Van Dam Custom Boats cast in national retailer’s television commercial

Ben Van Dam and Jess Brown

The facilities and employees of Van Dam Custom Boats were recently cast to appear in a national television and web-based series of commercials for Sears, representing their Craftsman line of tools. The commercial production took place the week of Oct. 13 at the Van Dam facilities in Boyne City. In total, 35 individuals representing the production company, casting company, advertising agency and Sears came to Van Dam for a 12-hour one-day production shoot. The director for this commercial was flown in from Paris, France, while others came from Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Detroit.
Van Dam Custom Boats was chosen to be cast in this commercial from a field of 80 companies nationwide, and was chosen for their reputation in the field of custom wooden boat building, attention to hand craftsmanship, artistry and employee presence. Ben Van Dam and Jess Brown (pictured above) were cast as principals in the commercial. The advertising that will be developed from the day’s filming will consist of 15-second, 30-second and 90-second commercials. The commercials will air on television and on Sears’ website before year-end.