Agoura resident wins film contes

Lance Laspina may not have sampled a TAKE 5 candy bar before he produced one of the winning commercials in the Hershey Company's "TAKE 5 and Believe" contest, but the new chocolate bar is now a favorite.

Laspina's video was chosen as one of the best "taste and believe" moments sponsored by the Hershey Co. He won $500 for his 60second "Angry Mob" commercial to plug the Hershey's assertion that TAKE 5 is the "greatest candy bar ever."

The tongue-in-cheek spot depicts a birthday party where children break open a piñata only to find that the birthday clown had hogged a l l the TAKE 5 chocolate bars. The now-angry mob of children lunges at the clown to reclaim the favorite candy.

"I was very excited we made it into the top five," Laspina said.

An Agoura Hills resident, Laspina, 36, is a professional filmmaker who recently produced the documentary "Painting with Fire" on fantasy a r t i s t Frank Frazetta (www.cinemachine.net).

Laspina said he didn't try the candy bar until the day the commercial was shot but "it was actually pretty good."

The nationwide contest ran from May 9 through July 31. Consumers were invited to capture the "essence, spirit and taste" of TAKE 5 candy bars.

The $10,000 grand prize winner was a Florida resident with the entry "Simpering Idiots."

To view the commercials, visit www.thegreatestcandybarever.com.