Quick Take:
Bartender and tattoo artist Bear Nataraj Champlain is among 12 national semifinalists to, among other honors, get his face on thousands of cans of Montucky Cold Snacks lager.
This story was originally featured in this week’s Lily Belli on Food newsletter. Be first the first to hear about food and drink news in Santa Cruz County — sign up for Lily’s email newsletter here and text alerts here.
A local bartender and tattoo artist is in the running to be the official mascot of Montucky Cold Snacks. The Montana-based American lager brand has built a dedicated following since its founding in 2012, thanks in part to its kitschy label, philanthropic efforts (the company gives 8% of profits to local causes in the markets it sells in) and cheeky marketing. Earlier this spring, the company launched a mascot contest with the promise of putting the winner’s face on over 100,000 Montucky beer cans across the country. Davenport’s Bear Nataraj Champlain has been selected as one of 12 semifinalists.
“Supporting a beer that gives back to local communities like Montucky is something I always try to do, vote with my dollars in other words,” Champlain said about participating in the contest. “I’ve been growing my tattoo business account and learning the tips and tricks for content creation. It was fun to get to use those skills for something this lighthearted and fun.”
Champlain’s video can be seen here. Astute viewers will definitely recognize some of the locales, including the Parish Publick House in Santa Cruz.
“My partner Danielle is a designer and was my camerawoman/director and we had so much fun filming this skit over a few days,” he said. “We were thinking of funny things that we could do, the plans got a little wild, [and] there was a whole scheme about using our friend’s sailboat and filming a Titanic situation with Montuckies at one point.”
The winner of the mascot contest will also get to host a NASCAR raceday party where a NASCAR truck with their face on it will zip around the track, and they’ll have a chance to throw out the first pitch at the opener for minor league baseball’s Reno Aces.
Voting is open through Friday. Check out all of the submissions here.