Faces of DePauw

Creative Culture-Making

“I was nervous going into the game,” says Brian Culp ’06. With over 120 million viewers tuning into the 2024 Super Bowl, Culp had good reason to be anxious. Not only would they be watching the biggest sporting event of the year, but they would also be seeing the creative work that he and his collaborators had spent months developing. “I knew it had the potential to be special, but you never know how the public will react.”

Culp’s optimism proved to be well-founded. Not only did State Farm’s witty “Like a Good Neighbaaa” spot starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito delight audiences when it first aired during the game, but it also went on to claim the top spot in USA Today’s Ad Meter contest and pick up an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Commercial. The success was a career highlight for Culp, who served as the Group Creative Director on the project, helping write the script, sell it through, and assist with the production.

“So much work goes into something like that,” he explains. “You’d be surprised how many hours and how many people it takes just to make a normal 30-second spot you see on TV everyday. That’s all amplified when it comes to the Super Bowl.” 

Culp’s journey to the biggest stage in advertising goes back to his time as a studio art major at DePauw – where he also played on the football team and was a member of Delta Tau Delta. “Studio art taught me how to critique work,” he says. “It taught me how to search for deeper meanings in what I was viewing. I was pretty shy coming out of high school, but being at DePauw forced me to be more present in the classroom and take part in discussions.”

Those skills have translated remarkably well into Culp’s career, empowering him to persevere through challenges and trust his creative instincts. “This industry can be pretty tough. You have to be okay with a lot of failure. The majority of your ideas are going to end up in the trash can. You have to find joy in the process and be willing to start over.”

After nearly two decades devoted to his craft, Culp continues to find that joy by creating work that resonates with others and transcends conventional expectations. “I enjoy making work that doesn’t feel like just another commercial,” he says, “My goal is to make work that becomes part of culture.”

Culp currently resides in Oak Park, Illinois, along with his wife Maggie Tresslar '06 and their two sons.