NOT AFRAID TO GO FIRST

This vignette may suggest that Richwine (LA’03) is the uncompromising leader of a scientific expedition, but that’s not quite true. In fact, Richwine and her team aren’t explorers but members of a team from Purdue Brand Studio on the Utah set of their own short film—a signature storytelling video called Boilers to Mars.

This much is true: As senior creative director at the studio, Richwine was the undisputed leader of a crack team on a trailblazing adventure. She really is from Indiana, and she really did clean that window—she frequently helped the actors with their makeup, too.

Richwine’s meticulous attention to detail reveals the hidden story behind the creation of Boilers to Mars, Purdue’s most ambitious production to date. By taking every small step needed to create a groundbreaking narrative—one that itself celebrates how small steps lead to giant leaps—Purdue Brand Studio has made a masterpiece designed to inspire the next generation of Purdue students.

In more ways than one, Boilers to Mars sends a bold message to the world: Purdue is ready to take the lead.

“With this film, we really wanted to celebrate our students, faculty, and alumni as much as motivate the next generation of dreamers and doers,” Richwine says. “Boilermakers aren’t afraid to go first. They are more than willing to put in the work that leads to world-changing accomplishments. Our team pushed itself to do the same with this project. Our goal was to develop a film that truly exemplifies Purdue’s impact on a global scale, and we are proud of what we created together.”

Boilers to Mars follows four fictional characters from their first day of college through their launch on humanity’s first mission to Mars.

The film illustrates how Purdue’s renowned areas of expertise—including aeronautical and astronautical engineering, professional flight, business management, and agricultural and biological engineering—play critical roles in near-space and outer space exploration. 

The making of Boilers to Mars dates to the summer of 2023, when Purdue Brand Studio started brainstorming story ideas. Separately, trusted production partner Madhouse Creative also began developing concepts. The teams ultimately determined that the best way to elevate Purdue’s story was to highlight its renowned legacy as the “Cradle of Astronauts.”

For its part, the studio team drew inspiration from longer-form storytelling videos made by leading brands such as Nissan, BMW, and Apple—as well as from the educational collaboration the university enjoys with the Mars Desert Research Center. Each year, select Purdue students visit the center, located in the remote desert of Utah, to live and work as “analog astronauts” in conditions that resemble those on Mars.

“We love when we can ground our storytelling projects in real-life events and stories,” Richwine says. “Our team was so inspired by our Purdue students who visit the research center every year—and that they willingly give up part of their holiday break to participate. We found their work and their ambition such great examples of that Boilermaker spirit, and we wanted to tell a story about that.”

The teams worked on the script for months before shooting began. Production of Boilers to Mars ultimately required filming on more than 20 sites at four locations—Purdue’s West Lafayette campus; Madhouse’s headquarters in Toledo, Ohio; the Fort Wayne, Indiana, home of Richwine’s sister; and the Mars Desert Research Center.

The far-flung research center, which is a long flight plus an even longer drive from Indiana, is where Richwine found herself cleaning windows.

The final film runs for 10 minutes—it’s an epic by higher-education standards—and bears all the hallmarks of a true Hollywood blockbuster: professional actors, immersive visuals, a time-bending narrative, and computer-generated imagery. There’s even a helicopter involved.

“It was such an amazing story, we wanted to get it right,” Richwine says. “We tapped into all our connections to find the right locations and props—like that helicopter. It was one of the largest projects we’ve ever worked on. More than 25 members of our team touched this project, and we had hundreds of campus partners—students, faculty, and staff—who helped us out. It was a great journey we all took together.”

For all the spectacle involved in the making of Boilers to Mars, Richwine says it is the unseen acts and magical moments that took place during production that her team is most proud of.

“We’re a pretty scrappy group,” Richwine says. “Some of my favorite memories are all of us wearing all the hats—like cleaning that very dirty window in Utah or stepping in to be extras. We’re all multitaskers, really, so we embraced the behind-the-scenes challenges that came up together.”

Richwine has a favorite scene, of course, but it doesn’t involve rockets or helicopters or CGI.

“My favorite part of the film is when we’re showing the astronauts as students—that journey from applying to becoming best friends to chasing their dreams,” she says. “You’re watching that unfold, and it feels so real because we’ve seen so many of our students chase their dreams here at Purdue. They all have these big, amazing dreams, and I believe them when they talk about how they are going to change the world. So when we shot those parts—those real, authentic moments—I knew the film was going to be super special. I teared up on set filming those, and I’ve watched it more than 100 times since, and I still tear up. The Boilermaker pride just swells up.”

According to Kelly Hiller, vice president of marketing at Purdue, Purdue Brand Studio made a point of anchoring the slick fiction of the film with the university’s down-to-earth values. All the characters are based on or inspired by real Purdue students, faculty, and alumni who are or have been engaged in the pursuit and advancement of space exploration.

“Our goal was to tell the aspirational story of Boilermakers who could truly be among the first humans to travel to Mars,” Hiller says. “It’s a fact that Purdue graduates have conquered challenges like this in the past. So, there was no better way to approach the film than to base the characters on people who both lived the Purdue experience and explored space firsthand.”

Boilers to Mars premiered during a “gold carpet” event September 12, 2024, at Fowler Hall on Purdue’s campus. Some attendees were university leaders dressed in semiformal attire; others were students dressed in legitimate flight suits they presumably acquired during internships.

A group of Purdue astronauts and NASA contributors was also on hand to take part in a panel discussion about the film. They included former NASA astronaut and Purdue University Presidential Ambassador Drew Feustel (S’89, MS S’91), Purdue professors and NASA contributors Briony Horgan and Marshall Porterfield, and SpaceKids Global founders Marc (ECE’71, MBA’72) and Sharon Hagle.

Longtime university benefactors, the Hagles became the first married couple on a commercial space flight when they flew aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket in 2022; they took part in another flight in November.

SpaceKids Global, which was a supporting sponsor for Boilers to Mars, aims to inspire and empower young people by introducing kids to the range of careers available in space exploration and technology.

“I’ve always told people when I’m speaking that going to space is the most emotional and spiritual journey you will ever take,” Sharon Hagle said during the panel discussion. “I think this film pokes you on how emotional it is and how it’s so exciting.”

The premiere featured another unveiling of sorts—the event coincided with the official rebranding of Purdue’s award-winning marketing department as Purdue Brand Studio. The new name reflects the growth of the department’s role within the university and the evolution of its capabilities.

“Purdue Brand Studio is more than a new name—it’s a recognition of our existing strengths and a strategic step toward aligning the university with the marketing standards of excellence found at top consumer brands,” Hiller says. “This shift enables us to better leverage our expertise in creative and brand strategy, driving us to innovate and enchant. In truth, our team has already been operating at an agency-level standard. Our next giant leap was to formalize that reality, allowing us to serve the Purdue brand and its land-grant mission even more effectively.”