Last week, organizations supporting marriage equality in Maine launched a t.v. ad with a series of Mainers talking about their support for equality. The ad is here and it's good. Maine's a small enough state that a lot of people will know the real people in those ads.
That brings us to Stand for Marriage, the campaign trying to repeal the state's same-sex marriage law via referendum in November. They don't have real Mainers in their ads. They need actors. That campaign sent out a casting call to find actors to appear in its anti-equality ads. $500/day. I'm not kidding:
Casting Director James Stiles is putting out the word that he’s looking for two “real Maine” women to appear in a television ad produced by supporters of traditional marriage.Actors, they're the next best thing to real people. But, if they're paid actors, they're not "real Mainers."
Stiles is looking for a “teacher type” and a “working waitress type,” both in the 35-45 age range. If you want to try out, he’s holding auditions from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 2) at the Howard Johnson in South Portland.
If you’re hired, it’s a three day gig that pays $500 a day.
Combine this with the fact that Stand for Maine is using stock images from a company called "Monkey Business" on its website. Stand for Maine will have plenty of money to run its anti-marriage effort. (Those two actors advertised for above cost $3,000 @ $500/day for three days each.) They need it some of it just to get people to be in their ads and on their website.
We're raising money for No on 1/Protect Maine Equality via ActBlue. Our side doesn't need to pay people to be in our ads. But, we'll need money to counter the other side's war chest. In Maine, every dollar matters and early money really helps. Voting in Maine starts in early October.
