‘Over 200 calls came in’: The Toronto ice company spotlighted in Drake’s new video

A photo composite of The Iceman company truck and Drake. (Left: @TheIcemanToronto via Instagram/Right: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young).

Jake Silva wasn’t planning to spend his Friday night fielding hundreds of phone calls from across North America.

But when one of the world’s biggest stars chose to livestream from his family’s ice warehouse and drive the company truck through downtown Toronto, Silva says everything changed.

“I would say in the first half of the livestream, there was definitely about 200 calls that came in,” he said. “It was very short notice. I got a call, basically on Wednesday, and they asked me if I’d be willing to lend my workplace for a shoot... it just grew from there.”

Iceman Episode 1

Dubbed “Iceman Episode 1,” the hour-long livestream debuted shortly after 9 p.m. Friday night, following several teaser posts on Drake’s Instagram page and an outdoor billboard campaign above the Eaton Centre.

The video begins inside The Iceman’s warehouse — located along Adelaide Street West, just west of Niagara Street — before Drake gets behind the wheel of a branded truck and takes it for a slow cruise through the city.

Along the way, fans spot him. Some cheer. Some film. One yells an insult — to which Drake fires back: “We’ll fold that up, right now.”

Silva says he never expected his family business to be recognized at this scale — a twist of Toronto lore meeting global stardom.

“During the actual livestream, it was pretty crazy … People from all over North America started calling us,” he said. “My father’s phone started blowing up from a lot of our customers.”

“My father started The Iceman close to 40 years ago,” Silva said. “And for the last 14 years, I’ve been working next to him.”

When will the album drop?

Drake hasn’t confirmed an official release date for the Iceman album, but the single What Did I Miss — his first solo drop since February’s $ome $exy $ongs 4U — has already sparked speculation online.

In the meantime, Silva says The Iceman continues to receive more calls than usual.

How did this collaboration happen?

Though the exposure came suddenly, Silva said the idea had been floating around for a while, adding that he knows others who’ve worked with Drake’s team before.

“I have a few friends, close friends, that have worked with Drake’s team before in the past, and there have been hints for a while that he was working on some sort of project that bears the name, or some affiliation with the name Iceman. We’ve been getting hints of that for a while.”

Even so, he didn’t expect the project to go public — or global.

“We have a name in Toronto within the hospitality industry, but our name isn’t recognizable beyond that,” Silva said. “So, it’s amazing. I’m just very appreciative of everybody that worked on it.”

“For a small company like ours, it’s great awareness for our brand. We don’t spend a lot of money on marketing or advertising, so I really appreciate the fact that Drake’s willing to collaborate with small companies like ours.”

Behind the scenes: Still business as usual

Despite the chaos of a major video production, Silva said the shoot was surprisingly respectful of his team and their day-to-day work.

“Before they started filming, it was pretty chaotic. I was extremely impressed … They were very respectful of the fact that we were still running the business while this whole thing was taking place.”

Whether the company will work with Drake again remains to be seen. But for now, Silva says he’s simply grateful.

“You don’t get an opportunity to have your logo up on the big screens at Yonge and Dundas for free unless you’re paying a lot of money,” he said. “I felt like the creative (team) was really incredible.

“I’m incredibly appreciative that they were willing to spotlight our small ice business. It means a lot.”

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