Jake from State Farm is Actually Kevin Miles from Chicago: A Southside Story

Photo sourced from SportingNews.com.

As he reminisces about his alma mater Kevin Miles says, “It was loving [there]… It was very supportive.” This is a sentiment spoken from a mild-mannered man from the Southside of Chicago, who’s gone on to become the face of well-known insurance company State Farm but so much more. With the terrible press the Southside of Chicago gets from local and national news, it is perplexing that his story isn’t shared more throughout the City, in classrooms, workshops and presentations. Kevin Miles has a story representative of the greatness grown here, and it’s worth sharing.

Who Kevin Miles Is

Kevin Miles was born on July 05, 1990, in Chicago, Illinois. Before fame and success, Miles acknowledges, “I did… have to live in my car as a choice… I’m from Chicago, so I know we can learn and adapt to almost any environment and I take pride in that.” Growing up on the Southside, he had plenty of aspirations.

Although Miles wanted to be a basketball player, football player or officer in the military, his father pushed him toward acting. Feeling that he had the holy trinity that includes intelligence, talent and looks, he figured each of those qualities would transfer well to his onstage work.

In this big city with no connections, he did what Chicagoans do: he got to work.

After graduating Chicago’s Academy for the Arts, Miles found himself in St. Louis at Webster University’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts.  He earned his BFA and searched for his calling in L.A. In this big city with no connections, he did what Chicagoans do: he got to work.

Without a manager or any form of representation, he searched for work online and in newspapers. Miles showed up to every audition early and ready to go. This determination led to his being chosen for commercials for McDonald’s, T-Mobile and other large corporations. These jobs paid well, but they didn’t pay as well as the role he never saw coming.

Miles Becomes Jake from State Farm

In 2020 in L.A., Kevin Miles stepped into an audition room of 39 other actors and stood nervously by. It was forty people and one role, so naturally, the room was tense. But Miles was here from Chicago, having come West in search of opportunities like this and wouldn’t let it slide past him.

Although there were many actors going after the same role, Miles’s unique, straightforward honest delivery won him the role. With a smile that eases a person, Miles won over the trust and affection of the company and viewers, unlike salespeople.

To transition Miles into the role, Miles reenacts the initial commercial…

To transition Miles into the role, Miles reenacts the initial commercial that brought the world “Jake from State Farm”. The original actor who played the role appears in Miles’s debut commercial to ensure the new Jake that, yes, people do ask what he’s wearing sometimes. It was a nostalgic moment for viewers but also integral to establishing the fresh Jake. Dozens of State Farm commercials later, Miles remains the charismatic face of the insurance company all the way from the Southside of Chicago, a place I call home.

The Takeaway

The Southside of Chicago gets a crazy amount of negative press, but Kevin Miles’s story is more representative of the Southside mindset. Early in his life, Miles didn’t have it easy, and he knew how to maneuver any situation. He made sacrifices to get where he is, and looking back today, he’s grateful for the Southside and the city where he received some of his education, formal and informal. As Jake from State Farm, Kevin Miles has earned the company billions in revenue. Although his story is one to be told and retold, it is not one as uncommon to the Southside as some might think.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block, who also works an Adjunct College Professor. Join the email list to get notifications on new articles and books. This article is 100% human-written. And remember, if you see an error, that’s what makes us human. Subscribe and share.