We wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at UALR’s newest ad campaign: never-before seen images of our stars in the make-up chair, on the set, and in front of the cameras.

Our stars are UALR graduates working in central Arkansas. Since most prospective undergrad and grad students, not to mention their parents, have “getting a job after graduation” heavily on their minds when making a college choice, we thought they’d like hearing from UALR alums in the workforce.

Where do you work, what prepared you most for a career, what do you like about your job, do you need an advanced degree?

For the TV spots, our stars sat on very sleek white leather contemporary sofas in a vacant office on a top floor in the Region’s Bank building in downtown Little Rock. Behind them, large windows give viewers a panaromic view of the Little Rock skyscape and the state’s Capitol. Nice touch, Manghan Holcomb Partners and film crew!

Nine UALR grads in sets of three chatted in response to questions being thrown at them, an attempt to be as authentic as possible without the YouTube “shaky camera” look. Our surprise came when a window washer dropped into view on ropes to clean the windows, delaying the shoot about 40 minutes.

No bother. Wipe away sweat beads, let the talent check their email, grab a bottle of water, fix straying hair, adjust shirts and skirts.

And our stars? Check out the ads and you’ll see how awesome they are. There’s LaTrecia, a school teacher who calls her students “my babies” because she loves them so much. Lance, a construction project manager who oversees millions of dollars of building projects. Monty and Misty, husband and wife high achievers: lawyer/engineer and tax accountant. Kristi: a pharmaceutical rep with smarts, class, and lots of energy.

Andy, a recent grad, is racking up all kinds of job performance awards at Acxiom. A talented writer, Laura helped land a huge grant for UAMS. Frank, who works for the Governor’s Office, is a leader and a rising star sure to be governor or senator one day.

We hope you enjoy the new campaign and that you’ll read the stories of our grads that cannot be fully told in a 30-second spot.