The 'Amateurish' Ads for Rep. Howard Berman

By Shane Goldmacher // May 15, 2012 | 10:14 a.m.

Rep. Howard Berman has the backing of some of the biggest names in Hollywood. So why has a super PAC supporting his candidacy aired some of the lowest production-value political ads of the year?

One ad features a "worker" in a hard hat, but includes five seconds of dead time on screen with the worker only blinking. Another is a text-heavy spot in which almost every word narrated also appears on the screen.

The ads were paid for and produced by a super PAC that is boosting Berman in his marquee congressional match against fellow Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman after the two veteran Democrats were drawn into the same Los Angeles-area district last year.

The super PAC is not a low budget affair, having booked more than $175,000 in media buys in recent weeks.

And yet each of the ads "looks like it was done with somebody's home video camera," said Steve Maviglio, a California-based Democratic political strategist. "If it were sandwiched between an ad for a beauty parlor and a hamburger joint, it might not look so bad. But on the face of it the production is so amateurish."

Berman has plenty of Hollywood friends that could have lent a hand. Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen co-hosted a mega-fundraiser for him last fall. Just last week, Berman accompanied President Obama to a glitzy fundraiser at George Clooney's home.

Berman's own ads have been slickly produced. One features actress Betty White endorsing him and his "blue eyes." It has garnered more than 11,000 views online. For its part, the Sherman campaign has tried to make political hay of the pro-Berman super PAC, filing a Federal Election Commission complaint last week about illegal coordination. As for the ads themselves... "Let's just say we're somewhat surprised by them," Sherman spokesman John Schwada said. "They're competent."