You don’t have to be a Super Bowl ad obsessive to recognize a Highdive spot. The agency’s track record is enviable: Bill Murray reliving Groundhog Day for Jeep. Jason Momoa peeling off his muscles for Rocket Mortgage. Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen reminiscing over Lay’s. Year after year, Highdive lands at the top of the Ad Meter—usually with a knowing wink.
We caught up with Mark Gross, Co-Founder and Co-CCO at Highdive, for a deep-dive on how the agency got here, what keeps the Super Bowl work fresh, and why Jason Momoa’s agent wasn’t thrilled during the shoot.
Starting with Nothing (Except New Laptops)
Gross and co-founder Chad Brody launched Highdive eight years ago with no clients, just a borrowed room in Chicago and a couple of fresh laptops. “We had a friend who let us use a little space. No clients. Just walked in and started,” Gross recalled.
Their first official job? Helping Barilla finish some leftover creative from their previous agency relationship. That turned into original work—and then bigger breaks like Nike Lacrosse followed soon after.
First Super Bowl Spots (and Hamsters on Wheels)
Gross’s first Super Bowl ad happened well before Highdive: a Budweiser spot featuring a hamster powering the city’s energy grid. It was quirky, effective, and got him hooked.
Highdive’s Super Bowl momentum kicked off with that Bud Light spot starring Sean Hayes, and things scaled from there.
Bill Murray, Jeep, and One Perfect Idea
The now-legendary Groundhog Day reboot for Jeep came together thanks to a well-placed connection. Olivier Francois reached out with a letter, and Murray eventually called from the golf course: “Let’s do it.”
Even then, the agency wasn’t sure if it would actually happen. “You can’t just get in touch with Bill Murray,” Gross said. “He doesn’t have an agent. It’s kind of mythical.” But once he signed on, he was all in—flexible with time, easy to work with, and happy to improvise.
Jason Momoa, CGI Chaos, and a Missed Pickle Jar
In the Rocket Mortgage spot, Jason Momoa peels off his bulk to reveal a lanky version of himself. What we didn’t see? The original ending, which featured a failed pickle jar gag, scrapped due to post-production woes.
“The effect just didn’t work,” Gross said. “We were up at 3 a.m. trying to fix it. The client was mad. We had to pivot fast.” Luckily, Momoa was a good sport, staying late to reshoot a different ending that landed perfectly.
Celebrity Casting: When It Works (and When It Doesn’t)
Gross admits that the industry’s obsession with celebrity casting has grown in the last 10–15 years—but that doesn’t mean it always makes sense.
Sometimes it’s right, like Danny DeVito for Jersey Mike’s (“He’s from Jersey, it fits.”) or Anna Kendrick for Barbie. Sometimes the brand and story need a celeb to elevate them. But not always.
“Some of the best Super Bowl spots didn’t use celebrities,” Gross said, citing the Volkswagen Darth Vader kid, among others.
A Blunt Zoom with Rudd and Rogen
When it came time to work on the Lay’s spot with Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen, Gross expected a low-key call. “We were told cameras off. Then they pop on, totally chill, and Seth lights up a joint during the call,” he laughed.
The duo rewrote much of the script themselves. “They were all-in—but definitely brought their own voice to it.”
Advice for Younger Creatives
If you want in on Super Bowl work, Gross says: be relentless.
“Chad [Brody] got his first Bud Light spot by basically stalking my office wall,” he joked. “He kept looking at the scripts I liked and just kept writing. That’s the playbook.”
At Highdive, younger teams are given chances—but they have to show they’re hungry. “Keep handing in scripts. Don’t wait to be asked.”
Keeping It Fresh (Without Even Trying)
The pressure of the Big Game never gets old, according to Gross. “There’s nothing else like it—120 million people watching your work. My parents still get excited every year.”
Friends text him during the game. Clients get butterflies. And yes, even the agency team still gets a rush.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Doug Zanger is the founder and editor-in-chief of Indie Agency News. He is also the founder of the Creative Bohemian consultancy, lives in the Pacific Northwest and is insufferable about it.
