‘Star’ of Super Bowl ad has a friend on the 8th floor


Maybe you’ve seen the publicity about the Coca-Cola ad filmed in Ashwaubenon for Sunday’s Super Bowl telecast, the one where an unlikely kid becomes a hero, runs for a touchdown and all the way to Lambeau Field. Staff member Holly Keener of the Provost’s Office knows something about it. Her son, Kaleb, a Lombardi Middle School student, was among the local youth players recruited to give up a day for the shoot. Kaleb is the boy who calls the defensive alignment in the huddle, grabs his teammate’s facemask and growls “don’t screw this up again, Adrian.” The only boy who has any lines, he’s later heard shouting from the bottom of the pile “all the way, Adrian!” after a fumble recovery. Says Keener, who joined UWGB last year, “Yup, my kid was ‘the mean kid.’ Although I tell everyone that ‘he just ‘plays one on TV.’” She also says it was a treat to see the best in the business at work – a 60-second spot costs $8 million, production costs are typically north of $1 million per spot – as agencies treat these ads like mini-movies. Director Jake Scott (son of famed movie director Ridley Scott) “was so kind and patient with these kids,” and “Blind Side” football-stunt coordinator Mike Fisher worked closely with the boys to ensure the scenes were perfect for the camera. The locally filmed spot will air during the second half of Sunday night’s game. Check out a Press-Gazette story on the commercial, and view the spot.