A few years ago, I was cast in a commercial for a home-caregiver company called Visiting Angels. It was an easy shoot to get to, since it was filmed a few towns away from where I live. Since the outdoor scene suggests cooling weather, they’ve been showing it each year during the autumn months. You can watch it here:

At first, the company advertised mainly on the kind of news channels that people I know don’t watch. If anyone said they saw the commercial, I would know the slant of their politics. Eventually, though, it appeared on other kinds of stations, like the Food Network. I was even recognized by one total stranger at a museum.

The company has also used a still from the commercial on websites for their local operations, as an example of the good service that codgers get from their caregivers.

Two problems, though: I have to convince directors and casting agents that I am not feeble, like my character in the commercial. And many people assume that this kind of work has made me rich. It hasn’t, since I got one small (though welcome) fee for my work.