Concept to Commercial with ESPN & McKinney

About the Workshop

This episode of DukeCreate & DEMAN LIVE features Duke alumna, Laura Gentile ‘94, ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, on the making of ESPN’s College Football Playoff campaign with McKinney’s creative team led by Jonathan Cude, Chief Creative Officer. Prim Siripipat ’03, former ESPN host/anchor, will moderate.

They will take us behind-the-scenes of their creative process for the ESPN College Football Playoff commercial, “Tunnel”, share a sneak peek of their new campaign for ESPN College Football 2020, as well as answer your questions.

About the Panel

Laura C. Gentile ’94
Laura Gentile is Senior Vice President of Marketing at ESPN. She and her team are responsible for developing and managing all aspects of the ESPN brand and building upon a catalog of award-winning creative.

Gentile has been with ESPN since 2003 and served in a variety of roles, giving her a unique purview. She was instrumental in launching espnW, ESPN’s first dedicated business built to serve women, which debuted in Dec. 2010. espnW is now a multimedia business encompassing digital, social, television, films, mentorship programs and events such as The espnW: Women + Sports Summit.

A graduate of Duke University with a double major in English and political science, she earned an MBA from Boston College’s Carroll Graduate School of Management. At Duke, Gentile garnered All-America and All-ACC honors in field hockey. She led her team to their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament and was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary field hockey team.

Prim Siripipat’03
An award-winning TV personality, journalist, and producer, Prim Siripipat is a leader in the field of sports broadcasting. Prior to joining The Athletic, Prim spent six years at ESPN where she served as a sports anchor, reporter, play-by-play commentator, and tennis analyst. There, she hosted a variety of shows, including ESPN’s flagship program, Sports Center, First Take, and “Spain and Prim,” sports broadcasting’s first ever all-female radio show.

Prior to her 17-year broadcasting career, Prim was a top ten nationally ranked junior tennis player and a member of the national champion Duke University Women’s Tennis Team. Today, she is the host of “The Next Chapter with Prim Siripipat,” a show about how athletes cope in transitioning away from sport.

A long-time advocate for mental health, Prim has a master’s in counseling psychology and is currently pursuing her doctorate degree at Fordham University with hopes of helping athletes achieve their potential in and out of the sports arena.

Jonathan Cude, Chief Creative Officer, McKinney
For more than a decade, Jonathan’s creative leadership has set the standard for McKinney’s purpose to discover and unleash the untapped potential in our world. His impact can be felt throughout the agency, from the people he hires to the work he inspires. Under his leadership, McKinney has created big ideas leading to growth for brands like ESPN, Samsung, Audi, Sony, Sherwin-Williams, Little Caesars, Pampers, and Travelocity. His teams have won every major award, including Cannes Lions, One Show, Clios, ANDYs, D&AD, and Effies. Jonathan came to McKinney in 2003 from Wieden+Kennedy, where he worked on Diet Coke and Nike, writing the humorous “Streaker” spot — named Creativity’s runner-up for ad of the year — and “Before,” voted one of Wieden’s 12 best ads ever.

Vic Palumbo, Film-47, President, Executive Producer

About the Location

This workshop will meet online via Zoom. You’ll need a special link to join the workshop—follow the registration link at the top of page to get it.

About DukeCreate & DEMAN LIVE

DukeCreate & DEMAN are partnering to offer a new summer Zoom series teaching creative career skills. Tune into each episode to hear alumni working in creative industries share deep dives on their projects, give behind-the-scenes insight, and answer your questions. DEMAN Live meets DukeCreate, free on Zoom, open to everyone — but designed especially to support Dukies learn new skills and expand career opportunities during this challenging and stressful time. Checkout upcoming episodes on DukeCreate Workshops, and watch videos of previous episodes on the DEMAN Lounge via arts.duke.edu/DEMAN-Live