Boilers to Mars

Agency: Purdue Brand Studio
Client: Purdue University

Building on a 155-year legacy of giant leaps — which include humanity’s first steps on the moon — Purdue University boldly went where no higher ed institution has gone before with the premier of its first short film, “Boilers to Mars.”

Created to inspire the next generation of explorers, the 10-minute film follows four fictional Purdue students who meet as first-year undergraduates and are ultimately part of a historic first mission to Mars. Intentionally published to our young target’s platform of choice, YouTube, the film first premiered on campus to a sold-out crowd who joined a former astronaut, Purdue professors and commercial space flight contributors for a panel discussion. Storytelling around the film went wide and deep with trailers at home football games and national linear TV broadcasts. About a dozen shorter Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts were created to highlight authentic Purdue connections to filming locations and character inspiration.