My short bio: My gf and I were told by a friend about a commercial shoot that was happening, but we didn't know what it was for. My gf was gonna be the only one in it, but when we got there someone didn't show up and I was involved too. We honestly had no idea why we were there. My gf and I were in separate groups. We thought we were going to some "design clinic" for a house made of glass. Suddenly, unbranded car. My girlfriend couldn't see the cameras, I spotted them immediately.

I gave my honest opinions about stuff, which is why I'm barely in the commercials. Also. I'm uglier... probably why.

Ask me anything. Ask me what my answers to the questions were, and you'll know why I wasn't in the commercial either.

My Proof: http://imgur.com/alUKtts (I did this once before, but it's hype again, so here I go. I'll resubmit proof if you want. My gf is seen much better in the video than I am).

More proof: Here's my face. http://imgur.com/a/TGNZQ

The commercial we were in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6cSTBeaqFM

EDIT: I don't know if I'm breaking a contract...

EDIT EDIT: Dear Chevy... don't sue me. If anything I'm benefitting you by convincing skeptics we're real people. PLX!

Comments: 167 • Responses: 62  • Date: 

I_luv_cp_hmm37 karma

You actually have that typical commercial guy look. Why do you think your looks played a part in not getting more air time?

thatssorelevant42 karma

I'm sure it was 99% percent my answers.

SAM-00025 karma

Wait. Real people were invited to a glass house and showed up in evening dresses? WTF?

thatssorelevant36 karma

Well. We were invited to a "Design Clinic" in Sonoma Wine Country on a Sunday.

When we were "applying" to be used for a video shoot, we were told to answer questions about our design tastes and visual preferences.

We were all under the impression this was supposed to be something fancy.

SunDownSav12 karma

Did this happen to be in Jeff Gordon's vineyard?

thatssorelevant13 karma

I have no idea

asydquiz641 karma

How can I get invited to something like this in the future?

thatssorelevant2 karma

Luck.

yeetdrizzy22 karma

With the opinions, I know you said you couldn't remember exactly, but did you say stuff like "I fucking hate Chevy", or just stuff like "This is an ad, isn't it?"

thatssorelevant24 karma

No. and I don't think anyone would. You are in front of a group of strangers. And they roughly appraise your personality before you get approved.

zakublue1 karma

how rough do they get?

thatssorelevant6 karma

Kinky af

TheKubist18 karma

After you saw the host, did you not figure it out it was for Chevy?

thatssorelevant24 karma

This was one of the first few. And I don't really watch a lot of TV so I had actually never seen the host before.

hlwroc14 karma

How were you compensated for being used in the actual ad? Would that have differed from what you got for simply being there (and your likeness not being used)?

thatssorelevant49 karma

We got a couple hundred dollars for showing up. A visa gift card on arrival. And a check at the end. Given a W2 form to fill out on the spot.

A couple months later, my gf received an email from someone telling her they needed the rest of her info ASAP so they could sign her up for SAG to be used on broadcast. (This was how we found out the commercial was ready, and put on youtube). We made ZERO money off the youtube showings.

My girlfriend made a BUTTLOAD of money from the broadcast airings. I made almost nothing.

Aziz Ansari talks more about how much actors can make in National Broadcast Ads when talking about Master of None.

hlwroc16 karma

Knowing that she made a buttload of money, and you made next to nothing, do you wish you had faked it?

thatssorelevant31 karma

FUCK YES!

I'm currently unemployed and not sure what I wanna do with my life. That cushion would've been NICE.

HaC3rPr08 karma

so basically everyone was payed to make positive reviews on chevy in those commercials?

thatssorelevant31 karma

Not at all. I was paid for showing up to a video shoot. I didn't know what I was going to be commenting on. Paid in advance mostly. And the amount of payment didn't change depending on what we said.

AFTERWARDS those who were used in the video were simply paid according to Actor's Guild rules.

iShouldBeWorking2day7 karma

It seems more likely that they'd collect the good and bad reviews as raw footage, and simply not edit the negative ones in.

Freikorp1 karma

If you're living near the bay area without a job I'd say you already have a cushion of some sort.

thatssorelevant1 karma

Not really. I'm on unemployment, which is about to run out. I'm not really sure what I'm gonna do next. I'm about to look for bartending jobs until I figure my shit out.

Freikorp1 karma

Yeah, but your gf got that dollar now. Just become her manager and take a cut of the profit.

thatssorelevant2 karma

She wants to be a journalist, and is moving to NYC... none of that money is for me.

I_am_the_cosmos7 karma

Could you define "buttload"?

thatssorelevant26 karma

More than a penny, less than a million.

(it was 5 digits, almost 6)

[deleted]0 karma

[deleted]

thatssorelevant10 karma

http://imgur.com/97eVUEf

I think this is mostly because she ended up being used in 3 separate cuts of the commercial used over the course of a year. Usually they don't get used for more than 6 months. Nor do they get re-cut into new commercials.

HaC3rPr01 karma

People who are in any commercial get payed a lot

thatssorelevant9 karma

Keyword "National". Local commercials don't make nearly that much money.

Also really only if they abide by Actors Guild rules. And if one actor is, they all have to be.

rl4brains3 karma

If they signed everyone in the commercials up for SAG, they're no longer "not actors"!

thatssorelevant2 karma

But we were real people when we filmed. I think this is becoming a philosophical debate. So fuck that.

MsNewKicks1 karma

My girlfriend made a BUTTLOAD of money from the broadcast airings. I made almost nothing.

TIL if I'm ever offered to be in a commercial, TAKE IT!

thatssorelevant1 karma

Keywords: National, SAG

It's only a buttload of money if its national, and you get signed up for the actors guild. (which they did for us, after the fact)

jacybear-7 karma

You mean a W4.

thatssorelevant3 karma

Honestly. I dont remember.

jacybear-7 karma

No, I'm telling you, not asking you. You mean a W4.

thatssorelevant7 karma

I SAID I DONT REMEMBER!

CanadianAstronaut9 karma

I'm late to the party, but since she's now a part of the Screen actors guild like you said, isn't she now technically an actor?!

thatssorelevant3 karma

Possibly. But she wasnt when we filmed.

Also, I'm not sure getting paid ONCE makes you a professional. But then again, someone who has never gotten paid probably would love to be paid once.

squirrelfund8 karma

What were some of your comments they cut out?

thatssorelevant49 karma

  • When asked how much we thought it cost, I guessed around $35K
  • When asked what brand: I guessed Volkswagen (I thought it was a Jetta)
  • I told them they needed to get rid of a lot of the badges that they added to the Malibu. It was absurd and COMPLETELY killed my excitement about the vehicle.
  • I also said it'd be a lot more valuable to me if they had Android Auto, not just Apple CarPlay

TheKubist29 karma

that one guy who is painfully honest

thatssorelevant29 karma

raises hand

PRESENT

nwilz5 karma

I also said it'd be a lot more valuable to me if they had Android Auto, not just Apple CarPlay

Its doesnt? Chevy is suppose to support both

thatssorelevant2 karma

A year ago I dont think it did. (We filmed mine in Oct 2015)

Remmyangel8 karma

Would you concider getting a chevy after that experience?

thatssorelevant11 karma

Yeah. Probably. With less badging.

ThaiTeaWhyTeas-1 karma

Lmao. These answers are hilarious. Fuck gm though.

thatssorelevant4 karma

YASSSSSSSS. I really just want to be internet famous. That's all I want ever.

agyag7 karma

How accurate is the commercial's portrayal of everyone's reactions compared to your actual experience on set/behind the scenes? I cannot imagine anyone getting legitimately excited to see a Chevy like they always do in those commercials

thatssorelevant36 karma

It's spot on. That said, they show 3 minutes of HONEST reactions, after a couple hours of shooting different groups of 5ppl.

Redditors are so shocked that people think it's a BMW or a Lexus, and I really just think there were some very sheltered people with no exposure to cars.

A few people in my group actually did DID in fact say it was a lexus. The one woman who said it was 80K was in my group and I'm pretty sure my eyes bulged out and ruined one of their shots.

I was sincerely shocked when they pulled out the branded car from behind the scenes. I IN NO WAY thought I was looking at a Chevy. The unbranded version was actually kind of beautiful. Brand new, freshly waxed. ZERO BRANDING on it. And I liked it a lot. But I knew it wasn't a luxury car.

So they told us what it was and it was shock that it was a chevy, and not something better. Which, to be honest, is complimentary to chevy.

I immediately told them to take all the branding off it again.

700416 karma

Are you a car guy? It looks 100% Like a GM/Chevy product without the badging.

austin3084 karma

Ya, and if someone were to guess wrong I'd expect them to guess it is like a dodge dart refresh, not a fucking bmw (grill isn't even right for fucks sake)

thatssorelevant2 karma

I have no idea what a BMW grill is supposed to look like.

thatssorelevant3 karma

I am not a car guy. I know a few, but I'm definitely not a car guy.

sporks495 karma

Be honest, nice car?

thatssorelevant16 karma

Honestly, the one with ZERO branding on it was fucking gorgeous. Of course it was one of the higher tier models. But I loved it. Not a single logo inside or out and it looked great.

The second I saw the logos on it I got sad.

slpgh2 karma

It doesn't look that different from the high trim versions of last year's model. The Malibu and the Fusion both look higher end than one would expect

thatssorelevant2 karma

Definitely. Also this was the 2016 version. My commercial was filmed in Oct 2015.

odsquad644 karma

Were you there for one of the ones where the cars come out of the floor one after another, severs stories tall or where the car is half inside, half out and then the wall opens? Are those things done in post while using shots of actual reactions? I find it hard to image they'd use practical effects for something like that.

thatssorelevant10 karma

I was only in the one I posted in my text box in OP. I don't think they reuse anyone but the host.

I wish I fucking knew. I would love to know more about how those commercials were made.

But honestly, considering how much the people who get used in the commercial get paid, and how much money auto-makers make from sales, I wouldn't be surprised. If they were practical effects.

It doesn't really take much do make walls, and make them fall down. By my estimate, that's an easily repeatable expense with a one time $3000 cost.

And to raise a car up? Also not that hard, tons of vehicle lifts out there.

[deleted]1 karma

[deleted]

thatssorelevant11 karma

We all commented on camera.

I got paid less because I barely got used in any of the commercials. I was a "supporter" while she was a "lead"

ImNotTheZodiacKiller3 karma

Did you have any indication that it was for Chevy, before they revealed it? That host seems like a prick, what was he like?

thatssorelevant15 karma

Oops, forgot to talk about the host. Real talk for a sec... the host is weird. Both my gf and I were creeped out by him. But to be honest, he knows what he's doing. He's been doing this for a while and he's trying to produce us all into certain reactions.

But that's not unique to this. Go to any product user testing and they try to get certain comments.

thatssorelevant8 karma

None whatsoever. I was just telling someone else:

We simply applied to be in a video shoot for a "design clinic". When we got there we were completely handled by the production team who couldn't tell us anything.

My gf and I were unique in that we were a "friend of a friend" of one of the producers. But we still knew very little. We actually did know there was a chance it was for a commercial, but we thought it was for some fancy home goods design brand. But even knowing it was a commercial was TABOO AF.

kumiosh3 karma

Hey there! I'm glad you hijacked my comment to announce this AMA. :P How did you go about being selected for this? What were your reactions that you wished would've been in it, but were cut?

thatssorelevant2 karma

We had a friend who told us she knew someone looking for people to be in a video. We only knew it was called "design clinic".

We were asked to make a video of ourselves answering questions about our design tastes. Then we found out we were in.

My gf is the only one who did that stuff. I was just in the right place at the right time. Someone didn't show up.

I don't think I had any reactions I "wish" had gotten in. It was over a year ago at this point and I cant exactly remember. But I did answer honestly about some stuff, since I have a design background, and those didn't make it in.

kumiosh1 karma

Oh, cool! Well at least you were in a commercial. That makes you way more famous than I am! Congrats!

thatssorelevant1 karma

Thanks!!! I wish I could get randomly selected for more XD

CisternaChyli3 karma

Did they give you a script?

thatssorelevant2 karma

Read the other comments.

But just in case you're dense: no, they gave no scripts.

I_Fen_Save_Fjords3 karma

This guy fucks. He found an old thread where I had to rant after seeing twenty of those commercials in a row and reached out to me.

So my question that hasn't been answered is, do they other people suck?

thatssorelevant12 karma

I wish I knew what you mean by "suck".

Some of them were weird. Some of them were clearly rich. Some were a middle class mother. Most people were middle class. I mean, they had to drive out to Sonoma to do it. Some were definitely Upper class.

One woman in my group definitely seemed like a gold digging arm candy kinda lady

70043 karma

What type of car do you own? What's your realistic dream car?

thatssorelevant4 karma

I own a 2002 Mazda Protoge5 with a missing window and a cracked windshield, broken AC Clutch, and a new alternator in the mail. Fuck.

My realistic dream car is probably a Tesla Model 3, or VW Golf R.

GabrielKlute0 karma

dawg dream bigger.

PM_ME_2LEARNHOW2CODE1 karma

A Tesla is a nice dream car...

GabrielKlute1 karma

A model 3?
That's like saying your dream car is a Buick when you could be dreaming Cadillac. It's like saying you want an Audi A4 when you really want an RS4.

thatssorelevant1 karma

They did say "realistic dream car"

thatssorelevant1 karma

They did say "realistic dream car"

stocpod2 karma

Are you not an actor?

thatssorelevant9 karma

Nope. I have a graphic design degree. Spent 5 years as a web developer. Currently unemployed.

I did plays in high school though. Never got paid for it.

superphily22 karma

What are badges?

Ensign_Ricky_1 karma

The logos for the automaker and the labels telling you the model and trim of the car. In this case it would be the Chevrolet "Bow Tie" logo on the front grill, trunk lid, steering wheel, center caps, etc. and "Malibu" on the trunk lid.

Ihaveanotheridentity1 karma

Is it possible to remove the branding from a car completely? Is that something a dealer would do? I usually just take of the license plate frame that the dealer puts on. Is anything else removable?

thatssorelevant2 karma

I dont know for sure, but I feel like everything is removable with the right tools. most of them are glued on, some are more sturdily connected.

I have a feeling the ones for the commercials are special made, which would make them pretty damn expensive. They dont even have the gaps or indents where the badges would've been.

thatssorelevant1 karma

on top of those, this malibu also had them on the sides too. So annoying.

thatssorelevant1 karma

All of the logos and similar nameplates on the body. The Malibu has extra ones, more than usual. on the side and stuff.

GWD1382 karma

Wait, is it your girlfiend that goes, "Santa, I want to go fay-st?" If so, I'm in love with her and you are a very lucky man. If not, do you know how to get in touch with that woman and ask her to do an AMA?

thatssorelevant1 karma

I have no idea what you're talking about, but i'm curious... link?

Mantisbog2 karma

Have you ever banged in the back of a chevy?

thatssorelevant2 karma

I lost my virginity in the back of a Buick. And I had sex many times in a Mercury Villager, a Acura Integra, and once in a Mazda Protégé.

Never in a chevy.

tarzan3222 karma

How much were you paid to do this IamA?

thatssorelevant2 karma

Nothing. It's more likely I'm going to get sued.

I'm broke though, if you wanna contribute!

MarleyandtheWhalers1 karma

Your picture of proof makes me think you want to tell me about your Lamborghini in the Hollywood Hills

thatssorelevant2 karma

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA i wish. I "drive" a broken 2002 Mazda. Currently waiting for a new alternator in the mail.

If i looked that rich I'd get more matches on tinder.

-NotARock1 karma

What is your favorite type of soup?

thatssorelevant1 karma

Matzo ball soup!

Ihaveanotheridentity1 karma

Were you coached in any way? Did they tell you to be lively or excited without telling you what they wanted you to be excited about?

thatssorelevant2 karma

Nothing at all, honestly. They gave us some nice coffee and food while we waited to be bussed up to the house. Then it was a 15 minute session of comments. Cameras were all pretty damn hidden. I knew to look for them.

bdsp1 karma

Will you suck on my dingaling?

thatssorelevant2 karma

Your ding ding dong?

4llen5hort1 karma

Is it at least partially degrading they have to put "real people, not actors" at the front of the commercial?

thatssorelevant2 karma

Not really. It's a marketing thing.

not that anyone here believes it.

Keizerrr1 karma

First of all: thanks for sharing this as I (like many others) had a hard time believing these "not actors" were really not actors. Just wondering; what is your regular day job / occupation? Anything related to acting?

thatssorelevant2 karma

I am (was) a web developer, and had been at the time, for roughly 4-5 years. Went to college for graphic design. Was in musicals in HS, and once in college.

So no, nothing related to acting. Unless you count acting like I think my clients have good ideas.

echomnalez1 karma

You said that you might get sued, did someone cotacted you saying something about that or you assume that because you are giving out information ? In my country cars are so expensive. The 1980 malibu costs 19k... so i wont be impressed if the 2016 one is 60k like the other "actors" said

thatssorelevant1 karma

No one has contacted me yet, I was just being preemptive.

and they were using american prices in the video. so those prices were a bit insane.

CrazedSama1 karma

Whats your personal opinion on the chevy commercial shoot you're doing for?

thatssorelevant1 karma

What? Of the car or the commercial?

CrazedSama1 karma

of the car xD

thatssorelevant2 karma

When we were looking at it I thought it was a nice car, would probably be about $35K, and would be great for a lot of people. Possibly me if I could've afforded it.

ChiveNation_121 karma

How do you start getting into commercials ??

thatssorelevant1 karma

Get real fucking lucky. (at least that's how we did it.)

I have no idea what the real answer is.

ClassicPervert-5 karma

How open are you about your sex life?

thatssorelevant1 karma

Incredibly fucking open about my sex life.

ClassicPervert1 karma

Excellent.

Now, did you wanna fuck any of the other participants?

Is there anything you partner hasn't tried yet that you're working towards?

thatssorelevant2 karma

Well... actually, I fucked one of the participants a bunch of times.

Anal sex used to be easy, but it got difficult again, so we're working towards that again.

digglebaum1 karma

How do you feel about balls in your mouth?

thatssorelevant1 karma

Not a fan.