I know an AE over at Integer/Dallas by the name of Chad Costas. Chad’s a cool guy– and by cool I mean he’s prone to wearing bowties, so I guess that mean’s he’s cool in a “I may be a Suit, but I’m still letting my Account Service freak flag fly” sort of way.
But seriously, he’s a cool guy.
Chad just sent me a couple of files. It turns out NBC is running a YouTube contest (the dreaded user-generated content monster rears its ugly head) looking for new promos for their imported British comedy show “The Office,” and Integer/Dallas has a couple of entries in the mix.
It also turns out that, all the time I’ve known him, Chad was saying he was a “thespian” when what I was hearing was “I’m a lesbian,” which makes him very much less interesting in my book. Lesbian make out scenes or no, the clips are still pretty good (especially if you’re an Office fan).
Check them out– Chad’s the guy mooching lunch off of the countertop:
Integer/Dallas - The Office Promo - “It’s a Rule” - :20
Integer/Dallas - The Office Promo -”Where Are My Keys” - :20
[This post was recreated after a server crash; the files & comments have been lost, sorry. –M.]
I spent Friday at the studio working on another radio spot for 7-Eleven.
I’ve mentioned it before, but our voice talent, Bill Vogel, is a machine. The number of takes required to get what we needed in the can: four. As in fewer than five.
It took longer for our AE on the account to make her way to the studio than it did for us to set up, record, edit and mix the spot. I love that.
It’s a little-known fact to ad industry outsiders that most of the names you hear in television and radio spots (and read in print for that matter) are names of either clients or people associated with the agencies that produced the work.
The reason for this is pretty simple: If I use someone’s name in a spot– anyone’s name– and I associate them with a particular location, I have to perform research into whether or not someone living in that location carries the name I used. If I use “John Doe from Kalamazoo, Michigan,” and a John Doe really lives there, I then have to approach Mr. Doe, make sure he’s cool with me using his name, and then negotiate for the rights to use his persona or likeness in a commercial advertisement.
In other words, it’s a pain in the ass, adds a multiple to the time required for getting a spot in the can and might cost our clients a little extra money to boot.
We get around that by using the names of people we know– and then having them sign a release for the use of their name (either for free or for a nominal fee– like one dollar, or so).
This causes a never ending supply of inside jokes as we constantly work the names of our friends and clients into various roles, from dogs to wailing children to– well, to pansies who throw like a girl.
For today’s spot, I chose to pick on my internjunior Senior Art Director, Jason Tisser.
Jason hasn’t been blessed with an overabundance of talent, but I keep him around because when he’s not being funny in an oh-my-that’s-really-sad sort of way, he’s funny in an almost-nailed-it-let’s-give-him-another-chance sort of way.
He also loves sports (he’s a University of Texas alum) despite the fact he possesses the athletic ability of a six year old who’s been kept in a cage for most of its life. (Likewise, his skills with the ladies.)
So I thought this spot for 7-Eleven’s Slurpee was perfect for adding his name as the cherry on top:
Jason’s on vacation in New York this week, so he hasn’t had a chance to sign his waiver, but I know he will. Oh yes, I know he will– there’s no way he’d make us go in and change the name to, oh, Juan Daniel.
Because, if he did…
So what do you do when you blow through your session in four takes? You listen to the wonderful treats the nice folks at Reel F/X have created for you since your last visit.
I present to you, “The Suck.” Enjoy, and have a good weekend, everyone.
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