No worries. It’s all good. Really. Homer, specifically Tutka Bay, will appear during ABC college football Sept. 2 in a 30-second commercial for Pacific Life, a Fortune 500 life insurance company based out of Newport Beach, Calif.
The nearly 30 participants, from Bob Haskell, senior vice president of Pacific Life, to the actors pretending to catch fish off the dock at Tutka Bay Wilderness lodge, spent two days last week filming at the lodge.
The commercial is about a man on a dream fishing trip with his wife and lifelong friends, who realizes that he is fortunate enough to go on fishing trips like this whenever he wants because he has planned well financially with the help of Pacific Life. The spot also will air on CNN, Fox News Channel and on the PBS NewsHour.
The advertising agency, Kovel/Fuller of Culver City, Calif., created the spot for Pacific Life, said Milda Goodman, assistant vice president of advertising and public relations, for Pacific Life. Subliminal Pictures of Burbank, Calif., produced the spot under the direction of Bob Gordon, who also directed the “Take Me Fishing” spot currently airing on OLN.
“We selected Tutka Bay Lodge primarily because of its beauty. The surrounding area and location provided a breathtaking environment and backdrop for our commercial,” said Goodman. “The fact that it could also accommodate a helicopter landing on its enormous deck was a plus.”
The helicopter, from Egli Helicopter out of King Salmon, allowed the crew to capture air to air footage of the vintage 1949 red and gold beaver featured in the commercial, and provided by Scott Kamlowsky of Sportsman’s Alaska Guide and Air Service.
Goodman said that the final commercial also will include humpback whales. A breaching humpback is the brand identity for Pacific Life, representing strength and endurance.
“We are looking forward to seeing this on the air,” said Goodman. “Along with our message, we know that it will also portray the beauty of Homer.”
Kat Brady, who is a producer from Anchorage and owns the business, Scout/Alaska, saw a picture of the Tutka Bay dock online and contacted the lodge, said Christy Johnson, who manages the lodge for her parents.
Brady said that she was not released to talk about the recent project at Tutka Bay. However, she isn’t new to filming in the Homer area.
“I’ve probably shot in Homer 10 or 12 times over the years,” she said. “You know, it’s just so beautiful.”
Brady describes herself as a producer, production manager and a location and talent scout. When she works with film crews who come to Alaska, she said that she tries to book with a variety of vendors so that the money is spread around the community.
“A lot of money gets spent, and it helps our economy,” she said.
When choosing the vendors, Brady said that she tries to find ones who are excited about the commercial and who want to participate.
Often, because the people visiting Alaska for the commercial like it so much, they return as tourists or to work on other projects, said Brady. On a recent shoot, one of the ladies cried when it was time to leave.
“It’s a win-win deal for everybody,” she said.
Brady works in film production in Alaska, with local, national and international crews.
When film crews come to Alaska, Brady said that she takes care of them from the time they get off the plane until they leave the state.
Often the work day is 17-18 hours long. Some nights there isn’t time for sleep. And things are always changing. Like needing to find a helicopter or a boat to use in a shoot at 4 a.m. “You have to flow with it,” she said.
But the lack of sleep doesn’t make her wish for another job. Brady said that a lot of the time the work is fun, people laugh a lot, friendships are formed and the people she works with often border on the extraordinary.
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