SANTA PAULA, CA-November 18, 2009-BendPak Inc. has tapped some of the automotive industries brightest stars to appear in the wildly popular "This Is My BendPak" magazine campaigns. Beginning with Jay Leno in October, 2007, these advertisements have become an iconic mainstay in mainstream automotive enthusiast publications. Big names such as Ryan Friedlinghaus, Rich Evans, Alex Xydias, Pete Chapouris, Jimmy Shine and the late Boyd Coddington have already been featured in BendPak print ads. Now, Jesse James of West Coast Choppers, Monster Garage, Jesse James is a Dead Man has inked a deal to appear in the next round of BendPak's revolutionary campaign.
Jesse James and BendPak first forged a business relationship almost a decade ago in 2000 following the Discovery Channel documentary "Motorcycle Mania." BendPak approached James about selling a Ranger specialty motorcycle lift under the West Coast Choppers label. The deal never went through, but when Jesse James became involved with the groundbreaking series Monster Garage, BendPak / Ranger provided the four-post lift and other shop equipment for the production in 2003. Since then, Jesse James has been using BendPak equipment to assist in his custom builds, both on television and at his Long Beach-based enterprise, West Coast Choppers.
"The thing that a lot of people don't realize about our celebrity spokespeople is that they were our customers first," said BendPak Marketing Vice President, Jeff Kritzer. "We don't shovel a bunch of money at them to be in our ads. They're just big fans of our stuff, which is a huge testament to how good our products really are."
The photo shoot for the ad took place in early October 2009 in James's own West Coast Choppers garage in Long Beach. Although West Coast Choppers features a beautiful on-site showroom, Jesse James insisted that he be photographed in the garage where he actually works. The ad will run in several popular automotive magazines in early 2010.
On the style of the upcoming ad, BendPak's Marketing Manager, Marcus Graczyk commented, "A guy's garage says a lot about who he is. Jesse's shop is a pretty no-nonsense setup, but he still keeps a lot of authentic nostalgia kicking around. That kind of energy really comes through in the ad and in the words Jesse chose."
Jesse James is a custom bike and car builder, producer, publisher, television host and restaurateur. In 2000, James started his TV career with Discovery Channel's "Motorcycle Mania," and in 2002 produced and starred in the international television hit, Monster Garage. Before his TV gigs, James started West Coast Choppers by doing what he loved: building motorcycles in his mom's garage. As an expert welder, Jesse produces only 12-14 bikes a year, making a very long wait list for his coveted custom machines.
More recently, Jesse established his own production company, Payupsucker Productions, and in 2004, he became publisher of Garage Magazine and launched Payupsucker Publications. In 2006 he opened an eco-friendly burger joint, Cisco Burger in Long Beach, CA and in 2007 he launched a new clothing line called Jesse James Industrial Workwear.
Based in Santa Paula, CA, BendPak Inc. is one of the world's leading suppliers of professional service equipment for automotive and commercial use. For information contact BendPak Inc. at 805-933-9970 or visit their web site www.bendpak.com. General press inquiries: info@bendpak.com
BendPak and Ranger Products are registered trademarks, in the U.S. and other countries.