Richard Frank — College of the Liberal Arts

'94 English | Owner and President | Frank Creative | State College, PA

Richard "Rich" Frank, a 1994 graduate of the College of the Liberal Arts, currently owns his own freelance and contractual marketing company called Frank Creative in State College, Pennsylvania. He also teaches as an adjunct professor in advertising for the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State.

For eight years until July 2019, he also served as the Vice President of Brand Strategy and Creative Services at AccuWeather in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania.

Frank grew up in Altoona, close to State College, which sparked his interest from a young age in Penn State. Throughout his life, he always knew he wanted to write, which is why he chose to major in English. The College of the Liberal Arts provided Frank with skills that help him lead and communicate in his professional life.

“Other majors teach you how to be a professional, but the Liberal Arts teach you how to lead professionals,” Frank said.

Tom Hanks can be credited for the reason behind why Frank became a creative director. Hanks starred as a creative director in the film, Nothing in Common. After watching the movie, Frank said, “I want to be him!”

In his previous role as Vice President of Brand Strategy and Creative Service, Frank experienced something different every day. Frank’s primary responsibility was to act as the brand’s voice, as well as develop and implement strategy for AccuWeather, the world’s largest weather media company. The challenge, Frank said, was in speaking to app users as well as network viewers globally.

Before working for AccuWeather, Frank worked in advertising agencies as a copywriter and a creative director. He even spent ten seasons running the advertising and media for the Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball team.

“It is so important to focus on the why, not the what,” Frank said.

According to Frank, liberal arts skills such as critical thinking, direct communication, and problem solving are developed throughout college and can aid in elevating your career.

His main regret from his time as a student was not getting involved in student organizations at Penn State. Frank recommends that students take advantage of the Penn State education and all the opportunities available to develop your resume before graduation.

Frank has continued to be an active alumnus at Penn State, serving as a mentor in the Liberal Arts Alumni Mentor Program.

“The experience I’ve had as a mentor is dependent on the proactive nature of the mentee,” he said. “My current mentee is amazing, super smart, very professional, and ready for a bright and exciting career.”

One last piece of advice that Frank has for any Penn Stater is to “play the Nittany Lion card.”

“Penn State alumni are always willing to help our own,” Frank said. “We have one of the largest, if not the largest, alumni base in the entire world. Take advantage of that—whether its help with networking, job shadowing, interviewing, or even job postings.”

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