Joel Moss Levinson always knew he had a calling in life. But it took cheap video cameras, YouTube and some desperate corporations to show him what it was.
Levinson’s skill is turning out homemade corporate commercials — what advertisers call a form of “user-generated content.” Companies, frantic to connect with younger consumers, sponsor contests seeking these commercials to find new ways to advertise their products, often attracting hundreds of entries and lots of attention.
So far, Levinson, a college dropout with dozens of failed jobs on his résumé, has won 11 contests — earning more than $200,000 in money and prizes. His success has made him into the digital age version of Evelyn Ryan, the woman from Defiance, Ohio, who supported her family by winning commercial jingle contests in the 1950s and ’60s.
While Mrs. Ryan’s talent was in writing, Levinson’s is in performing. He won $100,000 from Klondike after filming himself in the Arctic singing about Klondike bars. He won four months worth of free hotel stays from Best Western for a song he performed about his water cooler. When Little Penguin wine asked customers to film their best pickup line, Mr. Levinson submitted a video of his efforts to pick up a toy penguin, and won a trip to Australia.
Photo by Joel Levinson.
Jaclyn on November 6th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
This i have to say is definitely proof that you can make a living doing just about anything! while it was amusing to read about this young man’s way of living, at the same time…you gotta give him credit, he’s probably got a better life and somewhat easier then most of the corporate america people out there do.
Homejobsite.com on November 6th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Being able to work with what you love doing is priceless!
Homejobsite.com on November 6th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
You gotta love it!
cassy on November 7th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
You can’t really judge a person by his appearance or performance before. Maybe its not yet his time. Time will come that he/she will be successful. Just believe in your Self !