Yep, that’s me and fellow Troupe Dynamic member Tim Haworth in “boy band” mode.

Guyliner and hair gel aside, we’re wearing basic shirts and ties. What’s up with the mashup of styles? Where are we? What in the world was this for?

The easy answer is that it is a commercial I just wrote, directed, and co-produced through Falcon MultiMedia (we have yet to enter post-production). Of the many projects I’m juggling right now, this may well be the most fun. Deets and the full picture after the jump…

Working once again with Jim Cloney of Falcon MultiMedia and fellow Trouper, Tim – long-time collaborators both – would make for a fun project in and of itself. But there’s more to this spot that amps up the enjoyment factor…

A short history: I was brought on to this project to cultivate a new direction for this client’s television commercials, write a script or two, direct, and co-produce. I would join Jim to pitch my ideas, and then with a greenlight enter into the pre-production phase.

I wrote a couple of scripts echoing earlier client commercials with a fresh spin, but I also came up with a separate concept that was about as far away from their previous spots as possible. Yet the very idea of the alternate spot was possible only because of how ingrained in the minds of TV viewers those previous commercials had become. It involves two bumbling ad men hired by this business to “re-imagine” their jingle. They perform the jingle (for the business’s spokesperson) word-for-word in different genre types – comically, of course – and at the end of the spot the original jingle is re-introduced, much to the relief of the spokesperson. The spot is built specifically to reinforce the familiarity of the original jingle, and in doing so strengthen brand awareness.

The client loved the idea when I pitched it, which jazzed me up to no end. I fleshed the idea out even more, threw together demos of the re-imagined jingles, and then wrote the specific script.

For me, this is where it starts getting fun. In the script, I went for a 30’s or 40’s comedy vibe, channeling Laurel & Hardy specifically. I even named the characters Stan and Ollie (though you won’t hear their names in the spot). When it came time to cast, I needed a couple of guys who could not only sing and feel comfortable looking like idiots, but also share a passing resemblance to the Laurel & Hardy body types.

Turns out I know two guys who fit that bill perfectly: myself and Mr. Haworth. Physically we resemble the classic comedy duo, we already have chemistry, we have no problem looking like idiots, and as a director, I knew I’d get the performances we needed. It was a no brainer!

Which brings us to the photo. There will actually be two commercials produced, each featuring three genre types for a total of six re-imagined jingles. We all convened in a basement to film – again, these are bumbling ad men, so a rec room vibe seemed appropriate for their audition – and Tim and I spent a good four hours donning ridiculous hats, wigs, boots, bling, and guyliner to film the various jingle segments. We covered rock, rap, classical, country, blues, and boy-band., and each persona for the various genre types was built up from our basic shirt and tie “professional” look, which explains the mashup of styles in the pic.

There was a lot of laughter as we filmed this sucker, which we’re confident will play out in the spot itself. As soon as we have a premiere date for the spot I’ll clue you in on who the commercial is for so you can keep your eyes open for it. We can’t wait for you to see it! For now, bask in the awesomeness that is the Jay & Tim “boy band” look!