Accidentally in a T.K Maxx Campaign
It was late January 2018, and I was doing my first official paid production job for Vacation Theory - a Los Angeles based production company owned by Anabella Casanova and Sage Price, (whom would later become two of my dearest friends and mentors.) We were shooting in Palm Springs, just a stone’s throw from my house in the high desert and I was thrilled at the opportunity to move into Production as a side job. I’d done my time in New York having side gigs as a server and in retail and I wasn’t talented at carrying more than three plates, god forbid they were the heavy kind. Fortunately for me where I worked had the light weight enamel kind and when they asked me to carry more, I chirped back that it wasn’t possible as politely and comically as I could. I think having an accent let’s one get away with many, many things and adds a charming ring to delivering even the most unappealing revelation…like having a three plate carrying capacity. In retail, I put my money earned back into the business I worked for (Reformation), seemingly unable to practice any kind of self control when it came to this brand. And as anyone who has lived in New York knows…living cheaply in Brooklyn doesn’t exactly come with ample wardrobe space. So at last when I moved West to Los Angeles in late 2017 I deliberately lead myself into production as a side hustle to my dancing and acting. It enabled me to learn more about filmmaking that would ideally lead me into producing my own small scale projects, and it gave me a peek behind the curtain of the business. Little did I know working production on this T.K Maxx job would be the beginning of a relationship with two of my dearest friends. Anabella would also become my acting coach when auditions came up, ever generous with her time and knowledge. And most recently, I would become Godmother to their tiny angel - Thomasina. An honor and compliment I’m still in awe of. On this job I was simply learning the ropes and picking up a skill on the other side of the camera. I’d done a little of this in New York but there was a lot more to know. I think the reason they kept me around wasn’t because I knew what I was doing, but because I was keen to learn, and they enjoyed the unexpectedly comical and mismatched kiwi accent projected out of a seemingly innocent looking face. Part of what led me into production work was the desire to be decent at something that didn’t revolve around my appearance. Unexpectedly, half way through the ten production days I got to talking to the Creative Directors T.K Maxx had sent from London - Alexa and Sarah . It somehow arose that I was a dancer and they excitedly exclaimed “why on earth weren’t you at the casting!?” Quicky followed by “Now we’ve spent all our budget for talent already.” They talked, and the stylist Rachel, a hysterically funny, tiny woman with a classic British accent said there were pieces she had that were begging to be danced in and could they find extra money to pay my agency (Wilhelmina at the time). And so it was! They found some more in the budget. And for an afternoon I found myself double billing as both production and talent. Dancing my socks off in dresses that begged to be moved in and suits that wanted nothing to do with being pristine white any longer. Here’s the winners. Sometimes you get to have your cake and eat it to. I considered myself so lucky that day.
Photos Jimmy Marble Producer Vacation Theory
