A few years back, Super Bowl XLIV was played in Miami in 2010. I was all over the place that year, flying all over the world. It was insane!
Out of nowhere we got a call – and I was honored to be offered a spot to perform at the Super Bowl, and also to be featured during the game.
“What? Hello? No WAY! Is this Aston Kutcher?”
A camera crew was sent from CBS sports to my humble warehouse studio in Houston.
Man, I cleaned that studio! Got new carpet, organized, and a crew of half a dozen folks showed up to shoot me painting the starting quarterbacks.
They brought in one of those train track camera mounts and lights and everyone had a job and was doing it. We shot all day from 8 to 5 for a 30 second spot. I learned how to shoot video watching those guys, and we have shot quite a bit since then.
I was to perform live at a VIP party and they were supposed to cut away to me during the actual game as I painted Dan Marino and they got his reaction to it. This teaser was to help that go over and make sense. But CBS and the NFL couldn’t agree. So sorry, but no cut away, no mid game stuff. Welcome to show business!
Both CBS and the NFL were very kind to me though. No hard feelings. That’s just how things go.
CBS was kind enough to bump the placement of the promo to right before the game which was amazing! And then they thanked me on the air for the paintings. Wow!
I also performed for the CBS Early Show on the beach at dawn and then performed a series of short shows at a VIP party on game day. It was exhausting, but again, amazing. We were so exhausted that we dropped a quart of yellow paint out of the SUV at the hotel. You should have seen us dealing with that! Fortunately, there was a garden hose nearby. Whew! We still laugh about that at Team Paintjam.
After the performance, my manager, tour manager and myself were able to find empty seats at the top of the stadium and catch the halftime show featuring the Who – what a thrill to see the Saints win their first Super Bowl! Strangers were hugging each other! It was literally insane! I am from Houston, and we love our Louisiana neighbors and were so happy for them. It was thrilling. One of the truly great moments of my life!
So now, I sit at home and watch the Super Bowl every year on TV with family and friends, understanding it on a deeper level, and happy for my day in the sun.
Last fall I was in Yakima performing and I painted a speed painting of Russell Wilson which was auctioned off for thousands of dollars for charity. I thought it turned out well, or at least as well as It could in the few minutes I had on stage to paint it!
So, in all fairness, and just for fun, I decided to paint an opposing portrait of Tom Brady in my studio today. Which one do you like best?
Enjoy the game.
Dan
