Deuce Spruce was a product hosting a video contest through website Tongal focused on helping people have their toilets smell better when they spray things in them. It was intended to be a competitor to PooPourri I think, but it turns out the world only has a little bit of room for such a spray? Either way, anyone who knows me knows singing about the toilet was right up my alley, and I am thrilled to make and win video contests with entries like this – done with my brother and our oftentimes partner Joseph Binetti. For those curious to learn how to win more contest entries, I’ll draw your attention to a few highlights. This contest entry features:
- Original music
- Jokes
- Attractive people
- A “full” gospel choir singing something ridiculous.
- Multiple locations
I probably should also call this “How to Win video contests using a toilet,” but I actually am prouder of the Gospel choir part.
First, here’s the winning contest entry for Deuce Spruce
Where did you find a gospel choir willing to sing about taking a dump?
Ok, so – this is the magic of the camera. They are not a gospel choir. They’re a bunch of actors from Los Angeles I cast to look like a gospel choir, who’s only requirement was to sing and clap and lip sync – but they also had these epic robes, right? I bought those robes on ebay.
As for the singing and the music, that was all me except the two lead actresses. I recorded myself singing in about 4 different octaves, then put it all together with some plugins on logic pro x (which is my favorite tool for recording.)
Why?
- It’s hard to work with singers. I know my voice isn’t very pretty or Ray Charles’y or something, but at least I know what I want and can get it fast.
- I was able to only hire actors for a single day this way. If I was to hire a gospel choir to sing, and then have them back on a separate day it would double the costs of the entry. Not cost effective.
What did you win for this video contest?
I know how much anyone reading this wishes the answer was a lifetime supply of deuce spruce, because that is SO much funnier than winning cash – but you don’t pay bills with toilet spray (usually?) so I’m happy this won some cash.
The economics of it looked something like:
$800 for actors
$100 for robes (purchased for a previous contest entry with Bud Light, so free for this contest)
1 day of writing and recording music, 1 day of recording the two lead actresses, 1 day of the full shoot.
The prize was $7500 or $10,000 (it’s been a while , can’t remember exactly) which was shared.
Can I win video contests too?
Hell yeah you can! And they’re really fun! But I also have developed a pretty firm belief that the only reason I’ve won so many is because I was willing to lose so many more. My secret ratio is Lose 10, Win 1 – I’ll explain it in a book someday I think. But for right now just know that to win, you’re gonna have to be prepared to lose a lot, too!
What is Deuce Spruce? Is it the same as PooPourri?
Deuce Spruce was a product designed to do the same thing as Poopouri, to make your toilet not smell after you poop, especially convenient (as it indicates in the song) for people who are pooping at a friends, familiy’s, date’s or loved ones house.
How does toilet Poo smell remover work?
You spray it in the bowl. It makes a layer of oil, so when your bowel movement hits the water, it doesn’t splash back up into the air, but creates a tight seal over the surface of the water – trapping the smell of everything inside.
What is the secret to win video contests?
- Enter.
- Do something no one else is doing, but normal enough that you don’t freak out the suits
- Use music if you’re good at writing catchy songs.
- Use jokes if you’re funny.
- Mention a family member who has an incurable disease, or feature any major life set backs that you’ve overcome (this is basically the same as getting into an Ivy League School – you think they’re keeping out valdictorians who already beat cancer by age 15?)
- Have fun!
- Prepare to lose 90% of the time.
Products Mentioned In This Post
- PooPourri (for making the toilet not smell after a BM)
- Tongal (for finding and entering video contests)
- Deuce Spruce (no longer available but you can find other things that make the bathroom better Toilet Spray on Amazon)