Why Wake Forest made its new 30-second commercial out of paper

Making the new Wake Forest University 30-second TV commercial started with cutting nearly 3,000 pieces of paper into campus landmarks, trees and people. Every element was designed, engineered and assembled by hand.

The commercial is scheduled to air for the first time during the Sept. 3 football game and will continue to air throughout the season.

Building a Wake Forest world out of paper and then filming it had a purpose: highlighting Wake Forest’s commitment to developing leaders of character and integrity.

“At Wake Forest, character formation is an area of intense academic study and gets incorporated into curricular and co-curricular activities,” said Vice President for University Marketing and Communications Brett Eaton. “I love that this commercial highlights the University’s leadership of a national character development movement in a creative and thoughtful way. It also speaks to the student journey and the community of care that makes it meaningful.”

A website with a behind-the-scenes documentary tells the full story of the idea, the process of making it and the people involved. 

The focus on leadership and character at Wake Forest has provided the spark for what’s becoming a nationwide movement. Since its founding in 2023, Wake Forest’s Educating Character Initiative has awarded grants to more than 200 colleges and universities that have committed to educating character on their campuses. Over 2,400 faculty, staff and administrators from more than 850 institutions and organizations are now part of the growing ECI community.

The ECI grew out of the Program for Leadership and Character, which is now in its 10th year on campus. Since its founding in 2017, the Program has worked with partners across the University to bolster a movement toward character that has been transformative at Wake Forest, where students, faculty, staff and administrators have been intentional about putting the University’s motto, Pro Humanitate, into action both within and beyond themselves. “Strengthening our leadership and character in a culture where it is prioritized and nurtured, as it is at Wake Forest, can shape our lives and our communities for years to come,” said Michael Lamb, the Program’s senior executive director. 

“My challenge to the team was to move beyond the typical university commercial, featuring a montage of campus beauty shots, and instead weave a story around a single differentiator,” Eaton said. “Every school claims that its culture and values drive a sense of purpose. At Wake Forest, it happens to be true.”

To connect with the Wake Forest team that produced the commercial, contact .

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