Chris Campbell, a third-generation Marine, was creative in his childhood, making movies and inventing new comic books. In 1999, Campbell decided to follow his family members and joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he would spend the next five years. While he still felt creative, he was hesitant to do anything with his passion. 

“Even when I got out of the Marine Corps, the first thing I did was go to work in an oil refinery, because there was still this insecurity about maybe pursuing that kind of thing as a profession.”   

Campbell’s wife, sensing that her husband wasn’t happy at the refinery, bought him a video camera. From that point on, the creative spark returned and he eventually enrolled at the Ringling College of Art and Design, where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in advertising. However, there was pushback from some who believed that he wouldn’t succeed.   

“I had professors who in school would literally say things, questioning whether somebody who came from such a rigid background could be a creative.”   

Despite this, Chris started working at advertising agencies, before launching NCITE Creative and Marketing in 2020.  

Specializing in custom content and digital experiences, NCITE Creative has worked with companies such as the University of South Dakota and Special Olympics Idaho.  

It appears it would be a contradiction for a third-generation military man to be working in a creative field. However, Chris believes that it’s a strength instead of the opposite.    

“The discipline, the willingness to kind of just keep pushing forward on certain things, those traits have helped.” 

While NCITE did have an office building, it is now completely online as of the last few months and Chris now works a full-time job in addition to NCITE.     

“It’s always been kind of an ebb and flow,” Campbell said. “There’s been times where it feels like there’s a lot of potential with it and then other times where you’re one client away from really not being able to pursue it anymore.” 

Having owned NCITE for five years, Campbell knows what he wants.  

“If I’m going to take any further clients, it’s got to be the right client,” he said.