On the set in Baltimore with America’s Oldest Brewery

The past three days have been busy for the Pavone and Yuengling teams. We’ve been hard at work in Baltimore shooting five new TV spots for America’s Oldest Brewery. Two will focus on the brand’s signature Lager, two will promote its Light Lager, and one will offer a look at Yuengling’s #3 brand, Black & Tan (that’s a shot above).

Although the shoot will produce five different spots, the goal of all of them is to capture the realness and authenticity of the Yuengling brand. Like Dick Yuengling himself will tell you, “You don’t need gimmicks to sell beer, you just need good beer.” These ads will take a similar approach: None of the jokes and clichés that we’ve all seen in so many other beer ads. Just a clear focus on the beer and the brand and what makes them great.

Six Baltimore bars – each very different from the others – were used as the backdrop for the Yuengling spots. Day two included a shoot at Fork & Wrench in the Fells Prospect/Canton neighborhood of Baltimore. It made a very cool location. We only wish we could have stayed to sample some of the very cool food.

In addition to providing some of the coolest bars on the East Coast, Baltimore also happens to be home to the director we’re working with: Jim Bartolomeo of Protagonist Films. Jim has lived and worked in New York City alongside filmmakers such as Darren Aronofsky, James L. Brooks and Barry Levinson. His commercial directorial credits include work with Century 21, Under Armour, ESPN, and Walmart.

Every good food and beverage TV shoot needs a good food stylist (or two), and we were lucky to work with Jonathan Lee. Lee is widely considered the finest beer stylists in the industry, as evidenced by his official title, “Live Action Liquid Pour Specialist,” as listed on his LA-based company’s website. His prior beer work includes TV spots for Grolsch Beer, Budweiser, Bud Light, and Coors Light.

Yuengling has been perfecting the art of making beer for 183 years, so it makes sense that it might take a little time to get the perfect shot of that beer. This shot required about an hour (16 takes) to get just right.

Sixteen shots (and countless practices) make for a lot of empty bottles. The labels on these bottles were applied by hand by our beer stylist, Jonathan Lee. They’re made from vinyl and use a special adhesive, that helps them stand up to moisture and the hot lights of the set.

The post-production phase of the Yuengling TV spots’ creation will include editing, voice-over work, and the development of original music. Stay tuned for updates on that whole process. We’ll also share the finished product, which is tentatively scheduled to air beginning next year in all Yuengling markets (14 states east of the Mississippi).