Brian Cox may have conquered the boardroom in Succession, but now he’s claimed the quad. “Brian Cox Goes to College,” Uber One’s debut campaign for its student membership, won Outstanding Commercial Emmy at Creative Arts Emmys Night 2, a ceremony devoted to reality, nonfiction, documentary and variety crafts.
Created by Special US and directed by David Shane of O Positive, the spot casts Cox as a fearsome campus presence with a singular mission: to help undergrads save money (and, yes, skip class) with Uber One for Students. He prowls dorms and dining halls with boardroom intensity, deadpanning through punchlines as the VO threads satire and sincerity—promising discounted tacos, lattes, and late-night cravings with the same gravitas he once reserved for hostile takeovers.
Edited by Union Editorial’s Graham Turner, with support from Justin “Q” Quagliata, Joe Hughes, and Julia Armine, the film strikes a pitch-perfect tone: dry, sharp, and slightly absurd, yet anchored in clear product benefits. Lillian Ghodoushim produced for Union.
“At 78, Brian Cox is showing students how it’s done—cutting through the chaos of college life with his signature deadpan and a smoothie in hand,” said Gordy Sang, Co-Chief Creative Officer at Special. “This spot is funny because it’s grounded in truth: college students love convenience, savings, and a little rebellion. So does Brian.”
The production team includes O Positive’s David Shane with executive producers Ralph Laucella and Marc Grill, production design by David Lee, and cinematography by Christopher Sabogal. Post was handled by Framestore, with color by Ethos Studio, sound design by Eleven Sound, and music supervision from Radish Music.
For Uber, the Emmy win underscores a bigger push to reach Gen Z with celebrity-driven storytelling that’s witty, meme-ready and impossible to ignore. For Special US, it’s another proof point that sharp writing, perfect casting and tight craft can still cut through—and take home Emmy gold.
CREDITS:
BRAND: Uber
- Vice President, Global Marketing: David Mogensen
- Global Executive Creative Director: Danielle Hawley
- Head of Marketing, North America: Georgie Jeffreys
- Head of Integrated Marketing Campaigns, North America: Liza Keller
- Marketing Lead: Romy Moeller
- Global Creative Lead: Ecole Weinstein
- Senior Marketing Manager: Liv Coe
- Social & Digital Marketing Lead: Kaitlyn Mendoza
- Global Copywriter: Sydney Lindsay
- Director of Communications: Becky Katz Davis
AGENCY: Special US
- Partner / Chief Creative Officer: Matthew Woodhams-Roberts
- Partner / Chief Creative Officer: Dave Horton
- Partner / CEO: Kelsey Hodgkin
- Partner / Chief Production Officer: Vic Palumbo
- Creative Director: Alice Blastorah
- Creative Director: Josh Hacohen
- Associate Creative Director: Laura Beck
- Associate Creative Director: Ryan Siepert
- Senior Designer: Charmaine Cheng
- Senior Producer: Nat Bricker
- General Manager: Lily Waters
- Senior Account Director: Bella Timar
- Management Supervisor: Sarah Newton
- Group Strategy Director: Janet Shih
- Creative Operations Manager: Bryn Wensley
PRODUCTION COMPANY: O-Positive
- Director: David Shane
- Executive Producers: Ralph Laucella, Marc Grill
- Producer: Nell Jordan
- Director of Photography: Christopher Sabogal
- Production Design: David Lee
EDIT: Union Editorial LA
- Lead Editor: Graham Turner
- 2nd Editors: Justin Quagliata, Joe Hughes
- Assistant Editor: Julia Armine
- Producer: Lillian Ghodoushim
- Head of Production: Dani DuHadway Spagnoli
- Managing Director: Michael Raimondi
FINISH: Framestore
- Comp Supervisor / Online Flame Lead: Matt Dobrez
- Comp Artists: Carlos Adarraga Gomez, Toby Brockhurst, Jason Gottlieb, Attilio Bonelli, JinHee Aloi, Yachan Yuan Mon
- Executive Producer: Brittney Walker
- Senior Producer: Andrew McLintock
- Production Coordinator: Jackie Wingo
COLOR: Ethos Studio
- Colorist: Kaitlyn Battistelli
- Color Assists: Annie Cater, Alexandra Makarenko
- Producer: Nat Tereshchenko
- Head of Production: Natasha Sattler
SOUND: Eleven Sound
- Sound Designer / Mixer: Jordan Meltzer
- Senior Producer: Andrew Smith
Music Supervision: Radish Music
- Supervisors: Peymon Maskan, Alec Stern, Gemma Schladow
- Track: A Tribute To Johann Sebastian – The Swingle Singers
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