Honoring Service, Elevated on Screen: National University's 2026-2027 Military Campaign

‍Partners: National University & Refuel Agency Industry: Higher Education Project Type: Ad Campaign

The Backstory

National University has built a reputation as a top choice for military-connected students, active duty service members, veterans, and military spouses who need a flexible, online-first education that fits around deployments, relocations, and unpredictable schedules. Cumberland Creative's relationship with NU goes back several years and multiple campaigns. That track record of successful productions has earned NU's trust, and it's why National University and Refuel Agency keep bringing their campaigns back to Cumberland. For the 2026-2027 commercial campaign, that trust came with a bigger ask: elevate the visuals and invest further in production value.

That elevation started with story. Rather than treat each persona as a standalone testimonial, director Stephen Stinson seamlessly wove the five characters' stories together, capturing the multifaceted reality of military-connected life. The film weaves in moments from their service, their careers, their education, and their families, all interwoven into a single, cohesive narrative.

The Creative Vision

None of it would have come together without the eye behind the camera. Director Stephen Stinson brought a genuinely artistic perspective to the campaign, threading five separate lives into one visual story without losing the intimacy of any single character's moment. His direction gave the campaign the elevated, cinematic feel NU was looking for, while still keeping every persona's story grounded and real.

That vision was matched by the work on the ground. Steadicam operator Larkin McLaughlin's smooth, fluid camera movement gave the footage a polished, effortless quality, gliding through homes, base hangars, and city streets in a way that let the stories breathe rather than feel staged.

The Challenge

The brief called for five distinct persona stories, each representing a different facet of the military-connected student experience, but only four days to film all of them. That meant casting a genuinely diverse group of talent and securing a wide range of locations: multiple private homes, rural settings, urban environments, and a working military base, all within a single tight schedule.

Then, less than two weeks before the shoot, our original military base location fell through. Rather than compromise the story, our team pivoted fast and secured a new location, an airbase hangar in Smyrna, TN, that ended up delivering exactly the look the campaign needed.

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Behind the Scenes

Over four filming days, our Nashville video production team moved across seven locations in and around Middle Tennessee including two family homes in Nashville, an airfield hangar in Smyrna, two commercial office buildings in Nashville, a rural farm property in Bon Aqua, and a home in Franklin. Each location was chosen to authentically ground one of the five personas' stories, from base life to quiet moments at home.

It took a crew of 30 and a cast of 24 to bring it all together.

By the numbers:

• 4 filming days
• 7 filming locations
• 30-person film crew
• 24-person cast

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The Deliverables

The campaign produced a full suite of content for National University to deploy across channels:

• 1 hero anthem video
• 1 director's cut (:60): Watch here
• 4x :30 ads, one per persona
• 4x :15 ads, one per persona
• 200+ photography stills, shot alongside the video production to give NU a full library of campaign-ready photography
• A behind-the-scenes "making of" video:

The Result

The elevated production value NU asked for came through in the final work: richer visuals, more authentic locations, and five stories that reflect the real range of the military-connected students NU serves. It's the kind of result that comes from pairing strong video production and photography with a genuine commercial campaign strategy.

"Big thanks to Director Stephen Stinson for bringing his artistic perspective, Mike White for capturing beautiful imagery, and to the amazing team at Cumberland Creative for being such great partners." Joseph Seaman, Senior Creative Director, National University

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Full Credits

Crew Director: Stephen Stinson Executive Producer: Kyle Bush Executive Producer: Adam Sadler HOP: Michael Beach Producer: Isabel Jordan DP: Mike White Photographer: Caleb Kuhl Steadicam Op: Larkin McLaughlin Steadicam Op: Tony Reyes 1st AC: John Mofield 2nd AC: Claire Papevies 2nd AC: Preston Phillips Gaffer: Barrett Depies Key Grip: Bryce Barker Key Grip: Sloan Scrogging Key Grip: Guido Del Rosso Art Director: Kaitlyn Bausch Art Assist: Jess Robertson Wardrobe Stylist: Casey Stivender Wardrobe Assist: Taylor Mulka HMU: Amanda Burnette Craft Services: Sara Keisling Craft Services: Lara Cox Craft Services Lead: Jamie Leffler PM: Teresa Price Editor: Parker Burnham Editor / Sound Designer: Erik Sharpnack Colorist: Stephen Derluguian BTS Video/Photo: Greg Dempsey

Client NU | Sr. Creative Dir.: Joseph Seaman NU | ACD Video: Brady Ferdig NU | Art Dir.: Adam Roop Refuel | Account Strat.: Aaryck Enriquez

Talent "Samantha": Shaina Cardwell "Jason": Alex Thompson "Son": Isaiah Earnest "Running Friend 1": Cara Sandford "Running Friend 2": Cierra Merz "Karen": Dani White "Base Extra 1": Chase Sanders "Base Extra 2": Jaime Dee "Dinner Friend 1": Ana Harvey "Dinner Friend 2": Aliah Marshall "John": Jason Griffin "John's Colleague": Jason Wolf "John's Wife": Erica Lindsey "John's Son": Jayden Griffin "John's Friend 1": Gabe Cyrus "John's Friend 2": Tellis Gary "John's Friend 3": Jerry Lo "Jackie": Jenna Priest "Jackie's Colleague 1": Jermaine Duval "Jackie's Colleague 2": Sandy Wade "Jackie's Husband": Ross Canales "Jackie's Daughter": Jade Ricci "Cyclist 1": Matt Manley "Cyclist 2": Jena Cook

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