Miami Beach Casting Call for ‘Breaking Up With Spring Break’ Ad

The city government of Miami Beach has decidedly called off its turbulent romance with the concept of spring break. This decision comes to light in a one-minute viral advertisement featuring three contemporary young individuals of varied ethnicities boldly ending their “harmful relationship” with spring break. This video was explicitly sponsored by the city administration to dissuade mischief-prone youths planning a springtime retreat at the city’s picturesque coastline in the month of March. The video garnered 3,000 reposts and close to 5,000 likes on X (previously known as Twitter), procured 601 upvotes and 311 comments on the subreddit r/Miami, and spurred a chain reaction of remixes on TikTok.

The ultimate effectiveness of this strategy remains to be ascertained, as several users from TikTok and X criticized the advert for potential racial subtext, given that a significant portion of the “tourists” the advert discourages are young people of color, and a good percentage hail from Greater Miami-Dade County nearby. The Miami Beach city administration shelled out $250,000 on an advertisement firm for the creation of the video, city spokeswoman Melissa Berthier tells the press. “The expectation was for the actors involved to reflect the diverse demographics of Miami-Dade County,” Melissa elaborates. “Miami Beach Is Breaking Up With Spring Break”
From a radiant woman of color sat on the beach sand to a handsome young man of Hispanic heritage, the advertisement presents a range of characters, all voicing lineaments of a toxic relationship. The actors, reading from a script, express resentment towards opportunistic tourists keen on making trouble during spring break. Lastly, “Casting Call for Miami Beach Tourism”
Castingland, a local talent company that finds the “right talent for advertising, fashion, movies, music videos, and TV shows,” was responsible for handpicking the actors included. Despite providing handsome compensation, the company looked for actors with natural beauty capable of communicating in English without any discernible accent. The company sought three actors aged between 20 and 30, each bringing a unique flavor to the table. The actors were required to submit a self-taken video reading the lines appearing in the completed advertisement. “Part of a Larger Campaign”
The “Breaking Up” advertisement is a key aspect of a wider initiative pursued by the Miami Beach City Commission to temper the riotous spirit of spring break. As part of the campaign, outdoor advertising warning partygoers of fun-ruining measures and an amendment in local marijuana laws have been introduced. During the second and third weekends of March, city authorities plan on implementing additional parking rates, beach access restrictions, bag checks, DUI checkpoints, license plate scans, and sidewalk café shutdowns on Ocean Drive. Please note: This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Casting Call Sheet for Miami Beach Tourism obtained by our members.