One of the television ads in Travel Alberta’s new tourism marketing campaign features a father-and-son duo from Jasper who were recruited on the spot while fishing at Maligne Lake.

Paul Keays and his son Ben, 12, just happened to be in the right place at the right time and were noticed by producers of the ad campaign, explained proud mom Chrystal Keays.

“They were just up there fishing while they were scouting the location,” she said. “They didn’t have to audition or anything.”

The producers took a series of still photos of Paul and Ben on the initial scouting trip, Chrystal added, and the pair apparently had just the look Travel Alberta wanted for the commercials, so they were asked to star in the video shoot.

The filming was initially set to take place over a full weekend, but with perfect weather – including a natural rainbow that features prominently in the ad’s closing shot – the shoot took just one day, Chrystal said.

The new ad campaign is aimed at promoting the “authentic experiences” that would-be visitors can find in Alberta, so she also found it fitting that this particular commercial, which is all about fishing at Maligne Lake, features true local fishermen in their natural element.

“They used my husband’s boat and everything,” she said.

All of the ads in the campaign can be seen online at www.youtube.com/TravelAlbertaCanada and the title of this particular ad is “Families Grow With Water.”