Big Chair Productions executive producer Mark Campana and creative/director CJ Waldman won the business just months ago and have been charged with delivering creative and finished spots for three Boston Beer Company brands, Sam Adams Lager, Sam Adams Light and Twisted Tea. First out of the gate is a five-spot campaign for the Lager, all of the spots directed by Waldman through Big Chair (with help from Harvest, Santa Monica). Each spot shows a person who is initially angry, confused or otherwise defiantly choosing to do the opposite of what a friend or companion would like. When each tastes Sam Adams Lager, they forget what they were talking about. For example, in "Mess," a yuppie forgets he was pissed at his two slacker roommates and goes out to buy beer and chips for them. "Sister" has a brother forgetting his friend's sleazy nature, instead introducing him to his sister. In "Tape," Sam Adams facilitates a videophile's sharing of his homemade porn tapes with his friends, while in "Engagement," the lager clears a fellow's head long enough for his friends to warn him to get his bride-to-be to sign a pre-nuptial agreement. Finally, in "Tranny," a young man who learns his lover used to be a man forgets his apprehensions and continues to get it on. Waldman wrote all of the spots except "Mess," which was written by "Tall" Paul Olkowski. The tagline of the national campaign is "Mighty Tasty."

The campaign was created, shot and posted in a two-week period.

"This is the most efficient operation. Can you imagine an agency selling and producing spots in two weeks?" asks Waldman, crediting the client, Robert Hall, with understanding and streamlining the process.

"We pitched lots of campaigns, as many as we physically could in the testing and two campaigns tested pretty good. The client takes educated risks because they test the hell out of everything and it's still pretty good," says Waldman.

"All these spots came from my personal experiences from before I was married. Sam Adams used to be an old-guy beer and had this prestige attached to it, but nobody gave a shit about the fact it was the most awarded beer in brewing. So, we pulled it right down off its pedestal. I kept picturing myself right out of college, 25 years old, not making a lot of money and [having] all those relevant experiences, the bars, trying to pick up chicks. Personally, I was always the guy with the sleazy friends who wanted my sister."

Rob Cohn of Big Chair and Lucas Spaulding of MacKenzie Cutler edited the spots. Moving Images did coloring, Bang did music and shared sound design responsibilities with Marc Healey of MacKenzie Cutler. Fluid handled other post elements.

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