Science tells us we may be sharing our homes with far more creepy crawlies than we realize. In fact, the average home is home to around 100 different species of arthropods, which is why Raid has decided to harness this chaos in its new social media series, "Other Tenants," inspired by reality show , which brings insects to life in an incredibly dramatic form.
The campaign marks the return of the iconic insectoid characters from Raid after nearly a decade, with twisted confessions, chaotic alliances, and reality-TV-level villainy unfolding in a shared home. This incredible universe is being co-created by the popular comedian, content creator and former Miss New York Taryn Delaney Smith, who voices Philtina, a hit among the cockroach villains. Smith found the role surprisingly natural.
Taryn Delaney Smith says she felt like she was "really good" for the role of Philtina. Reid
When Raid approached Smith about voicing Philtina, she admitted her first reaction was laughter. "I laughed," she told The Blast. "I loved that they considered me as the inspiration for Philtina. I thought it was very fitting, and I mean that completely sincerely.".
And no, she wasn't offended by the comparison to a dramatic cockroach living in a kitchen cabinet. "I love that I give off this funny cockroach vibe that hangs out with all her friends in the kitchen cabinet—that's my vibe!" Smith joked. "That's exactly how I feel with my friends.".
For the brand's founder, this collaboration also marked a kind of closure, as she had previously worked with Raid in a completely different format. "I've collaborated with Raid before, when I portrayed a cockroach in a Met Gala costume, so this really felt like a kind of closure," she added.
How We Brought Raid's "Dirty Cockroach Villain" to Life
Raid
Although Philtina is a dramatic reality TV villain, Smith said the role gave her the opportunity to express her creativity in a way she rarely gets to. "I absolutely love voice acting, and I would say my biggest dream is to pursue voice acting on a more professional level," she explained.
The best part? The opportunity to fully commit to the process. "I think villains are always interesting because you can never have too much of a villain who's also a dirty bastard," Smith said. "It was really fun to let your imagination run wild and explore the different facets of the characters.".
Rather than transforming into an existing character, Smith said she worked closely with the Raid team in real time to create Filtina from scratch, experimenting with different voices, personalities, and even accents. "I got to create the character live with the Raid team, so we experimented a lot with different voices and accents," she shared. "It was a lot of fun, and we were laughing in the studio the whole time.".
Although The Other Tenants draws heavily on reality TV, Smith admitted she wasn't actually inspired by Bravo's famous villains. "I don't watch reality TV at all, sorry!" she laughed, explaining that her version of Filtina stemmed from her own fantasies about what a reality show featuring insects would be like.
Taryn Delaney Smith has opened up about her worst insect-related nightmare.
Raid
Despite spending time voicing a cockroach, Smith made it clear she's not a fan of cockroaches in real life. "I really don't like cockroaches," she admitted.
After living in New York for nearly ten years and now settling on a farm in the countryside, Smith said she realized insects were simply unavoidable, though some still haunt her. "After living in New York for almost ten years, I realized there's nothing quite like the New York cockroach," she recalls.
In one particularly horrific case, Smith says, a cockroach somehow proved strong enough to move furniture. "A New York cockroach once knocked over a picture frame on a mantel—that's how strong they are," she shared.
Now living in a nearly 200-year-old farmhouse, Smith says she's had to change her approach to pests. "You live with insects, and it never stops," she explained. "In an old house, insects are constantly trying to get in, and there's nothing you can do about it.".
Still, she draws a hard line somewhere. When she discovered mouse droppings in her attic and a realtor advised her to simply accept it as "country life," Smith refused. "I won't accept people living with mice in their homes," she said.
Smith says content creation wasn't an overnight success.
Beyond stand-up comedy and advertising campaigns, Smith has built a loyal online following with her relatable humor and witty stories, but she says becoming a professional content creator took much longer than expected. "When I met my boss, I was working in a call center," Smith said. Although she was encouraged to quit her job, she initially found it hard to believe that content creation could truly become a career.
Instead, she continued to work diligently. "For the first nine months, while I was figuring out my content, I basically went back to waitressing in clubs and bars," she explained, laughing at the irony of the situation: serving influencers one evening, then meeting them again a few days later at influencer events. "It didn't happen overnight," she emphasized.
Her advice to anyone who wants to become a creator.
Raid
After years of building her platform, Smith now offers one important piece of advice to aspiring creators: don't rush. "Until you've saved enough to cover six months' worth of expenses, or until you have a second source of income, don't be ashamed to continue working your day job," she said.
She also encouraged newcomers to fully immerse themselves in the creative process while still enjoying it. "It's supposed to be fun on 80%," Smith said. "If it's not, why are you doing it?"«
For Smith, the "Other Tenants" project perfectly exemplifies the type of projects worth taking on. "This Raid campaign is a great example," she shared. "It was easy to say yes because it was clear that Raid was at the center, and that made the project exciting for everyone involved.".
The article "Taryn Delaney Smith Plays a Nasty Cockroach in a New Project That's Perfect for Her" first appeared on The Blast.