Christmas is just around the corner and we decided that Carter’s Furniture (Midland, TX) would be a great place to start for the holiday video production.

A couple months ago, I was talking to Jacob about his potential commercial idea for another client and had the idea of having Santa sitting at a nice desk. I asked Jacob where we could find a nice desk and then it hit me: Carter’s Furniture has nice desks… “You know what would be a great idea for Carter’s?” I shouted in his ear. Thus, the idea was born.

Not long after, Jacob and I paid a visit to the furniture store and spoke with Greg and he loved the idea. It was not long after that we had Tim Carter’s approval and we proceeded.

Once we got the go-ahead, Jacob and I had put out a casting call on Facebook looking for a Santa for the Carter’s Furniture Christmas ad. We received several recommendations and referrals but landed on the perfect guy.

Meggan Bailey and Jeff Allen (Car Chasers) shot us a message on Facebook and suggested her father, Jim Bailey. He had done several television shows and movies and we were extremely excited at the proposition.

After going back and forth with Meg and Jeff, everything was set: Jim was going to be our Santa Clause for Carter’s Furniture.

Next, we had to find a Mrs. Clause. The first person to come to mind was our friend, Montie Garner. She graciously accepted the part. She asked me what Mrs. Clause would wear, and I really left it up to her and her elegant taste to come up with a costume.

A few days later, Jim and I arrived in Midland and met Jacob, Reed (our brother), and Reid Miller (our intern; aka: “Miller Lite”) and started unloading and getting set up. It took us about 2 hours to get the lighting and atmosphere set like we wanted it. About half-way through the setup, Montie arrived. When she stepped out of her vehicle, my jaw hit the floor. The outfit was amazing! I asked her where she found such a grand Mrs. Clause costume in August and she responded with, “I made it the other night.” I guess we know who to contact for costumes here on out.

The shoot took about 2 hours once the camera started rolling. Everything was perfect.

I put Jacob on the edit for this spot and he did a fantastic job. The only issue we had was finding a closing shot. I ended up taking an unused shot from our spring shoot for Carter’s Furniture and color graded it and added snow.

This was a wonderful experience with a fantastic cast and a top-notch crew.