Louisiana Tech Athletics officially launched the Bulldog Brand Agency on Wednesday, introducing a new full-service creative agency designed to connect local and regional businesses with Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes through authentic Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) partnerships while creating meaningful experiential learning opportunities for Louisiana Tech students.
Built on a student-powered, professionally led model, the Bulldog Brand Agency brings together Athletics, Louisiana Tech's College of Business, and School of Design to connect businesses, student-athletes, and student creatives through real-world marketing and creative partnerships
The agency provides businesses with access to affordable, full-service creative solutions—including photography, video production, graphic design, branding, social media content, and digital marketing—while helping to develop NIL partnerships with Louisiana Tech student-athletes who authentically align with their brands.
At the center of the model is a commitment to creating opportunity on both sides of campus.
Through the partnership with the College of Business and School of Design, Louisiana Tech students will have opportunities to work alongside Athletics professionals on real projects for real clients. Student designers and creatives can contribute to campaigns from concept through execution, gaining hands-on professional experience, building portfolios, and applying what they are learning in the classroom to work that will live in the marketplace.
At the same time, student-athletes gain access to new NIL opportunities, while local and regional businesses receive professional creative services and a simplified path to authentic athlete partnerships.
"The Bulldog Brand Agency reflects where college athletics is headed," said Vice President and Director of Athletics, Ryan Ivey. "NIL has created tremendous opportunities for student-athletes, but what excites us about this model is how much further that opportunity can extend. We're bringing athletics, academics, our student-athletes, and the business community together in a way that creates real value for everyone involved. That's what Louisiana Tech does well—we build relationships, we create opportunities, and we find ways for our people and our community to grow together."
The academic partnership extends the agency's impact beyond NIL by creating another
bridge between the classroom and professional experience.
"What excites me most about the Bulldog Brand Agency is the opportunity for students
to collaborate with businesses and student-athletes on projects that have real impact,"
said Jessica George, the Director of the Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
for the College of Business. "This hands-on learning helps students transform classroom
knowledge into practical skills while strengthening their portfolios and building
professional connections."
"There's nothing like seeing your work actually come to life," said Tom Futrell, Associate
Professor with the School of Design. "In traditional graphic design classes, you may
be designing for a hypothetical client, but with the Bulldog Brand Agency, students
are doing graphic design and branding work for real people with real deadlines. That
shift changes everything. They start thinking like professionals instead of just students.
That's exactly the type of experience we want our students walking away with."
For businesses, the Bulldog Brand Agency is designed to remove many of the barriers that can make both professional creative services and NIL partnerships difficult to navigate. Through a single point of contact, businesses can work with the agency to identify their needs, develop a creative strategy, connect with student-athletes, and produce professional content tailored to their goals and budget.
"We believe the best partnerships are rooted in authentic storytelling, not simply transactions," said Senior Associate AD for Championship Resources and Chief Revenue Officer, Wally Crittenden. "We're creating a system where a local business can come to us with an idea or a need, and we can help take it from concept to execution. That may involve one of our student-athletes, a student designer, our professional staff, or all three. The result is an ecosystem where businesses receive a valuable service, students gain meaningful experience, and our student-athletes have new opportunities to build their brands and benefit from NIL."
The model also reflects Louisiana Tech Athletics' broader commitment to serving the region through innovation and partnership. Rather than looking beyond North Louisiana to grow the Louisiana Tech brand, the Bulldog Brand Agency is designed to leverage the relationships, talent, and businesses already within the region to create opportunities with the potential to extend far beyond it.
Services available through the Bulldog Brand Agency include:
- NIL campaign strategy and management
- Student-athlete partnerships
- Photography
- Video production
- Graphic design
- Branding and identity development
- Social media content creation
- Digital marketing support
- Commercial production
- Event promotion
The Bulldog Brand Agency officially debuted during Louisiana Tech Athletics' inaugural NIL and Retailer Reception, bringing together local businesses, retailers, and campus partners to showcase new opportunities surrounding collegiate licensing, NIL, creative services, and brand partnerships.
Businesses interested in partnering with the Bulldog Brand Agency can learn more, explore available services, or submit a project request by visiting BulldogBrandAgency.com.