Reel · Truth Tellers
Bad Job
The failed take that became the finished commercial—and introduced a character who would outlive it.
- Date
- July 2019
- Runtime
- 30 seconds
- Status
- A · directly watched
- Location
- Statue of Liberty waterfront backdrop
External video; never autoplayed. A surviving alternate MP4 is also recorded in the source ledger.
What happens
A production failure enters canon.
Directly watched and transcribed from iSpot's public master. The original official YouTube upload is private; a separate contemporaneously hosted 1280x720 MP4 survives with a 2019-07-22 creation timestamp.
The actor flubs the company name, asks to riff, proposes emerging from the water, and finally produces “Liberty Biberty.” The director’s “We’ll dub it” confirms that the scene depicts the making of an ad inside the ad.
Entities on screen
Character
Struggling Actor
Is 'Struggling Actor' an official character name or only iSpot/press shorthand?
Character
Director
Who performs the voice?
Performer: Tanner Novlan. Character and performer records remain separate.
Verified transcript
“Liberty Biberty.”
Struggling Actor: As a struggling actor, I need all the breaks that I can get. At Liberty Bucamug— Director: Cut. Struggling Actor: Liberty M— Line? Director: Cut. Liberty Mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. Struggling Actor: Cut. Liberty Mutual. Am I allowed to riff? What if I come out of the water? Liberty Biberty. Director: Cut. We'll dub it. Liberty Mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. Only pay for what you need. Liberty, Liberty, Liberty, Liberty. Liberty.
Established claims
What the evidence supports
- BContemporaneous campaign credits identify Tanner Novlan as the star of Bad Job.
- ABad Job depicts its protagonist performing within a commercial production, including takes and off-camera direction.
- AAn off-camera production voice responds to and directs the Struggling Actor inside the commercial.
Published principal credits
Who made it
Substantial campaign-level credits, not a full call sheet. No cinematographer, production designer, sound team, camera, grip/electric, wardrobe, or hair/makeup roster has been publicly established.
| Role | Credited party | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Marketing Officer | Emily Fink | Liberty Mutual |
| VP, Brand & Integrated Marketing | Jenna Lebel | Liberty Mutual |
| Assistant VP, Broad Reach Media | Lisa Paige | Liberty Mutual |
| Program Manager, Broad Reach Marketing | Jacqui Cuccia | Liberty Mutual |
| Chief Creative Officer | Margaret Johnson | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Executive Creative Director | Danny Gonzalez | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Executive Creative Director | David Suarez | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Creative Director | Cam Miller | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Associate Creative Director | Joshua Hacohen | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Associate Creative Director | Dan Treichel | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Art Director | David Spradlin | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Art Director | Roseanne Overton | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Copywriter | Craig Shervin | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Copywriter | Kayla Lott | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Production Director of Broadcast | Tod Puckett | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Executive Producer | Leila Gage | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Executive Producer | Nick Sage | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Senior Producer | Justine Madero | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Broadcast Producer | Sam Tarde | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Group Account Director | Chris Ferko | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Account Manager | Kate Colantuono | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Assistant Account Manager | Samantha Manin | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Business Affairs | Anna Diokno | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Senior Brand Strategist | Marisa Perazzelli | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Senior Quantitative Strategist | Jessica Badrous | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Brand Strategist | Shaza Elsheshtawy | Goodby Silverstein & Partners |
| Production Company | Dummy Films | Dummy Films |
| Director | Harold Einstein | Dummy Films |
| Producer | Michael Kanter | Dummy Films |
| Editorial Company | Arcade NY | Arcade NY |
| Color / VFX | The Mill | The Mill |
Sources
Receipts
- Liberty Mutual Trades in Bad Actors, Happy Thoughts and a Zoltar MachineMuse by Clios
- Bad Job, Thoughts, Before & After, ZoltarAds of the World / Clio Network
- Bad Job surviving MP4The Cranky Creative
- Commercial: Liberty Mutual #1414362Vanderbilt Television News Archive