Daniel McKeague, a 36-year-old sales manager and father of three from Hugo, Minn., beat out some 12,500 contestants to become the new voice of the insurance company's duck mascot, Aflac announced April 26.
The announcement comes after an almost three-week search of online and in-person auditions, which included celebrities and actors. McKeague recorded a 30-second clip and posted it on Aflac's website; he was then one of 20 finalists called back for a second audition.
"McKeague's audition was immediately flagged as being funny and having good throaty range. So, he had the natural duck sound and was able to use his acting skills to nail the character of the Aflac Duck," says Laura Kane, Aflac vice president of external communications. "Throughout the call back process people were impressed with his ability to take direction and make you believe that he was the Aflac duck."
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Comedian Gilbert Gottfried, who voiced the Aflac duck since its inception in 2000, was famously fired last month after making insensitive remarks on Twitter about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which produces about 75 percent of Aflac's revenue.
"Gilbert's recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking in humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac," Aflac Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna said at the time. "Aflac Japan – and, by extension, Japan itself – is part of the Aflac family, and there is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times."
The first commercial with McKeague as the new voice aired Tuesday night on NBC.
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