POWERGRAMS

Be Better Protected Being his brothers' and sisters' keeper put Drew Saucier in the oddest position: wearing a tiny two-piece ladies bathing suit. Saucier was venturing into unchartered waters for an Alabama Power lineman as fellow employees filmed him swaying in the surf of Dauphin Island, yet he was willing to go that extra mile for safety. Without acting experience, Saucier took on the role of "Mayhem" for the Mobile Division's entry in the 2013 Target Zero video contest, prompting a landslide victory in employee voting. The video borrowed from the popular advertising campaign, which urges viewers to be better protected from unexpected dangers. Saucier, 36, was on a committee picked to come up with a strong safety video concept. General Clerk Cindy Vives, Michigan Avenue Complex, suggested Mayhem. "About two minutes later," Saucier was preparing for the role of his lifetime by watching lots of Allstate commercials. The committee brainstormed safety ideas before choosing 14 areas of concern, said Distribution Operations Center Manager Jill Stork. Those topics were divided between employees who wrote scripts that would be woven into a 5-minute video. None of the committee members had any "Hollywood" experience. Over the next few days, IT Analyst Marvin Brown and Telecom Electrician Shaun Barnes traversed the division filming multiple takes of Saucier and 10 employee extras. General Clerk Tami Hall joined Stork and the crew to ensure consistency, apply makeup and attach appropriate bandages for "injuries" suffered by Mayhem. The video filming had to accommodate the normal work schedule of each employee. The committee also wanted to highlight as many areas of the division as possible, such as downtown Mobile, the Causeway and Dauphin Island. There was a script for each video segment, with room allowed to ad-lib all but the specific safety concern. "Drew was a good sport, did whatever we asked, whether it was to wear a two-piece or jump overboard into hot jellyfish," Stork said. "We just had a lot of fun. It was a great group and we were proud of the video." The contest's top three safety videos were posted on Powerlines in November, allowing employees two weeks to cast their votes. But little time had passed before Saucier began being recognized as Mayhem. "People would come up to me and say, 'You don't know me, but I know you! You're Mayhem. You did an awesome job,'" said the Creola resident. While viewers may have given the most credit to Saucier, the six- year employee said the key to the video's success was the efforts of Brown and Barnes. Stork agrees, noting that much of their editing was done during off time using their own equipment. Just as important as winning the video contest while spreading the Target Zero message, Stork said, was the opportunity to work with employees across the entire Mobile Division. Workers from Communications, Customer Service, Distribution, the Garage, Engineering, Power Delivery and Substations joined in the effort. "We developed relationships we will be able to carry on through the years," said Stork. By Chuck Chandler sAFETY 3 m AYhEm spuRs mObilE DiVisiON's TOp sAFET Y ViDEO Barnes and Brown put together the segments of the video that won first place. Barnes sets up camera for filming on Dauphin Island. Photo by tami Hall

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