BY BOB RAYNER
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Aug 12, 2006

SnagAJob is ready to make a national splash. To get the word out, it's counting on Donald Trump's first apprentice and a local ad veteran whose name is synonymous with work.

The Richmond company, an online job-recruiting business that focuses on hourly and part-time positions, snared $9 million in private-equity funding last month.

Clients include the Home Depot, Wendy's, Jiffy Lube and FedEx.

SnagAJob will use the money to upgrade its technology, expand its work force and launch a new sales effort.

SnagAJob also plans to unleash a national advertising campaign, starting in September.

"The goal is to make it so any time a person thinks about finding an hourly job, they think SnagAJob, and any time an employer needs to hire an hourly worker, they think SnagAJob," said Shawn Boyer, who founded the company six years ago and is president and chief executive.

That's why Bill Rancic and Cabell Harris joined the work force. Rancic, winner in the first season of "The Apprentice," was in town yesterday to shoot a SnagAJob commercial at a Shockoe Bottom studio.

Harris, who owns the Work advertising agency, was there to oversee the creative effort. He's been working on other parts of the spots since Tuesday.

Rancic has been making public appearances for SnagAJob for a couple of years. But this will be his first national commercial, except for a few connected with "The Apprentice." He's been careful about spreading himself too thin.

"I thought this was a good fit. I don't want to be one of those guys who's out there for the opening of an envelope."

Rancic said he was impressed by SnagAJob's entrepreneurial approach: "They're empowering the hourly worker. Nobody has really done that before. Hourly workers are the backbone of America."

The TV spots start running in September on national cable channels, including ESPN, Comedy Central, MTV and Bravo. The campaign also features outdoor advertising, direct mail and online. Boyer sees the first few months as a chance to build the company's brand -- and its experience with national advertising.

"We'll be learning the entire time we're doing this test."

Rancic is the perfect spokesman, Boyer added. "We wanted someone who is a good solid person, not risky. He's a good guy, very down to earth."

Rancic appears in one of three SnagAJob commercials.

Harris, working with Fiat Lux Films and director Ty Williams, both from Richmond, has crafted ads designed to cement SnagAJob's image as the top spot for online hourly job searches.

"It's a simple message," Harris said. "This is a classic awareness campaign. You can't always outspend your competitors, so you have to outthink them."

One commercial shows folks who are obviously in the wrong job: a burly guy in jeans waiting tables, a skinny guy struggling with construction work.

Another flashes on dirty dishes, a lifeguard stand, stacks of drywall -- all topped by "Help Wanted" signs. The voice-over: "What are you waiting for?"

Back in the studio, Rancic, standing in front of a blinding white screen, dives into one of his key lines: "Go online. Find a job. Get to work."

A smooth delivery.

"It would work a little better if you didn't nail it the first time," Harris jokes. "At least make it look a little more like work."

Rancic smiles -- and does a dozen more takes.