The spotlight is on a Brooksville horse trainer whose skills turned a foal into the star of one of the most popular Super Bowl commercials.
Tommie Turvey, owner of Equine Extremist Entertainment, feels most at home training horses on his Brooksville farm.
He's no stranger to the big lights of Hollywood, either, as Turvey is well-known in the industry for getting horses to do just about anything. But his most high-profile gig started off with a phone call in December.
"This is definitely a boost in my career," Turvey said.
He is the trainer behind the number one Super Bowl ad this year. The Budweiser ad is called "Brotherhood," and it centers around the amazing bond between owner and horse.
"It's a beautiful commercial, but you don't see the work that went into it," Turvey said.
He began by training eight different horses for two weeks. He finally decided on three to star in the 30-second spot.
From the foal in the beginning, to the dramatic sprint down the streets of "Chicago" (which was actually filmed in Los Angeles), Turvey was the man behind every trick.
"When they asked me to do this, I knew if this was me, I have to have control and say over what goes on," he said. "And they let me have complete control, whatever I said."
With that control came responsibility, especially for the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales. For example, the director needed the horse to run alongside the man who played the horses' owner in the beginning. The crew found a stretch of land they wanted to use, but Turvey insisted they fill in more than 400 gopher holes in the field to ensure safety for the horse.
"Anything you do with a horse could get it killed," Turvey said. "It could break his legs. Even slipping and falling on that asphalt would skin a horse up pretty bad."
That was a big concern during the dramatic scene that ended the heartwarming commercial.
Believe it or not, Turvey had never trained a Clydesdale before last month, even though he's trained plenty of other breeds on his farm. He says the trick to a good horse is a good trainer.
"I'm an old-fashioned trainer," he said. "I believe in carrot stick training. A whip, and carrots."
The whip and carrots were key to every scene, especially the most riveting one, which featured the reunion between the Clydesdale and his original owner. Turvey says it took plenty of practice to get that moment right, but the end result will give you goosebumps.
After the amazing ad aired, Turvey started receiving phone calls and even more interest in his talents. The next time Hollywood calls, he'll have the number one Super Bowl Ad already under his belt.
To learn more about Turvey and his business, you can visit his website: http://www.equineextremist.net/