Point Reyes Light- July 20, 2000

Dillon Beach sheep ranchers bask in unlikely stardom

All that time spent at the William Tell House finally paid off for Dillon Beach sheep rancher Dio Choperena, who was discovered at the Tomales watering hole in April by a talent scout hoping to cast someone for a $250-million ad campaign for AT&T Wireless Services.

Now Choperena can be seen in full-page advertisements in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and the Sacramento Bee, on billboards, and starring in 30-second spots on all the major television networks.

Call it meteoric, fortuitous, or outright ridiculous, Choperena's transformation from Tomales Bay rancher to national pitchman all began when a talent scout drifted into Diekmann's General Store on Easter Sunday and asked at the counter if there were any sheep ranchers around.

A Tomales contractor, Andy Day, overheard the conversation, and directed the talent scout a few doors down to the William Tell, where the colorful Choperena and his wife Monica are known to stop by for a few drinks with their friends.

Acting naturally

After talking with the scout, the couple agreed to a screen test at their home. The talent scout videotaped the rancher walking, talking, and acting naturally. It must have been some performance, because the Choperenas said the scout immediately dropped to her knees and told him, "Thank God I've finally found you."

As it turns out, the San Francisco ad agency FCB Worldwide had been searching for 18 months and interviewed nearly 350 people to play the role of a humble shepherd who connects to the world through the use of AT&T Wireless Services. Choperena, a Basque who emigrated to the US nearly 25 years ago, was exactly the man for part.

"It's weird," concedes Choperena, 45, who still speaks with a strong Basque accent and looks downright bewildered when talking about his sudden stardom.

(Despite a running joke around Tomales that Choperena needed his lines dubbed in by another actor, the rancher is only pictured speaking into his cell phone and never heard.)

Chileno filming

In the introductory ad, filmed in Chileno Valley, Choperena stands on a remote hillside and makes a series of calls to family, friends, and business associates, who all arrive on command. The first to greet him is his brother, with a fond embrace.

Asked if he knew anyone who could play that role, Choperena suggested the obvious: his 40-year-old brother, Javier, who is also a sheep rancher who also lives in Dillon Beach. The ad agency enthusiastically agreed.

The television ads were filmed over a period of about a week in May. During that time, about a thousand extras, including contractor Day and a few other Tomales residents, flocked to the Chileno Valley location to play alongside the Basque brothers in their lead roles.

Then, while Javier Choperena stayed behind in West Marin to pose for the print advertisements and mind the sheep, Dio and Monica were flown by private jet to Southern California to film more commercials.

Star treatment

It was Dio Choperena's first trip to Los Angeles, all expenses paid. Filming took place at Universal Studios, the Tejon Ranch, and in the Mojave Desert. These ads show him and his flock of sheep visiting upscale restaurants, movie theaters, a tennis match and a stock market.

Rancher or not, Choperena received the star treatment every time he arrived on the set. "In this business," he explained, "everyone treats you just wonderfully."

Choperena still chuckles about the filming, especially when he recalls the director begging the other actors to act more realistically around sheep. "They used Hollywood sheep," Javier explained, with a trace of disdain. "Ours are too wild."

Depending on who you ask in Tomales, brother Dio is making anywhere between $50,000 and $1 million for his side gig. Whatever the figure, his wife insists that show business has not spoiled her husband, as the mud on his boots attest. "When they were all through, he was back fixing a fence," she said. "It's just another job to him."

Choperena's contract commits him to appear in a total of 16 commercials over a two-year period. However, only West Marin residents equipped with satellite television are likely to see them. AT&T Wireless isn't running the ads on the local network affiliates because the service isn't available yet in the Bay Area, to sheep ranchers or anyone else.

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