The Mob Rules in Mafia-Themed Freshpet Ads
Sopranos' Steve Schirripa leads a rough bunch
Serve your mafia dog Freshpet. Or you could wind up sleeping with the fishes.
Sopranos actor Steve Schirripa leads a grizzled cast of TV and movie hoods in the :60 below from Terri & Sandy. It’s darkly funny stuff, with wiseguys Schirrpa, Johnny Williams, Robert Costanzo and others in fine felonious form.
So, they killed that guy. Ha! Ha! Gangsters are so mean.
Seriously though, that development gives the spot just enough edge. Way better than copping out. (No cops allowed!)
“This was a dream project because it let us take our campaign to trunk-slamming extremes,” says Terri & Sandy creative director Todd Condie. “To top it off, we got to surround Steve with some of the world’s greatest character actors.”
The commercial broke last week during Netflix NFL co coverage. Versions will continue to air across TV, social and digital platforms. Hungry Man’s Dan Opsal directed.
“Shooting ‘My Boy Junior’ was the most fun I’ve had on set in years,” Mike Cicale, also a T&S creative director, tells Muse. “The conversations between takes were laugh out loud funny. Steve’s ad-libbing was perfect and the chemistry between the actors could not have been better.”
Initially, Schirrpa wanted to use his own dog for the spots. But that idea got whacked.
“Our opening shot proved a bit complex for a pup—and Steve agreed,” Cicale says. “The good news is, we were able to sneak in a quick photoshoot with Steve and Willie.”
Coming soon, to a wanted poster near you: