Kent State films new commercial at Rockwell Hall
Photo by Matt Unger.
July 24, 2012
Kent State began filming a new television commercial at Rockwell Hall Monday.
University Media Relations director Emily Vincent said the commercial is part of a series of new promotional commercials that will talk about how Kent State provides students experience for life.
“The commercials are part of an overall branding for the university,” Vincent said. “The hope is to instill a sense of pride among current students and alumni of Kent State University.”
The new commercial highlights students from the School of Fashion Design and Merchandising.
Monique Burkett, an alumna featured in the commercial, graduated in 2002 with a degree in fashion design and a minor in marketing.
Burkett, who grew up in Norton, said she initially enrolled in the fashion merchandising program, but a visit to the school showed her a different path.
“When I got there, I was seeing all the things that people were doing in design,” Burkett said. “I’ve been drawing ever since I was little, and that’s what I really wanted to do. I went back to my high school’s homecoming game and talked to my art teacher. He said, ‘Follow your heart, the money will come later.’ So I went back and immediately switched my major.”
Burkett said the fashion design program at Kent State gives students a well-rounded education that prepares them for the real world.
“You have to take a lot of other classes besides fashion classes, which in my life has helped me on a daily basis,” Burkett said. “In my job, it’s not just all drawing. It’s also a lot of charts and numbers and knowing a lot of different things from a lot of different areas. This school not only gives you a well-rounded education but also helps you to be a well-rounded person.”
Burkett lives in New York and designs ladies’ suits and suit separates for a high-end fashion house.
Scott P. Bunner, also featured in the commercial, is a Kent State senior majoring in fashion merchandising and is also manager of the university’s Fashion School Store at Acorn Alley II.
Bunner, a Cleveland native who moved to New York immediately after high school, said he fell in love with the fashion industry while in the Big Apple but chose to come back and attend Kent State for its reputation.
“I moved to New York, did a little interning, got some cool jobs, then it was time to be a student,” Bunner said. “I had a friend in this program at Kent who said, ‘Scott, you will really love it.’ I did my research, came and looked at it, and left New York to come back to Ohio and go to school.
“I knew that coming back home to Ohio would be my best bet for a quality education and for the best fashion education I could have.”
Bunner said he plans to move to the West Coast after graduation to work with a major retailer and draft a business plan to open his own men’s boutique.
Filming for the commercial series is taking place at various locations on campus. Commercials will be in production over the next few weeks and will air in the fall.
