Jeff Bagley, chief creative officer with University Marketing & Communications (UMC) is retiring on Dec. 31, 2025. For nearly 13 years, Bagley has been the creative director on thousands of projects promoting the University of Utah and its many departments.
Bagley’s 40 years in the advertising industry have included working at ad agencies in Phoenix, Chicago and Salt Lake City, before joining the UMC team in 2014. The University of Utah has benefited greatly from his unique talent of telling stories through video, TV and radio spots, print ads, posters and social media.
Whenever you have seen a message in the media promoting the university, most likely it has been under the creative direction of Bagley. His commitment to “strong strategy leads to great creativity” has driven his work, which has amassed hundreds of national awards on behalf of the U, including three Emmy Awards. It is estimated that Bagley has written and directed over 1,000 videos while here at the U. In his words, “I love doing television commercials!” He has often said, “If you can make them laugh, or make them cry, people will open their wallets!”
Some of the most notable campaigns Bagley has created for the university are global institutional campaigns, Founders Day each year, annual Commencement promotions, branding and recruitment videos for U of U Health, and, most recently, the 175th Anniversary campaign and the annual President’s Holiday greetings. These, along with dozens of other marketing and promotion campaigns, tell the many stories of the University of Utah.
“When Jeff Bagley arrived, UMC didn’t even have a video team,” said Jeff Hanson, executive producer for UMC. “He built it from the ground up. Over the years, his creativity and leadership have earned national recognition and awards—but even more importantly, he’s earned the trust of the U community to help tell their stories. It’s an understatement to say he’ll be missed here at the university.”
From all of us on the UMC team, we wish Jeff all the best in retirement. We will sorely miss his humor, enthusiasm, friendship, and, most notably, his creative influence. However, we know he will be happy making tracks on his favorite ski runs—all day, every day!