Community Corner

Lotto Commercials Film in Phoenixville

Two commercials were shot recently in the borough.

It wasn’t a typical day at the Slaninka household in Phoenixville on Friday.

“Do you eat eggs?” a man asks, passing through Paul Slaninka’s yard and wearing a bright yellow chef jacket.

Slaninka replies that he does, and the man says he’ll leave a whole crate for the family. Nearby, very large equipment is stacked, and thrift store chairs adorn the Gay Street yard. A refreshment table has sliced meats, candy and cheese and in Slaninka’s back yard, a group works on recording voiceovers under a tent.

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A film crew hit the borough last week taping two commercials for the Pennsylvania Lottery. Though many spotted them on Bridge Street, at the Phoenixville Senior Center or at Gateway Pharmacy, borough resident Slaninka got an up-close view of the production crew when they shot for most of the day in his yard and in his home.

The scout for the commercial looked at other towns but decided on Phoenixville, Slaninka said. The Phoenixville Senior Center, where Slaninka is a board member, was one of the locations, and when the scouts were there, they asked if anyone had a house they could use.

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“They took pictures [of the house] and they liked it,” Slaninka said. “Then a crew of 11 or 12 came, and they liked it too. They said OK, we’ll use it.”

That was just a few weeks ago, and on Friday, Slaninka’s yard was covered with equipment and props, and two large box trucks were pulled up out front. The crew filmed inside the house, Slaninka said.

“They swear that when they finish this it will look just like nobody was here,” Slaninka said.

Well, except for the extra eggs in the refrigerator, that is.

Slaninka, who serves as president of the Phoenixville Area School District board of directors, said friends and neighbors stopped by throughout the day of filming.

“They said, ‘what, did you win the lottery?’” Slaninka said.

He didn’t have many details on what was happening in front of the camera—an elderly woman was filmed eating spaghetti, and a young woman scratched off an endless pile of lottery tickets—but Slaninka said the two 30-second commercial spots should be ready for TV in just a few weeks. One thing the commercials won’t feature is that furry and familiar mascot.

“It’s not a second most famous groundhog commercial,” Slaninka said, referring to Gus, who’s featured in several lottery spots.

He noted that the crew was very professional and explained that his wife was very happy—although a little harried—about having the film crew at the home. The house was on the Phoenixville Holiday House Tour in the past, so the pair is used to inviting people into the home.

“My wife loves this stuff,” Slaninka said. 


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