Meet the Stars from BBM Flirt Commercials!

If you’ve tuned in to your favorite TV show lately, you may have caught our newest “flirty” commercial for BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) playing on the small screen. We brought together a number of BBM enthusiasts to talk about how BBM helps out with their dating lives in the big city. You can check it out above if you need a refresher – because today, we’re going to meet Bethany, Tashon and Lauren, and find out who they are, how their filming experience went, and what they love about BBM.

Continue reading to meet all the stars from the BBM Commercial!

BETHANY

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.
I grew up in a small town in Western New York, and had the opportunity to explore the world beginning with a sabbatical to China in 1999. This led me to study in Mandarin Chinese before moving to NYC at the age of 18 to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. While in school, I joined the fashion industry and began getting some on-set experience. Currently, I am a freelance hair & makeup artist living in Brooklyn.

What did you think when you were asked to talk to the world on camera about how you use BBM?
Well, it really wasn’t a stretch for me – I am an avid BlackBerry® smartphone user and everyone knows it! My constant preaching finally found its rightful place and I’m happy to share my love for my BlackBerry device!

If you BBM a friend and he/she reads it, but doesn’t respond immediately, is that a deal breaker? Any other BBM deal breakers?
Of course it depends on the conversation, but normally I figure either they are thinking about what I said or they don’t want to respond. If I was PING-ing someone and they didn’t respond…I might be offended.

TASHON

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.
I was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where I attended a prep school and went to college in North Carolina. I’m a really physically active person, and I enjoy pretty much any and every sport. The sports I’m strongest at are boxing (I competed as an amateur for about five years and I am a Junior Olympic regional medalist), basketball (played throughout high school on the Varsity team and now in some intramural leagues), and football. Most recently, I’ve become interested in parkour (free running), and I take classes as well as performing small flips and stunts in Central Park. In my leisure time, I LOVE to go to comedy clubs and watch games and boxing matches at sports bars.

What was the BBM commercial shooting experience like?
Absolutely AMAZING! Everything happened very quickly – one day I was doing a video interview, the next I was shooting the commercial. As I mentioned before, boxing was a really big part of my life growing up, and the fact that I shot the commercial in a boxing gym was more than ideal for me. I got to jump back into something I love, and I was around a great crew that made me feel really comfortable, even though this was my first time shooting a commercial. It was truly a dream come true.

Do you use BBM emoticons? Which ones are your favorites?
I use emoticons in EVERY conversation. I feel like emoticons are a great way to show how you’re feeling in a conversation without using words. They are also a great way to accent a message in addition to what you write – they make the message that much more personal. The “Straight Face” and “Big Smile” emoticons are my favorite.

LAUREN

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.
I do a little bit of everything, but currently I spend most of my time buying vintage and local designer jewelry and merchandising it for display in a boutique in the city. I don’t like to limit myself in what I do; I am always finding new things I enjoy doing.

Do you use BBM emoticons? Which ones is your favorite?
Oh man! I love the emoticons! I think they are the only way to truly get a point across sometimes, because words only take it so far in describing an emotion or adding emphasis to your feelings. My favorites ones are dancing, talk to the hand, and on the phone. But I use at least one in every conversation, usually the wink or smile.

What is your favorite BBM feature?
Can I say how fast it is? It’s literally instant. I love it. But if I can’t use that as my answer, I would say I love the ability to send voice, video and picture messages instantly. It is incredible how a friend of mine can be in another city or continent and I can instantly shoot over what I am doing right then and there, whether by voice or photo.

And that’s it for our BBM superstars! What did you like the most about new commercial? What are some of your BBM deal breakers? Let us know in the comments!