Dahlia and Milo's First Job

We had fun little experience a few weeks ago. Out of the blue, our friends Matt and Amy invited Dahlia and Milo to be in a commercial with them. This opportunity basically fell in their laps and then the casting director wanted them to be a family of five instead of a famliy of three, hence their two new children, Dahlia and Milo.

The commercial is for Allstate Insurance, being marketed to first time home buyers. We don't know if 1) the footage of any of them will make the editing cuts or 2) if the commercial will end up airing. But we do know that either way, it was super fun to be a part of it.  The directors, The Mercadantes have done some great work, they are very creative and it was super interesting to watch them and their whole crew work. They are not Allstate Insurance people, they are young, talented filmmakers who got contracted by Allstate to do their commercial. I had never really thought about that is how commercials work until now.

We filmed at Amy and Matt's house in Oakland, right off of Piedmont Avenue where we used to live.  The Mercadantes vision was filming "real" families in their homes doing "real" things. They were incredibly nice, so sweet and genuinely kind to the kids. The kids were "directed" to color on the front porch, throw toys out of the window at each other, chase each other around the house, and (their favorite) jump on the bed. Dahlia's summary of it was that is was "Too much fun. Like a super fun, long playdate with a video camera." Little does she know, she also got paid to have all that fun! Paycheck = trip to Disneyland, perhaps?

With director, Dan Mercadante, getting introduced to the camera. They didn't know what a video camera was until then! Only phones take video, didn't you know that?!?!

Coloring on the front porch while "mom" pots some plants. 

Being directed on how to jump on a bed. Too much fun.