WILLIAMSBURG — Two women who attend a senior program in Bensonhurst are currently featured in a billboard for Apple’s latest iPhone above the Superior Ingredients nightclub in Williamsburg on Wythe Avenue and North 12th Street.
Elaine Kerner, 77, and Vivian Patanio, 76, went to classes at the FIAO Il Centro Community Center, 8711 18th Ave., when the women, along with other members, were approached by a casting agency.
The billboard is also being displayed in San Francisco outside the Apple Store. Photo: Elaine Kerner
“They were casting people for an ad, and they wanted an older generation and different demographics of women to do it,” Kerner said. “We didn’t know who it was from. It was hush-hush in the beginning. They took pictures of the women who wanted to be involved.”
Days later, the two received emails asking if they were interested in being part of the next round of photoshoots, this time in SoHo.
“We said sure,” Patanio said. “It sounded like it would be a lot of fun. It’s something different to do, and we could meet people and see what goes on behind the scenes.”
The first day on set went on for four hours as they dressed the women in different outfits to see what the photographers wanted for the advertisement.
“It was very exciting and fun,” Kerner said. “They took us to SoHo, and they had other women there from a senior center. The whole premise of the ad was to show that not only do young folks take selfies; older people take them as well, and all generations take selfies.”
Even during the photoshoot, the product was still private.
“I could figure out it was for a phone company because every pose that you took was like you were taking a selfie without the phone in your hand,” Patanio said. “I wasn’t sure it was Apple, and they didn’t say, but you could kind of figure it out.”
After two days of shooting last December, the Brooklyn residents waited to hear if they made the final cut. As months passed, it looked like they chose other people.
Elaine Kerner, bottom right, and Vivian Patanio, top right, were featured in a billboard in Williamsburg for Apple’s latest iPhone. Photo: Elaine Kerner
“I didn’t think anything of it afterwards,” Kerner said. “January came and went. I didn’t hear anything, so I thought they didn’t pick me. Then, suddenly, in March, the woman from the casting company sent an email to both me and Vivian and said we were picked. She sent us a photo of the billboard in Williamsburg.”
Kerner, Patanio, other women featured in the photo and friends visited the billboard on March 26.
The advertisement features a photo of six senior women with a plate of lasagna. Underneath the photo, it reads, “Group selfies” and “Shot on iPhone 17 Pro.”
“It was a great experience and a lot of fun. Who would think at 77 that I’d be a model?” Kerner said. “It was amazing to actually see it in person because it shows a whole different perspective.”
“My daughter and son were so excited,” Patanio said. “I joke around and say, ‘Next stop is Hollywood.’ The Oscars — I’m coming.”
The advertisement has gone nationwide, and Kerner’s sister texted her a picture from San Francisco showing that the photo is up in front of the Apple Store there. The advertisement is also displayed in Manhattan.
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