May 20, 2017
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Wynn Everett's IMDB page lists 35 acting credits, but to her family back in Georgia, none compares to the `It Just Means More' spots you'll see every time you watch an SEC game.
"We laugh so hard, because my family are such die-hard SEC sports fans that this is a thousand times better than any other acting job I could ever have. I could be working with Al Pacino and they could care less, unless he graduated from an SEC school," Everett says, laughing.
To land her role in the SEC's campaign, the Auburn graduate demonstrated why the conference slogan rings true.
At the recommendation of a casting director, Everett recorded a short video in her living room, with her husband serving as videographer. Out of a thousand applicants, she made the final four, the only woman in a group that included former SEC student-athletes turned actors.
After reading the script at the casting office in Los Angeles, Everett was asked, "What does the SEC mean to you?"
"I really started to get quite emotional," Wynn says. "Recalling the memories and the friendships. And I said, `The SEC is all about the people. The bond between all the SEC schools even though there is rivalry. It's still a family.'"
Everett's authenticity prevailed.
"They thought, `This is someone who can represent authentically the relationships and the people who make up the SEC, and the love that we all have for each other.'
"It's even hard for me now," she says. "You just get immediately choked up, especially when you've been away for as long as I have."
Two weeks later, she was on her way to Savannah, Ga., to shoot the first commercial last July. In October, Everett shot the second spot in Rosemary Beach, Fla.
On location: Wynn Everett shot the first SEC commercial last July in Savannah, Ga." style="width:100%; height:auto;" class="imported_image" legacy-link="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/aub/sports/genrel/auto_a_storywide/12682916.jpeg"> On location: Wynn Everett shot the first SEC commercial last July in Savannah, Ga.
"It's a testimony to the SEC for picking someone who's just in love with the South and the schools of the SEC."
'I fell completely in love with it'
Everett's Auburn story began in high school, when Wynn and her best friend visited her friend's sister, an Auburn student, on a fall weekend.
"And I fell completely in love with it," says Everett, whose parents are Georgia grads.
A communication major, Everett minored in theater while getting involved in an array of extracurriculars: Camp War Eagle counselor, War Eagle Girl, Miss Homecoming 1998.
"While at Auburn, I went to every football game, which is hilarious, because still to this day, I struggle so much with my football knowledge," she says. "But I love my team.
"I'm an extremely unathletic person, but I loved everything about the big Saturday experiences. I love football. I love the SEC. I love tailgating. I would not trade that for anything. Many of my best friends who I still keep in touch with came from those four years."
Before graduating, Everett spent a summer in New York interning at ABC's Good Morning America. That led to a job after graduation running GMA's green room, a chance to network with each guest prior to their appearance.
"I worked 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. every day," she says. "I did that for five years. It was a wonderful time for me because the schedule was brutal but I would be out by 10 a.m., so I would have my days free to do New York and audition and get back into theater. It was great."
Theater work led to television and film roles. Wynn married her husband, Michael, a fellow Atlantan, and moved to Los Angeles, where she balances her career with being a mom to her daughters, ages 3 and 4.
"We have a major passion and love affair with the South," Wynn says. "Being able to promote it in any way possible is such an honor to me and it's so exciting."
Around LA, Everett is often recognized for her roles as Whitney Frost in Agent Carter or Tamara Hart in The Newsroom. One role the locals don't identify? The star of the SEC's signature commercials.
"No, never," she says.
While the spots are ubiquitous within the SEC footprint, they're seen less frequently in SoCal.
"It's so fun because it's such a great thing for my family, and especially my dad and all of the people who just love their school so much," she says.
Auburn grad Wynn Everett says her SEC commercials just mean more to her family than any other acting job she could have." style="width:100%; height:auto;" class="imported_image" legacy-link="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/aub/sports/genrel/auto_a_storywide/12682917.jpeg"> Auburn grad Wynn Everett says her SEC commercials just mean more to her family than any other acting job she could have.'There's nothing like it'
Wynn and Michael are hoping their schedule will soon allow them to take their girls to their first Auburn game.
"My husband and I dream about moving back to the South, because of such happy memories for us," she says.
Until then, Wynn is relying on an old friend, Aubie, to help her daughters learn numbers, using the book "Counting with Aubie."
"We'd love for our children to grow up part time there and here," she says. "I can't wait until we're more situated in the South for the fall, to be able to do games. There's nothing like it."
Someone who makes a living portraying others received one of her most visible roles, simply by being herself.
"I really love that they allowed someone like me to be the narrator of this story, because I'm sort of not what you think the SEC would pick, since I'm not really geared toward athletics," she says.
For Wynn Everett, Auburn University Class of 2000, it really does just mean more.
"Auburn is really, really a special place and it will always be," she says. "Anytime I can talk about it, anytime I can represent it, I'm really excited."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer