How Accidentally Starring in a National TV Commercial Gave Me Freedom to Build a Startup
“What would you do if money is not an issue?” Many have been asked this question. Few have had the privilege of making their response a reality. I consider myself one of the lucky few.
Here's the story of my lucky break and what it empowered me to do for myself, my loved ones, and building my startup. Let’s rewind.
The Call
I remember sitting alone at work in a conference room, pencil and paper in hand with my design app, Sketch, on my computer screen. I was in the zone brainstorming all the different ways to design this new app I was assigned when I got a notification on my phone. It was from an old friend from Los Angeles. Someone I met from one of the mansion parties in Hollywood Hills.
Let’s call him Justin.
Justin’s a casting director and was in San Francisco for work. We jumped on a quick call to catch up and he told me he was working on shooting some commercials for a couple of weeks and asked if I was available to be part of it.
I was excited. “It’s only two hours in Sonoma on Sunday afternoon. It’s a commercial but you shouldn’t know that it’s a commercial. I think I can get you in. You’ll get $200 for your time.”
“Sounds great!” I replied. “Let me know what I need to do.”
Shooting Day
It took about an hour to drive from where I lived to Sonoma. If you’ve driven through wine country before, you’d know how beautiful it is being surrounded by the vineyards, green rolling hills, small farms, shady country roads, and rugged coastline. As soon as I saw the sign “Design Clinic,” I took a left turn and drove on the dirt road to the meeting spot.
I dressed in casual cocktail attire and arrived early as instructed. I saw Justin from a distance but didn’t go up to him to say hi. I wasn’t supposed to know him. I was supposed to be a “random person.” I checked in with a woman with a clipboard and she led me to a waiting area.
A tent was set up with refreshing beverages, books about architecture and design, and patio furniture. I felt like I was in one of those luxurious safari tents. This was where we waited for our turn.
There were four of us. A man from the UK, a man with a mustache, and a woman with a very outgoing personality. We talked about design, architecture, and where the day was going to take us. They were clueless. Was I the only person who knew this was a commercial? Did everyone else think it was a “Design Clinic” to get our feedback on the latest design of…something? I knew we had to give our thoughts on something, but I didn’t know what.
We heard the crunch of gravel and looked over to see a large white van pulling up with a group of four people just like us. They stepped out. All were smiling and talking about what they had just seen and experienced. Were we going to check out a private art gallery? Meet some celebrity? Check out a new building being made? Eat delicious food while we’re at it? I had no idea. Based on the buzzing of the departing group, it seemed like a good idea to jump into that white van -- regardless of where it was going to take us. It seemed like some high-class kidnapping but I was all for it.
But it wasn’t some high-class kidnapping. As soon as we arrived at the site, we saw a beautiful, open, glasshouse in the middle of a vineyard. A man stepped out to greet us and told us what was happening. He was there to show us the latest model of a new car. They’ve stripped it from all its branding and any indicators that would help us identify what it was. They just wanted to know our unbiased and unfiltered thoughts.
I knew nothing about cars. The words of Eminem immediately came into my mind, “His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy…He's nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready.” I had nothing to contribute. I was going to look clueless in this commercial and everybody was going to see it. Regardless, I stepped into the scene, calm and ready, like I knew what I was going to say.
Since this was a commercial, I was already on the lookout for the cameras that were strategically placed in the area. A person was carrying a camera following us around, one on the car’s dashboard, and a few hidden behind the bushes.
In 30-45 minutes, we walked around this unbranded white car and commented on what we liked and not liked about it. At one point, the man with the clipboard asked me what sound this car would make. He wanted me to growl with my interpretation of the car’s engine. It would have been hilarious if it was included in the final cut. Just imagine if that turned into a meme that went viral for years to come!
When we drove back to the waiting area in the white van, I finally understood why the four people that came before us had smiles on their faces.
The Aftermath
I went back to the office the next day as if I had a normal weekend hanging out with friends.
A few months later, I was getting random checks in the mail. I felt surprised, excited, and confused all at the same time. It didn’t make sense to me. I thought I was already paid for my time.
My friends and acquaintances also started to reach out to me because they kept seeing the commercial during sports games, especially during the NBA Playoffs. I didn’t see it until the end of that year when I was hanging out with a friend at a bar.
It turned out that the parts where I was on camera were included in six different versions of the commercial and it was getting nationally and internationally broadcasted across a variety of networks, social media, and other places online. At least this was what I pieced together with the line items on those checks. I thought that the entire amount I was going to get from the commercial was $200 for the two hours I spent on site. It turned out to be about a year’s worth of salary!
Putting the Money to Work
I was trying to figure out what to do with the money. Should I buy the car that was in the commercial? Take a trip around the world? Buy a house? Go back to grad school? What would you do if money was no longer a concern?
But first things first – I did some responsible splurging. I invested some of it, moved to a better place in San Francisco, bought my mom a round-trip ticket to the Philippines to visit family, and helped pay for my brother’s coding course at Make School. I also saved part of it for the possibility of going back to grad school and getting my Master’s, which I eventually did.
I was very comfortable with my job as a Sr. UX/UI Designer so I wasn’t in any rush to quit. I was looking for impact, growth, and purpose. So I did what I enjoyed. I went back to learning while I was searching for the answer and got my Certificate in Product Management. I also started taking a VR development course so I could finally build the training and simulation apps I wanted – I started with women’s self-defense and then created an active shooter response training for civilians.
I shared my knowledge in the process by presenting them at conferences and events and met so many amazing and talented people along the way. Eventually, I got to the point where I was getting momentum. This was when I left my job and immersed myself in startups, VR, and bootstrapping my way to building something I believed would solve big problems in the world. I wanted to help women protect themselves from perpetrators and save lives by protecting people from active shooters. And this is exactly what I did.
This TV commercial was a lucky break that taught me what I valued most in an unpredictable way. It gave me the freedom to dream, experiment, and explore a non-traditional path without worrying about what would happen next. Life is random. Just be open and just say yes to opportunities. As the Chevy Malibu marketing department puts it, “The world is your co-pilot.”
So what would you do if money wasn’t an issue?
If you’re curious, here’s one version of the commercial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbcxRX8D-_k
