Schaefer steps up to the plate in commercial

Brian Schaefer has performed in relative anonymity.

That was until the Advance native and ex-Southeast Missouri State baseball standout landed a plum gig in a Hardee's commercial that recently flooded local airwaves for several weeks.

Schaefer said he has been contacted by numerous people since the commercial, which he said will have a run of about two years and air in various parts of the country at different times, first was shown locally.

"I had a guy I played with at SEMO call me up," Schaefer said during a recent telephone interview. "He said he just saw me. He said, 'Is that you?' I said, 'It's me.'"

The 38-year-old Schaefer, a 1990 Advance High School graduate, was a talented outfielder at Southeast who still holds the school's single-season record for RBIs with 67 in 1995.

He then ventured out on a decade-long coaching career that took him to assistant positions at Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky and Belmont.

Schaefer said he almost stumbled by accident into an acting role that eventually would end up altering his career path while he worked at Belmont, located in Nashville, Tenn.

First commercial

Schaefer said ESPN officials were in Nashville in early 2002 to do a commercial promoting the upcoming Major League Baseball season.

Producers apparently called various local college baseball programs looking for players to appear in the commercial. NCAA rules prohibit college athletes from performing that kind of work.

Schaefer said Belmont coach Dave Jarvis told the ESPN producers about Schaefer: "I've got a coach who looks like he's still a player."

Schaefer said he went to an audition and got a part in the commercial. The acting career began to sow its seeds.

"It was such a big production for what just seemed like a small commercial. I thought, wow, this is something I was going to look into," Schaefer said. "I got an agent, and the next thing you know, I started doing some music videos, some commercials, even a couple of independent films. Nashville is such a hotbed for music videos, commercials, things like that."

Leap of faith

Schaefer continued to dabble in acting over the next few years while keeping his full-time assistant coaching position at Belmont.

Then he decided to take a leap of faith early in 2005 after receiving input from a variety of people he respected, including Southeast baseball coach Mark Hogan.

"I was undecided what I wanted to do. I had been coaching about 10 years. I loved coaching," Schaefer said. "I knew acting was a longshot. It's such a tough field. I did some praying about it. Coach Hogan was one of the people I talked to. Coach Jarvis said this is something you have to do. You can always go back to coaching.

"I said Lord, if this is something you want me to do, I'm from Missouri, the Show Me State, show me an arrow. About the next week, I got picked for a [sought-after] commercial. A couple more weeks later I got a letter from the Screen Actors Guild, saying I was eligible to join. I didn't even know what that was."

Schaefer figured those were enough signs. He quit coaching in the spring of 2005 and moved to Los Angeles in January, 2006.

"I loaded up my truck and headed out to LA," said Schaefer, who maintains a full-time residence in the Nashville area, along with his wife, who he met in 2005 right before making the move west, and their 15-month old son. "The rest, as they say, is history."

Not a big star

Schaefer's resume as an actor hasn't included any performances that most people would know about, but he has been able to earn a living in the profession as he continues to make his mark. He has had small parts in several movies in addition to appearing in various commercials. Those include "The Lincoln Lawyer," a 2011 film starring Matthew McConaughey, and "Jerusalem Countdown," a 2011 Christian film. Schaefer said he also recently booked a part in another movie that will be shot soon in Michigan.

"It's kind of like baseball," said Schaefer, who spends several days each week in Los Angeles and the rest of the time with his family at their home in the Nashville suburb of Antioch, Tenn. "I finally got to the minor leagues. Taking the next step, to the major leagues, is going to be a really big step."

Hardee's gig

While it's not exactly the big leagues of acting, Schaefer did land a coveted gig with the Hardee's commercial. He said it's his first commercial where he is the star.

"For the most part, it's the only commercial where I'm the one speaking to you," he said.

In the commercial, Schaefer -- who doesn't look much different than he did while playing for Southeast -- is walking in a field as he approaches a horse.

Schaefer, while eyeing the horse, says "I'm so hungry I could eat a ...." He then picks up a breakfast sandwich perched on a fence and continues: "double loaded omelet biscuit." He proceeds to takes a bite.

"I had to beat out about 200 at the audition, and the next thing you know, I'm with a horse eating a double loaded omelet biscuit," he said with a laugh.

No false hopes

Schaefer realizes he likely never will be a major star, primarily because he entered the field so late. That's fine with him because he said he's having a blast getting whatever work he can and providing for his family.

"I had no plans on being an actor. None. I loved coaching," he said. "I really feel blessed to have been given this opportunity. At this point, having some success ... I want to make a living for my family first and foremost. My wife [who works for an airline, which allows him to fly back and forth from Los Angeles to Nashville weekly] has been so supportive of me, 100 percent.

"My ultimate goal, I would love to produce movies. I would love to be on that side. If I could have my ultimate wish, I'd be on the production side and also play a part in the movie. Not be a Tom Cruise or a Brad Pitt. Obviously that's so hard to do."

Local roots

Schaefer's schedule, between his work in California and his time with his family in Tennessee, makes it difficult to get back to his hometown very often.

"I don't have any blood relatives left in Advance, but I've got some really good friends who I consider relatives," said Schaefer, whose father is deceased and mother lives in central Illinois. "I have some friends I stay in contact with, but it's tough to get back."

Schaefer also has stayed in touch with some of his former Southeast baseball teammates. He said he still follows the program, and isn't embarrassed to admit that he wants to keep his RBI mark.

"I keep track of the team, see if anybody gets close [to the record]," said Schaefer, who added with a chuckle: "Two years ago a couple of guys did. I'm glad I've still got that record."