturers.

“I wouldn’t trade my education for anything,” Burke said. “I think the faculty and staff have great real-world experience. They all have great connections within the industry and they stay connected to the industry.”

Sheldon said Burke was undeniably talented as a student and that he could tell he would be successful.

“He was one of those students that you know from the first month of having them, the best thing to do is to stay out of their way because they’re going to succeed.”

But despite his talent, Sheldon did fail him on his first assignment for turning it in late.

“He recovered nicely,” Sheldon said with a laugh.

He added that College of Media students can learn from Burke that it’s not enough to just be funny, but that it’s important to be smart too. Burke also proves that students don’t need to go to a portfolio school to be a successful creative in advertising.

Sheldon said he didn’t know when first watching that the two ads from last year were Burke’s. This year, he was looking for them.

“It gives me something to dangle in front of 130 students in a lecture,” Sheldon said. “I can tell the story of how Pat Burke used to sit in that chair there and this is what he’s doing now. I thought a year ago having the first and fifth highest rated ads was like the capstone to an incredible year … then this year he comes back with first- and second-highest rated ads of the Super Bowl. It makes me proud.”

Pictured above: Patrick Burke recently joined one of Peter Sheldon’s advertising classes to give feedback to students during a portfolio critique.