AMSTERDAM – Agencies and production houses are endlessly in need of extras to star in TV commercials. In a parallel universe, the number of homeless people in the Netherlands are endlessly increasing as well. In Holland alone, there are about 40,000 people who don’t sleep with a roof under their heads based on the data gathered by Share International.
To solve these pressing problems, hitting two birds with one stone, DDB & Tribal Worldwide Amsterdam thought to introduce the two worlds. With the help of De Volksbond, an Amsterdam-based organization that supports the homeless, the agency created the first ever homeless extras agency.
As the name suggests, this is a first of its kind casting agency that manages homeless people so they could star as extras and earn an income. DDB & Tribal Worldwide Amsterdam called on advertising agencies and production companies to get the homeless under the agency as extras instead of looking elsewhere.
Due to the minimal roles that extras have to take on, a formal training on acting is not required. “DDB & Tribal Worldwide, Amsterdam and De Volksbond passionately believe that working in this industry can help to raise money and boost confidence among the homeless,” said DDB in a press release.
The talent fee that the homeless people will be getting will be divided into two–half of the fees will go to the De Volksbond to help the other homeless people in the country, while the other half goes to the extra directly.
To try this idea, In Case of Fire and Fono and DDB & Tribal Worldwide Amsterdam shot their very first TV commercial featuring the talents from Homeless Extras. Needless to say, the project was a success and will be hitting the airwaves soon.
