POOLMAN
BACKGROUND///
Poolman: A Cult Classic in the Making—Before It Even Premiered. Chris Pine’s directorial debut, Poolman, took the plunge on May 10 with a splashy twist: a bold, low-budget campaign that became Vertical’s most successful social rollout to date. With limited paid media, the film relied entirely on organic momentum—and delivered big.
In just 30 days, the content generated over 2 million unique impressions, boosted followers by 3,000%, and drove a 1,112% traffic surge from Instagram alone. The secret? A wildly offbeat grassroots strategy that leaned fully into Pine’s lovable oddball protagonist, Darren Barrenman—a civic-minded pool cleaner and Los Angeles local hero.
We kicked things off with a deliberately kitschy, local-style TV ad for Darren’s pool biz, Awesome Aquatics, complete with a real phone number fans could call and leave voicemails. From there, we amplified the character through a fictional political campaign for LA City Council—quirky, sincere, and weirdly persuasive.
As the premiere neared, we launched an AI-generated stunt that invited fans to create and share their own bizarre Poolman-inspired visuals for a shot at merch and premiere tickets. The campaign’s character-first storytelling led to authentic, integrated partnerships with cultural tastemakers like @LaExplained, @InfatuationLA, and @TheDodo.
And the final splash? Pine himself surprised fans by showing up to his own premiere fully in character as Darren—cementing Poolman not just as a film, but as a full-on fan experience.
Watch all the fun below!
