From Creston to Call of Duty

Evan Nielsen spent the length of 2025 working with his team on what would become one of the best-selling video games of the year. Nielsen, a 2014 Creston graduate, went on to direct videos which would be seen in-game and through other advertisements.

When he returned to his hometown for the holidays, while grocery shopping at Walmart, Nielsen stumbled upon an advertising display for the game he spent the last year working on, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.” To him, it was a full-circle moment.

“You see all the stuff you’ve been working on in the game, and it’s weird; it’s mind-boggling,” Nielsen said. “There’s so many people who have seen the stuff I’ve worked on.”

Nielsen’s work with video game developer Treyarch, which saw the release of two major entries in the “Call of Duty” franchise in the four years he’s spent at the developer, has elevated the talents of a humble Iowan into part of a global product played by millions.

From playing the first “Black Ops” game growing up in Creston to contributing to both “Black Ops 6″ and “Black Ops 7” 15 years later, Nielsen has had quite a journey since his time at Creston High School.

One of the early figures who helped Nielsen grow was Kritter Hayes, a social studies teacher at Creston from 2011-2014. Hayes as a teacher and Nielsen’s basketball and golf coach noticed the teenager’s dedication even from an early point.

“Evan was super focused, very driven,” Hayes said. “He knew what he wanted to do even as a sophomore; he had a lot of talent. He worked super hard. What he’s doing now is what he’s always wanted.”

Recalling how Nielsen carried himself, Hayes said he noticed the dedication Nielsen was showing during his schooling. In those early days, Hayes wanted to encourage Nielsen to take the time to explore what interested him.

“I had a lot of projects we would do where they would use YouTube and videos and things,” Hayes said. “I remember Evan taking the lead on those things, always super talented. I think it was for him building the confidence to step out and do those kinds of things.”

Nielsen’s first video production gig came to him when he was a sophomore at Iowa State. For a photography class, Nielsen created what he called a “Nike-style hype commercial” for Iowa State’s football team. Teaching himself video editing software at the university library, he organized several unscripted clips into an energetic, cinematic highlight reel.

He hoped the video could motivate other Cyclone fans. He didn’t expect the video to be seen by a titan of modern Cyclone football.

Two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year Matt Campbell saw the video and pushed Nielsen to continue his work with the student-run Cyclones.tv.

Working closely with athletics helped build Nielsen’s video production skills. His videos, including a hype video titled “Enter the Storm” which would be shown on the jumbotron at home football games, set him on a path toward unique video directing opportunities.

Nielsen’s work at Iowa State caught the attention of a producer at 2K Games, who offered Nielsen his first job out of college after his 2018 graduation which would merge two major interests: video production and video games.

“I always wanted to do a little bit more with film,” Nielsen said. “With video games, it’s cool because you have this virtual camera, and there’s unlimited potential.”

Describing this new work like “playing toy soldiers,” Nielsen sets up a virtual environment and virtual camera for his digital movies. Using the game’s engine and other players as actors, Nielsen captures unique in-game animations and movements in the same way a director tries to capture a scene.

With 2K Games, Nielsen worked with the NBA 2K franchise to produce commercial trailers, recording virtual basketball games. As the first steps into a new format of directing, Nielsen was appreciative even if the nature of the work was tedious.

“There’s only so many ways to film a dunk,” Nielsen said.

Enter “Call of Duty.” Nielsen was hired by Treyarch in 2021 (working at-home in Creston during the pandemic) and began working on “Black Ops 6.” For him, working on “Call of Duty” offered creative freedoms and variety to his work which helped motivate and spur new ideas.

“There’s the campaign, multiplayer with people playing online and the zombies mode,” Nielsen said. “I have a blast doing it. It’s so fun going into work every day.”

A surreal moment came when a custom truck based on an in-game design, edgy with monster heads on the hood and mounted guns on the roof, found its way to Treyarch. For what’s often only seen in a virtual environment, seeing a physical manifestation of what he works with was shocking.

“I work with this every day, and now I can touch it and climb into it,” Nielsen said.

Nielsen hopes his journey can serve as inspiration for other students who have aspiring talent. To those students, he encourages exploring those interests, even “the nerdy stuff.” Starting early and getting the practice in now can go a long way.

“If you love it enough, there’s resources there for you,” Nielsen said.