Ted Mccagg describes himself as “a recovering ad man.” You may recognize him from the 2011 book Paper Doll Orgy, where Mccagg compiled doodles and drawings from his freelance time at places like Y&R and McCann (not to mention some juicy agency potshots in the book’s acknowledgements). Mccagg is back, now with a new film, Bloom, a John Hughes homage about two girls planning to lose their virginity the night before high school graduation.
While the film’s narrative covers standard ground in the teen-sex narrative, Mccagg has gone all out on the social media publicity front, briefly slipping back on his advertising hat. And all out might be an understatement. The movie’s promotional website includes detailed Proust questionnaires (28 questions) for the 10 main characters in their respective voices. There’s also a link to a blog where anyone can vote on who is more “V-Worthy” in head-to-head matchups. In addition to the site’s material, Mccagg has worked up an expansive world supplemental to the film: a character’s Tumblr dedicated to Neil Degrasse Tyson, another character’s book actually available for purchase on Amazon, etc. Once the movie premieres, Mccagg may want to look into a James Franco impersonation job.
Bloom will be released on August 5th.