08.06.2007
Chad’s circle
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Clockwise from top left: Michael Busch (Sprint), Scott Halberstadt (Cingular), Ian Gould (T-Mobile) and Matthew Brent (Verizon) portray wireless salesmen in the popular Alltel MyCircle commercials. |
We know them from a series of clever commercials for Alltel’s My Circle calling plan. Their comic timing and tense camaraderie have raised cell phone sparring to nerdy new levels. But who are the five young actors who bring these mini-sitcoms to life?
Scott Halberstadt
(the Cingular guy)
Perhaps best known for his role as Eric on Nickelodeon’s series “Drake & Josh,” he graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., and moved to California in 1999.
Where are you from, originally — and what inspired you to get into commercial acting?
I am originally from Connersville, a small town in east central Indiana. I went into acting in general, not just for commercials, but for anything that I could get. I like the challenge of putting together a 30-second movie and creating a character in a very short time span.
What was your funniest (or strangest) encounter with the public?
I get recognized on a fairly regular basis now, either for the ads or for my role on “Drake & Josh.” I did 16 episodes of the show, so I get a lot of kids that know me from that, as well. Someone woke me up in a laundromat once while I was waiting for my clothes to dry. Not really funny or strange, unfortunately.
What can you tell us about your character’s back story?
I’m the leader, the bully and a hothead, but more talk than action. Why the other three don’t tell me to take a hike is one of the great questions in my life. I’m really not very nice to them. Just because we’ve teamed up against Chad doesn’t mean that I won’t stab them in the back the second we’ve eliminated the threat of My Circle.
What other projects have you been working on?
Besides “Drake & Josh,” I have appeared in the films “Smokin’ Aces” and “Grandma’s Boy” as well as some other small TV roles. Commercials have been good to me. I did spots for Alltel, Snickers, Toys R Us and a few others last year. Hopefully, things will keep heading in the right direction.
Who is the most well-known person you have talked with on your cell phone?
Pick a cast member of “Drake & Josh” and that probably does it.
What is your favorite ring tone?
I am a strictly “set to vibrate” kind of guy. If I did have a ring tone, I think it would be the “A-Team” theme. I saw a guy with his very young son and that was his ring tone. He heard it ring and told his son, “Oh, ‘The A-Team’ is calling,” and his son seemed very impressed. Can’t beat that.
(the Sprint guy)
He got his start in sketch comedy and improv while in high school and now performs regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles.
Where are you from, originally — and what inspired you to get into commercial acting?
I am originally from Ohio, outside of Cleveland. I moved to Los Angeles five years ago to pursue comedy, not necessarily commercial acting specifically. I was involved with theater growing up.
What was your funniest (or strangest) encounter with the public?
Maybe the weirdest thing was, I was washing my hands in the bathroom at a bar and a guy just walks up next to me at the sink, puts his arm around me and takes a picture and walks away. Like I was just a piece of scenery you take a picture in front of while on vacation.
What can you tell us about your character’s back story?
He is a time-traveling accountant and part-time dragon slayer from another dimension who invented buses, macaroni and cheese and rapcore. Of the three, he is only proud of macaroni and cheese.
What other projects have you been working on?
I recently finished a run of my one-person sketch-show hybrid called “Busch on Bridges, Beards & Board Games.” I’ve also recently appeared on “Ghost Whisperer,” “Human Giant” and Burger King ads.
Who is the most well-known person you have talked with on your cell phone?
On my cell phone ... Bill Hader, maybe? Aziz Ansari? I don’t know, who’s big with the kids these days?
What is your favorite ring tone?
I’m a purist. I use the Morse code function. Vibe-dash-vibe.
(Chad)
The path to his Alltel gig began when he booked his first national commercial: “It was a television spot for Nintendo’s Tetris 2. Wow, Tetris 2?! That takes me back.”
Where are you from, originally — and what inspired you to get into commercial acting?
I’m originally from Illinois. A lot of people assume I’m from California, but I’m as Midwest as they come. I believe my inspiration to pursue commercial acting came from one look at the residual checks. I moved to Los Angeles shortly after.
What was your funniest (or strangest) encounter with the public?
I’m recognized pretty regularly due to all the exposure of being Alltel’s spokesperson. They chose to use my actual name for the character, so it can be a little wild when I hear people I don’t know shout out, “Hey, Chad! What’s up?” It still catches me off guard and I’m like, “Do I know you? How’d you know my name?”
What can you tell us about your character’s back story?
Chad was an Alltel store manager, and he is really into Alltel phones and services. He is always excited to take the brand message out to the public and meet his fans. The rest is just me being me on my best behavior.
What other projects have you been working on?
Currently, I’m in an improv group known simply as “Steve” and collaborating with friends of mine in a comedy sketch group we call “Gravitas Comedy.” Also, we’re in the works of getting our own loosely scripted television series, “Finding the Kallisters,” picked up. I play a fun character, Bill Kallister, who consistently is on the brink of a total meltdown.
Who is the most well-known person you have talked with on your cell phone?
Joe Mantegna.
What is your favorite ring tone?
Well, right now I have one called “Afternoon Chill,” but I change them all the time. Ask me tomorrow and my favorite ring tone could be “Blame It on the Bossa Nova.”
(the Verizon guy)
He has worked as an actor for six years, appearing in numerous commercials. He also attended the same high school as Harrison Ford and Hillary Rodham Clinton, Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Ill.
Where are you from, originally — and what inspired you to get into commercial acting?
I’m from Morton Grove, Ill. That’s a suburb of Chicago. I learned early on and continue to believe that commercials are a steppingstone to bigger and better things within the acting business. They really do “pay the bills” and get you some great exposure.
What was your funniest (or strangest) encounter with the public?
The five of us went to Little Rock, Ark., for the Alltel convention. The Alltel headquarters are located in Little Rock. We all went out for dinner and drinks one night, and, to all of our surprise, we got mobbed by fans of the commercials. It actually felt like we were a boy band on tour. It blew our minds. Hilarious.
What can you tell us about your character’s back story?
My character tries his hardest to be “the muscle” of the Alltel competition. He gets enough courage to stand up to Chad and the other sales guys, but when things don’t go his way — and they never do — he gets frustrated and backs down immediately. He is in training to toughen up a little bit.
What other projects have you been working on?
I recently worked with Steve Carell on an episode of “The Office” and also did an episode of a new show on ABC Family called “Greek.” I’ve been working on creating a sitcom and hope to one day get that show on TV.
Who is the most well-known person you have talked with on your cell phone?
I’ve talked to many well- known people, but my cell phone was still in my pocket.
What is your favorite ring tone?
My favorite ring tones are the theme songs from “SportsCenter,” “Baseball Tonight” and “The NFL on Fox.”
(the T-Mobile guy)
An actor for almost two years, he decided to look for work in commercials as a way to start his career — and to become a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Where are you from, originally — and what inspired you to get into commercial acting?
I am originally from West Hartford, Conn. I was inspired to “get into” commercial acting ... to get into the union SAG. Commercials tend to be one of the easiest ways to do that because they are so short and only require a “look,” not a “name” or a long list of television credits.
What was your funniest (or strangest) encounter with the public?
In L.A., I’ve only had people come up to me maybe two or three times. Everybody else here is an actor. At the Alltel management conference, everywhere we went, people came up to us, asking for pictures, etc. We only stayed there for one night, but of course the night we were there it was Mardi Gras, so the streets and bars were packed.
What can you tell us about your character’s back story?
He’s just a nice, geeky guy who goes along with the other guys’ plan because he has no other friends. That’s why I look so scared all the time. The idea is that I am really bad at what I am doing, but that I try really hard to not mess things up. He’s maybe the most endearing of the bunch, just not so smart.
What other projects have you been working on?
Right now, I’m working on a play that I’ve been doing off and on for a year and a half, called “Bukowsical.” It’s essentially a play within a play about the life of Charles Bukowski, set to music. We got accepted to the New York [International] Fringe Festival, so in addition to a run here in Los Angeles, I’ll be heading to New York for about 10 days in August.
Who is the most well-known person you have talked with on your cell phone?
I try to talk to my family as much as I can; they’re well-known enough for me.
What is your favorite ring tone?
I keep my phone on vibrate because I don’t like to distract people with my ringer. I don’t know if you saw the commercial with the vibrating phone ... so, I guess, insert joke here ...