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An Odessa mom and her triplets are the latest stars in a string of Beall's ongoing television campaign.
By JOSH ZIMMER
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 10, 2001
ODESSA -- Cheyanne Maseda got out of her green van early Wednesday morning, opened the sliding door and nonchalantly unloaded her cargo of bubbly triplets into a (specially designed, of course) baby carriage.
Nothing unusual about that, except when assistant production manager Franco Parente yelled, "Nice!" and brought the Masedas, along with a crew of a couple dozen people, to a halt.
Maseda, 28, and her identical, 2-year-old daughters had just finished a perfect take on a scene for one of Beall's Department Store's latest commercials.
The Odessa family had never come under the hot glare of bright camera lights before.
But they asked for it.
While Maseda and her husband Matt look at their rare, identical triplets with obvious adoration, they also wonder how to save for those inevitable expenses like college and weddings, costs that cripple many family budgets. Matt says that his wife, a part-time X-ray technician at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center, was the one who thought about putting their unique set of circumstances to use.
Several months ago, she answered an e-mail solicitation that went out to Beall's shoppers. The company, which has an ongoing promotional campaign focusing on customers instead of professional actors, was looking for a family to use in a spot for the Tampa area. She filled out the application and sent pictures. Then she got the call, which led to interviews and a sought-after chance at 15 minutes of fame.
"We're doing it to make money for college," Cheyanne said. "We're looking at this as being fun."
Over the course of several hours Wednesday, the family meandered through numerous aisles in the Northdale store as they played the role of a typical shopping family. A fast-moving team of production and public relations folks directed their almost every move as part of a promotional campaign that marks the expansion of several Beall's stores.
For the shoot, Alyssa was dressed in blue jeans, Bayley in pink pants and Courtney in a blue jean dress. Their hair was in pigtails.
Although the girls are barely talking, their excitement showed. And they weren't the only ones excited. "My mom's been telling everybody," said Matt, 31, a CAT scan technician.
They hope Wednesday's shoot will lead to more jobs for Alyssa, Bayley and Courtney. In fact, they were not even sure what Beall's would give them for the shoot. Karen Filips, advertising business manager for Beall's, said participants get to keep the store clothing they are wearing. Beyond that, she would not discuss compensation.
Unlike other parents with Hollywood-like dreams, the Masedas insist they will not push acting careers upon their daughters. Alyssa, said her mother, is "the more glamorous type" while Bayley is a tomboy and Courtney is laid-back.
"They probably won't even know they're on TV," Matt said.