PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- With Parris Island being a place that holds iconic value to Marines, it seemed only right that J. Walter Thompson Productions decided the Corps’ newest recruiting commercial, “America’s Marines,” would be set here.
Production crews spent last Sunday through Friday on the Depot filming the commercial, which is scheduled to air this fall.
“America’s Marines is a prequel to our last commercial, ‘America’s Few,’ with the Silent Drill Platoon,” said Justin Baum, the commercial’s creative director. “It tells the story of how these young men got to where they can stand on line and defend our nation.”
The commercial includes Marines from the Marine Barracks in Washington and the Depot.
At 8th & I, male Marines throughout the entire detachment were screened for the commercial, but only 10 were selected, said Capt. Salvatore Nigro, the paid media awareness officer from Marine Corps Recruiting Command, in Quantico, Va.
Meanwhile, a casting call was held on the Depot for drill instructors who wanted to take part in the filming.
“We hand selected each Marine,” Nigro said. “We made sure they were all very physically and mentally fit to portray what the Corps has to offer.”
The commercial took a year and a half of precise planning between JWT and the Corps.
“The production crew had one week to make this epic commercial that showcases what the Corps has to offer,” Nigro said. “We just hope it’s appealing to our target market prospects.”
The Marines in the commercial were proud to be a part of history.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Lance Cpl. Ben Lee, a Marine from the Silent Drill Platoon who is in the commercial.
“To be a part of this commercial, where I can represent what I worked so hard to achieve is just amazing.
“I’m flattered that I was chosen to be a part of something of this scale,” added Lee, from Tulsa, Okla. “I get to show the struggles recruits go through that make us the tip of the sword.”
With the commercial airing this fall, the entire cast and production crew is excited to see the final product.
“We’re showing it like we’ve never shown it before,” said Baum, of Atlanta. “We’re making the viewer part of the action this time.”
Baum hopes the commercial reaches a broader, newer audience.
“We’re making this commercial like something you’d expect to see in a blockbuster movie,” he said.