Stunt Master

When Jeb Quaid began his advertising course work at Creative Circus four years ago, he probably thought he would have to put his two hobbies, playing drums and stand-up comedy, on the back burner when he landed his first agency job. Later this month, however, Quaid, a 30-year-old copywriter at DDB in Chicago working on Bud Light, will see his three interests—music, comedy and advertising—come together in a strange confluence of events. Quaid will be playing drums with Cheap Trick at the Peoria, Ill., Civic Center. But he won't be playing as himself; he'll be performing as Ted Ferguson, the helmet-and-goggle-wearing "Bud Light Daredevil" character he helped create for Budweiser. "It's too big for me to comprehend," says Quaid, who penned Bud Light's newest tagline, "Always Worth It," and is also the famous new face of the brand. "I'm going to be playing 'Surrender.' " Quaid, who developed the campaign with his partner, art director Aaron Pendleton, and group creative director Mark Gross, has been trying to balance his behind-the-scenes agency job with his newfound celebrity in front of the camera. "It's been crazy," says Quaid, who has been making public appearances as the Daredevil around the country, including bar tours requiring security handlers to keep his public at bay. "I like it. I'm not going to lie. It's fun."The popularity of Ferguson has caught Quaid somewhat by surprise, especially since the character "is probably an exaggerated, more intense version of myself," he says. Introduced late last year, the character is reluctant to shed his youth and pushes the limits of his mundane reality with Jackass-style stunts. In the first spot, "Listening," he stands in front of his girlfriend's door, announcing that he is about to "attempt one of the most dangerous stunts I have ever performed. I am actually going to listen to my girlfriend." The cameras follow him inside, and as his girlfriend talks about where the relationship is leading, Ferguson nearly hyperventilates. He buckles over and his buddies come to his rescue with oxygen and a bottle of beer. In "Work," he stays "two minutes past 5, on a Friday!" he boasts. In other spots, he attempts to watch a movie his girlfriend picked out and go shopping with her on a game day.Ted's back story, says Quaid, is that he has a day job where he works in tech support at a furniture company. "He could be absent-minded, but he is passionate for stunts. It's what he lives for," he says, explaining a minidocumentary called Under the Helmet, which can be seen on the Ted Ferguson Web site. "The other characters around him don't quite know what's going on, but to him, this is the biggest thing he's done in his life. The comedy comes out of how intense he is about something so incredibly minor."A former stand-up comic, Quaid landed the starring role by accident. The team made a spec spot with Quaid to sell the idea, and the pitch last fall made such a lasting impression that the client couldn't see anyone else carrying the role as effectively. Despite trying to cast for the part, the team kept returning the Quaid. "We couldn't find someone who could fit," says Rick Leininger, director of the Bud Light brand at the client. "[Quaid] was clearly the guy who could deliver it the best. He wrote it. It was easy for him," he says.Described by Leininger as a "witty, lovable guy," Quaid studied business psychology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., before turning his attention to an ad career. A hand-recording of his observational comedy routines, plus a strong portfolio, caught the attention of Gross, who oversees DDB's creative group on Budweiser, and Quaid was hired in fall 2004. "We look at a lot of comedy guys for the group. In addition to his book being strong, we felt it was a great blend that he was a funny guy," Gross says. After several months of nothing, Quaid and Pendleton "hit a hot streak," says Gross. They sold several ideas for Bud Light, including the Ted campaign, "Zagar," "Brewmaster Ling" and a "headless horseman" ad for Halloween.The pair threw out the basics of the idea of Ted Ferguson as an internal meeting was wrapping up last October. "We just pitched it verbally at the last minute. We were trying to figure out basic truths, exaggerate them and make them fun. He's a daredevil hero, but all he does is normal, everyday things that everyone has to do." With Hungry Man's Bryan Buckley in the director's chair, they produced "Listening." They tried to stay true to the amateur video style of the original spec spot while adding cameras. "It was a very strange and great experience. The potential for me getting into a situation that was really odd was huge, but it was never to be because Jeb was cool," says Buckley of working with the creative-as-talent. "I couldn't believe how comfortable he was in front of the camera." Feature audition opportunities are cropping up, but for now Quaid is content balancing his dual roles as creative and talent. "I'm taking it day by day," he says. "I definitely like acting. I've always liked writing, too. ... I'm just happy people like the idea."

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Stunt Master

Eleftheria Parpis

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Eleftheria Parpis