Valley insurance agent gets nationwide recognition for his role on State Farm commercials

PHOENIX - You never know when a phone call can change your life, and a Valley insurance agent is proof.

You may not know Patrick Minnis by name, but you've probably seen his face. He's currently appearing on one of the most popular ad campaigns on television.

Behind a rather basic business door on Broadway sits Minnis, a man who may not be famous, but is pretty close to it.

"My kids were so excited to see me on TV, and now they hear the jingle and they are like, 'not again!'" said Minnis. "They are over it."

You can say Minnis is a State Farm agent by day and TV commercial star by night. In the commercial, Minnis was seen next to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Minnis admits he almost fumbled his 15 minutes of fame when he didn't pick up the phone a couple of years ago, thinking the call was from a telemarketer.

"But that wasn't it," said Minnis. "They wanted to know if I wanted to audition for a commercial."

Minnis tried out on FaceTime, and won the role. He went out to Hollywood two days later, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Minnis thinks his past career as a sports reporter might have helped. 

Patrick Minnis

"Having a background in TV helped, 'cause I was used to being in front of the camera, and there were 50, 60 people shooting. So it was basically focus on what you're doing and not worry about making a mistake," said Minnis.

Minnis shot ten commercials last year. State Farm liked them so much, that they shot ten more. That means you’ll be seeing a lot more of Minnis on TV.

In case anyone is wondering, Minnis says both Aaron Rodgers and the actor who plays his sports agent are very nice guys. Minnis also says he gets residual checks every time one of those commercials runs on TV.