Letter Carrier Holli Wood on the set of the USPS holiday commercial

CARMEL, IN — Her acting resume includes “The Helpers”, now that Carmel Letter Carrier Holli Wood is featured in the Postal Service’s holiday TV ad, which began airing Nov. 3. And yes, her name is Holli Wood.

Wood, a five-year postal employee, is deaf and can be seen using American Sign Language in her shot, delivering a package to a customer. Wood is also able to read lips.

The commercial shows actual employees working in processing facilities, collecting packages, and making holiday deliveries. The ad can be viewed here - Videos - USPS Holiday Newsroom - about.USPS.com

“It’s not magic that makes more holiday deliveries to homes in the U.S. than anyone else — it’s the hardworking people of the United States Postal Service,” a narrator says.

Earlier this fall, the Postal Service asked for employees who were interested in auditioning for a spot in the holiday ad campaign to send in an audition video. The offer was open to all employees and no prior acting experience was required.

According to Wood, “I saw a flyer on the time clock announcing the search for employees to audition to be featured in holiday ads. I went home to record the audition video and shot it all in one take”.

The employees featured in the ad, in addition to Wood, include letter carriers Dennis Dimapindan of Redondo Beach, CA; James Keller of Pasadena, CA; Stephanie Maldonado of Jensen Beach, FL; Richard Vallee Jr. of Hopkinton, MA; and William Glass, a Birmingham, AL, mail handler. They were flown to Los Angeles, CA where much of the ad was filmed. Wood’s portion of the commercial was filmed in Woodland Hills.

USPS predicts that employees will collect, process, and deliver between 850 and 950 million packages and a total of 12 billion pieces of mail this peak holiday season. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is ensuring USPS is prepared for peak 2021 through a number of investments and improvements around the country.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and service to fund its operations.

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