Last December, Lifestyle Family Fitness introduced the first wave of their new television commercials. The black and white artistic spots focused on the introspective part of working out. One featured a solo female and the other a male, set to inspiring music.

To further this new look and campaign, Lifestyle decided to create additional commercials. These were to have the same look and feel, but with a bit more activity. Producers were looking to cast the roles of male and female trainers, stationary bike riders, and a few others for still shots.

Where would they find such talent? Well, they didn’t have to look much further than the Lifestyle family – employees and members alike! After all, the focus of the commercial was to find real people who were fit because they work out at Lifestyle.

Casting notices and posters were displayed in many of the Florida-area clubs. The audition was open to employees and anyone with an active membership to Lifestyle Family Fitness. The Citrus Park club in Tampa was chosen as the audition and filming location because of its size and the Personal Training/Kinesis area (which was used in both instances.)

Auditions were held over two days, with great success. After the end of the second day, casting directors were confident they’d found what they were looking for. Most of the potential candidates fit the look and criteria they needed. They had found real members who credited Lifestyle Family Fitness for helping them reach their fitness goals. These were not actors who wanted to be in a commercial; in fact, most contenders said they had never done anything like this before.

Cindy Harris, a Tampa area doctor, said she got the urge to audition because she felt like she was a typical Lifestyle member. The girl next door who loves to work out and loves Lifestyle. “When you walk in, you immediately feel comfortable. I love Lifestyle; I’ve had several Personal Trainers and they’ve all been excellent. I thought it would be a lot of fun!” Harris said.

Jefferson Pinheiro, a Personal Trainer at one of Lifestyle’s Tampa clubs, said he auditioned because he had seen the other commercials and “thought I had a similar body type.” He said he felt pretty comfortable at the audition, because as a Personal Trainer, most of the movements came naturally to him.

For the actual audition, each person was directed to ride on a stationary bike as if they were “spinning for their lifestyle.” Pictures were taken and there was a brief chat with the director. Most of the applicants seemed comfortable at the audition, as it was held in a familiar setting – their Lifestyle gym! Callbacks were scheduled for a lucky few.

After a few days of deliberation, the talent was chosen. Six people were to represent Lifestyle Family Fitness in this new campaign. An overnight shoot, scheduled so it would not interrupt club operations, took place in May. It took a crew of fifteen almost 12 hours to get enough film for two 30-second spots.

The final results of this can be seen in July, when the new commercials begin airing regionally. Be on the look out for the newest edition of the Lifestyle Family Fitness TV spot. You just might see a familiar face!