Titan Casket, a company co-founded by former Marblehead resident Scott Ginsberg, has announced David Dastmalchian as the first-ever celebrity casket brand ambassador.
Dastmalchian, an award-winning actor who has appeared in films such as “Oppenheimer,” “Dune,” and “Suicide Squad,” was announced as the company’s celebrity ambassador last month.
According to co-founder Josh Siegel, the company has taken on a “Caskets Going Hollywood” strategy in order to help families by attempting to “normalize end-of-life planning at scale, ensuring that every farewell is not only affordable but profoundly meaningful.”
Last year, Taylor Swift used one of the company’s caskets in the music video for her hit song “Anti-Hero.” The company also recently appointed Elan Gale, who has directed a plethora of reality tv shows such as “The Bachelor,” as creative director.
“We were looking for a while to find a partner who both believed in the mission and believed in what we were doing,” Siegel said. “And could very authentically talk about why it was important to engage with end-of-life planning ahead of time.”
Siegel said that Dastmalchian was interested from the jump, and a partnership was formed. Dastmalchian commented on becoming the company’s ambassador in a press release.
“It’s an honor to represent Titan Casket, a brand that’s not only making end-of-life planning more accessible and affordable, but also initiating crucial conversations around it,” Dastmalchian said. “The savings, convenience, and education that Titan offers while purchasing a casket is so important, and normalizing end of life planning is an important conversation I look forward to having in the months to come.”
Under a Federal Trade Commission law known as the funeral rule, consumers have a right to purchase caskets outside of the funeral home rather than purchasing from the home, which in many cases, can help families save money on their loved ones funeral.
Ginsberg said that educating people on their options is an important reason as to why they are taking the celebrity approach.
“We’re looking to really normalize conversations in this space,” Ginsberg said. “It’s something nobody wants to talk about today and that is the primary reason why we are doing all of this.”
“The key to what we’re doing is to educate the consumer, letting them know they have options today, and we’re helping consumers not take an emotional loss and turn it into a financial loss,” Ginsberg added.
The company was started by Ginsberg in 2016 after he had worked in the casket industry for more than 20 years. In 2018, Siegel was brought on after spending roughly a decade working for Amazon, where he managed the delivery of large items.
Titan’s website was launched in 2020 after 18 months of developing a “direct-to-consumer brand,” and the company has grown steadily since.
Ginsberg said getting the celebrity involvement has been an “out-of-the-norm” experience for them, but said that he’s enjoyed the experience of working with different celebrities.
“It’s been a really exciting ride essentially,” Ginsberg said.
“To see not only celebrities and such successful people willing to partner with us, but also the access to the platform they have to talk to more families is just incredibly rewarding when you start a business from scratch,” Siegel added.