UC Berkeley Web Feature
Cal freshmen star in new campus commercial
BERKELEY – While getting their ID cards, class schedules and books to start the fall semester, some lucky UC Berkeley freshmen also got the opportunity to star in a nationally televised commercial.
 Freshman exuberance is captured in a new commercial for UC Berkeley. (UC Berkeley photo)
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About a dozen freshmen are featured in a new 30-second promotional video for UC Berkeley that is being shown this season during some Cal football and basketball games. The National Collegiate Athletic Association is providing airtime.
Produced at UC Berkeley, the TV spot features the fresh faces and thoughts of new students as they embark on their journey at Cal.
"This place will bring out the best in me, and I'm ready for it,"says one freshman featured in the video.
The producer, Mary Keegan, director of communications for University Relations, also created previous Cal institutional commercials, including the award-winning ad featuring the voice of Cal alumna and writer Joan Didion and the "Talking Bear."
For the latest TV spot, Keegan and her crew set up a camera on campus during Welcome Week. With the help of Media Relations, they conducted on-the-spot casting from the long line of freshmen waiting outside the Cesar Chavez Student Center to pick up their student identification cards. In all, 40 freshmen were interviewed in just one day. Unplugged and unscripted, they projected energy and excitement about being new to Cal.
"All of the students worked hard to get here and were just spilling over with exuberance for Cal, " said Keegan. "We were able to capture their optimism and youthful spirit on film."
Look for the new video during Cal football games on ESPN
and Fox Sports Net. If you can't wait that long, watch
it online now.