Kimmy Robertson & Twin Peaks: What Have I Done For You Lately III

Every once in awhile I get the chance to trot out some of my older work in advertising and today is one of those days. In my email, the ubiquitous message from YouTube, "Someone has left a comment on (insert video title here)". Oddly, joy does not immediately wash over one for the possibility that it's a complete slam is extremely high. I have one channel that features all of my professional work but the idea that anybody actually made any of the mazzilions of commercials on the Tube seems lost on many viewers. I had one punk call me a thief and said he knew I was claiming a work that was not rightfully mine. I sent him the director's name and listed the creation crew and never heard a thing back from him. Certainly not an apology. Advertising is a thankless job. Sometimes.

But not today. Today, I received a note from KimmyGloria who later revealed herself to be Kimmy Robertson from the American TV show "Twin Peaks" directed by David Lynch in the late 80s and early 90s.




We had cast Kimmy as the ditzy but oh-so-much-smarter-than-her-meathead-husband because she had gotten a free book of football stats with the purchase of a twelve-pack of Miller beer. The work was done at the Leo Burnett agency in Chicago. I had based the character on my partner, Alex Kroll Jr.'s, girlfriend at the time who could rip up a room full of footballers with her knowledge of everything from history to stats, strategy and players of the game. American football of course. Alex was the son of Alex Kroll Sr., then CEO of Young & Rubicam advertising in New York. He had been a star player on the Yale and Rutger's teams and did a year for a pro team which later became the New York Jets - so I had powerful real people from which to draw the concept. Kimmy was cast because of her innate sweetness and smartness and this is probably the only beer commercial ever made, save for the entire "Swedish Bikini Team" series, where the male characters are played exactly as most beer drinkers of this variety are. Dim. Kimmy is physically small but she carries this off huge as the only person in the room who knows WTF is really going on. The commercial won a number of awards and was well received by the client and viewers, Her note to me reads: "DEC you are now and always were so kind to me. Thank you!" Thank you Kimmy.

P.S. Kimmy's followed up her earlier note here: " Hi David, This is so interesting to me. I have watched stuff on YouTube but never posted a comment before. I only hoped you would see it. You were one of my really good memories, magic. You worked with magic. Only a few ever do."

Love,
Kimmy