Penn has developed three new TV spots that highlight the University’s long tradition of ingenuity and entrepreneurship.

The 30-second spots focus on three exceptional alumni—John Heisman, Andrea Mitchell, and John Legend—who recognize how Penn inspired them to innovate and find success in their chosen fields of football, journalism, and music.

The ads were produced in collaboration with Philadelphia-based Red Tettemer, the advertising agency behind Penn Health’s recent “We are Medicine” branding campaign. For the TV spots, says Gauri Kapoor, group account director at Red Tettemer, “We wanted to reinforce the University of Pennsylvania’s status as a premier educational institution in the world and also to reinforce its Ivy League status, to make it top of mind by showcasing the accomplishments of its alumni as proof of the University’s credentials.”

As Kapoor and her team looked over the roster of notable Penn alumni, one trait kept emerging. “We realized it was the ingenuity of the alumni that’s at its core,” she says, “starting with the University’s founder, Ben Franklin, who epitomized ingenuity.” Narrowing down the list to just three outstanding Penn graduates proved challenging. After much brainstorming, says Lori Doyle, Vice President of University Communications, “We ended up with one alum from a long time ago, one from the past 30 years and one more recent—and there’s a nice diversity to the mix.”

	“Imagine the game of football without the forward pass...” JOHN HEISMAN Inventor of the forward pass Class of 1892 WATCH » MPEG 19.9 MB TRANSCRIPT Imagine the game of football without the forward pass. It's not a pretty picture. Three yards and a cloud of dust. Over and over again. No Hail Mary's. No "The Catch." Imagine if John Heisman never found the inspiration to turn football, into football. His Ivy League degree and inspiration came from the University of Pennsylvania.
	“Before I covered the White House...” ANDREA MITCHELL Chief Foreign News Correspondant CBS News Class of 1967 WATCH » MPEG 32.2 MB TRANSCRIPT Before I covered the White House. Before my exclusive interviews with Fidel Castro. Before I confronted Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir about the genocide in Darfur. Before all of that I covered Chaucer, Nabokov and Dostoevsky. My Ivy League degree and inspiration came from the University of Pennsylvania.
	“Before I worked with Kanye West, before I worked with Stevie Wonder...” JOHN LEGEND Grammy-winning recording artist Class of 1999 WATCH » MPEG 29.4 MB TRANSCRIPT Before I worked with Kanye West. Before I performed with Stevie Wonder. Way, way before my solo album and the Grammy for best new artist. Before all of that this was my studio. Today my greatest influences are my family, soul music and the University of Pennsylvania.

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