<ul class="summary-list"><li>A 7-year-old bald pooch with backward-facing legs has been crowned the "World's Ugliest Dog."</li><li>Scooter, a Chinese crested dog, was nearly euthanized after he was born with a deformity. </li></ul><p>A bald Chinese crested pooch with backward-facing legs has been crowned the "World's Ugliest Dog" nearly a decade after he was saved from certain death. </p><p>7-year-old Scooter won top honors at the annual ugly dog contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, Friday, much to the joy of his owner Linda Celeste Elmquist, <a href="https://www.today.com/pets/worlds-ugliest-dog-competition-winner-scooter-2023-rcna90854" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the "Today" show</a> reports. Scooter – whose pink tongue often hangs haphazardly out of his mouth – was adopted by Elmquist seven months ago after his previous owner could no longer care for the pup, per the outlet.</p><p>His rise to fame comes after Scooter faced the prospect of euthanasia. Born with a deformity that has left his two hind legs facing backward, a breeder brought Scooter in to be euthanized in Tucson, Arizona, according to "Today." Luckily, the Saving Animals From Euthanasia (SAFE) rescue group, which Elmquist is a part of, intervened to save his life. </p><p>According to his bio on the <a href="https://www.sonoma-marinfair.org/worlds_ugliest_dog_2019_home/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds website</a>, there were initially doubts that Scooter would ever be able to crawl or walk freely by himself. But he soon proved skeptics wrong by improvising and using the strength of his front legs to propel himself forward, albeit with a wobble. </p><div type="image" title="Scooter struts across a stage while competing in the World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California on June 23, 2023." height="3978" width="5304" msid="101244430" hostid="261" sizebytes="3882882"></div><p>Elmquist told "Today" that Scooter simply sits back on his backward-facing legs whenever he gets tired, which he uses like a tripod. </p><p>But years of relying on his front legs means Scooter now requires some help to get around. As outlined in his bio, Scooter uses a wheeled cart to literally scoot from place to place, bought for him with funds donated by friends and rescue groups. </p><p>Deformity aside, Elmquist said that the "World's Ugliest Dog" winner is much like any other pooch, except for an extreme liking for Braunschweiger sausage.</p><p>Scooter is the latest victor of the quirky competition that's been running for 50 years. According to the website, the event seeks to celebrate the "imperfections that make all dogs special and unique." Contestants are often from rescue shelters and puppy mills.</p><p>Last year's champion, a 17-year-old Chinese crested Chihuahua called <a href="https://www.insider.com/mr-happy-face-crowned-worlds-ugliest-dog-2022-6">Mr. Happy Face</a>, was also adopted after he was saved from a hoarder's house and ended up at a shelter in Arizona. </p><p>Representatives for the "World's Ugliest Dog" contest did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. </p>

Scooter, a 7-year-old bald pup with backward-facing legs, crowned 'World's Ugliest Dog'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mr. Happy Face, a 17-year-old rescue pup, was officially named the '<keyword id="14295293" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="worlds-ugliest-dog" source="Orion">World's Ugliest Dog</keyword>' on Friday.</li><li>The Chinese crested-chihuahua mix was only given a few weeks to live when he was adopted.</li></ul><p>Mr. Happy Face, a hairless, 17-year-old Chinese crested-chihuahua mix, is officially the ugliest <keyword id="12129262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dog" source="Orion">dog</keyword> in the world.</p><p>The pup was named the "World's Ugliest Dog" at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds and Event Center in Petaluma, California, on Friday. Mr. Happy Face's owner, Jeneda Benelly, <a href="https://www.today.com/pets/pets/winner-worlds-ugliest-dog-2022-rcna35327">told NBC's "Today"</a> she rescued the dog in August 2021. The dog was saved from a hoarder's house and ended up at a shelter in Arizona, where Benelly adopted him.</p><p>Benelly shared more about her story with Mr. Happy Face on the <a href="https://www.sonoma-marinfair.org/worlds_ugliest_dog_2019_home/">Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds website</a>, according to "The Today Show." After deciding to adopt a dog during the pandemic, she met Mr. Happy Face at the shelter, where staff told her he "could have been inbred because he was so ugly." The veterinarian also suggested the dog could only have a few weeks to live because of tumors and other medical conditions. </p><p>"When I first met him, he was the happiest creature that I had ever met. He hobbled up to me and chose me," Benelly wrote. "I vowed that day, he would be so loved that he would never remember how awful his previous <keyword id="6360041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="life" source="Orion">life</keyword> had been. Love, kindness and mommy kisses have helped him defy the anticipated short life that we all expected him to have with our family."</p><div type="image" title="Jeneda Benally holds her dog Mr. Happy Face" height="4999" width="7470" msid="92477816" hostid="261" sizebytes="1703380"></div><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/25/us/worlds-ugliest-dog-mr-happy-face.html">The New York Times reports</a> that Mr. Happy Face and his owner won $1,500 and a trip to New York City to appear on "Today." Benelly concluded that her dog could help people learn more about rescuing senior canines. </p><p>"I believe that this humble soul is also being an example, in subtle ways, to help humans realize that even old dogs need love and a family too," she wrote on the website.</p><p>Today reports that most of the dogs that entered the <keyword id="11996702" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="contest" source="Orion">contest</keyword> were rescued from shelters and puppy mills. The contest's second-place winner, a Pekingese named Wild Thang, is a survivor of distemper, a disease the dog caught from a puppy rescued from a mill. The <a href="https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/petcare/canine-distemper">American Veterinary Medical Association describes distemper</a> as a contagious illness "caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of puppies and dogs."</p>

Mr. Happy Face, a 17-year-old rescue pup who was once given a few weeks to live, crowned 'World's Ugliest Dog'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mr. Happy Face, a 17-year-old rescue pup, was officially named the '<keyword id="14295293" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="worlds-ugliest-dog" source="Orion">World's Ugliest Dog</keyword>' on Friday.</li><li>The Chinese crested-chihuahua mix was only given a few weeks to live when he was adopted.</li></ul><p>Mr. Happy Face, a hairless, 17-year-old Chinese crested-chihuahua mix, is officially the ugliest <keyword id="12129262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dog" source="Orion">dog</keyword> in the world.</p><p>The pup was named the "World's Ugliest Dog" at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds and Event Center in Petaluma, California, on Friday. Mr. Happy Face's owner, Jeneda Benelly, <a href="https://www.today.com/pets/pets/winner-worlds-ugliest-dog-2022-rcna35327">told NBC's "Today"</a> she rescued the dog in August 2021. The dog was saved from a hoarder's house and ended up at a shelter in Arizona, where Benelly adopted him.</p><p>Benelly shared more about her story with Mr. Happy Face on the <a href="https://www.sonoma-marinfair.org/worlds_ugliest_dog_2019_home/">Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds website</a>, according to "The Today Show." After deciding to adopt a dog during the pandemic, she met Mr. Happy Face at the shelter, where staff told her he "could have been inbred because he was so ugly." The veterinarian also suggested the dog could only have a few weeks to live because of tumors and other medical conditions. </p><p>"When I first met him, he was the happiest creature that I had ever met. He hobbled up to me and chose me," Benelly wrote. "I vowed that day, he would be so loved that he would never remember how awful his previous <keyword id="6360041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="life" source="Orion">life</keyword> had been. Love, kindness and mommy kisses have helped him defy the anticipated short life that we all expected him to have with our family."</p><div type="image" title="Jeneda Benally holds her dog Mr. Happy Face" height="4999" width="7470" msid="92501359" hostid="261" sizebytes="1703380"></div><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/25/us/worlds-ugliest-dog-mr-happy-face.html">The New York Times reports</a> that Mr. Happy Face and his owner won $1,500 and a trip to New York City to appear on "Today." Benelly concluded that her dog could help people learn more about rescuing senior canines. </p><p>"I believe that this humble soul is also being an example, in subtle ways, to help humans realize that even old dogs need love and a family too," she wrote on the website.</p><p>Today reports that most of the dogs that entered the <keyword id="11996702" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="contest" source="Orion">contest</keyword> were rescued from shelters and puppy mills. The contest's second-place winner, a Pekingese named Wild Thang, is a survivor of distemper, a disease the dog caught from a puppy rescued from a mill. The <a href="https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/petcare/canine-distemper">American Veterinary Medical Association describes distemper</a> as a contagious illness "caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of puppies and dogs."</p>

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59515e22d084cc163f8b52ff-1804/gettyimages-800227640.jpg" alt="martha world's ugliest dog 2017" /><p class="source"><span>Justin Sullivan/Getty</span></p><p class="caption">A Neapolitan Mastiff named Martha rests on the stage after after winning the 2017 World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair.</p><p>In the high-stakes world of competitive dog shows, veteran judge Brian Sobel says first impressions make all the difference.</p><p>"I'll see the animal and say, 'Oh boy. Now this one gets my attention - from bulging eyeballs to growths to a tail that looks like it comes from another species. Maybe a tongue hanging out,'" <span>Sobel told Business Insider.</span></p><p>The <a href="http://www.sonoma-marinfair.org/worlds-ugliest-dog/http://www.sonoma-marinfair.org/worlds-ugliest-dog/">World's Ugliest Dog</a> contest, which Sobel has judged for about 10 years, celebrates the pooches whose faces only a mother could love.. On Sunday, a panel of judges crowned Martha - a 125-pound <span>Neapolitan mastiff with bloodshot eyes, buckets of drool, and baggy skin - the 2017 contest winner.</span></p><p><span>"This is 125 pounds of dog and 300 pounds of skin," Sobel remembered thinking when he first saw Martha. "It looked like something you see after someone has weight loss surgery."</span></p><p><span>Martha, who is three and a half years old, is a sight to behold. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/24/us/ugliest-dog-contest-california.html?emc=edit_ca_20170626&amp;nl=california-today&amp;nlid=76727526&amp;te=1">so-called "gentle giant"</a> stands on oversized paws. Fuzzy folds of skin hang over her eyes - and every other part of her body. Despite having two corrective surgeries on her red and saggy eyes, Martha remains blind in one of them. </span><span>She lives with her rescuer, Jessica Burkard of Penngrove, California.</span></p><p><span></span></p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5951682ba3630f65358b5496-1837/gettyimages-542889422.jpg" alt="world's ugliest dog 2016" /><p class="source"><span>Justin Sullivan/Getty</span></p><p class="caption">Jason Wurtz of Van Nuys, California, holds his dog Sweepee Rambo after winning the 2016 World's Ugliest Dog contest.</p><p>At the World's Ugliest Dog competition, held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair, contestants walk on a runway before the judges. Sobel said he evaluates the dogs on three categories: personality, appearance, and audience reaction. There are no scoring sheets or physical examinations.</p><p>"This isn't the Westminster Dog Show. It's the polar opposite of that. If a dog walks straight and looks perfect, like my former Labrador Retriever, he's not going to make it," Sobel said.</p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/595167b5a3630f1d008b597b-1801/gettyimages-800225064.jpg" alt="martha 2017 world's ugliest dog" /><p class="source"><span>Justin Sullivan/Getty</span></p><p class="caption">Shirley Zindler of Sebastopol, California, sits with her dog Martha after winning the 2017 World's Ugliest Dog contest.</p><p>Sobel said when they announced Martha as the winner, she laid down on the stage and remained totally unfazed by the photographers swarming around her.</p><p>"The jowls spread out three feet on each side of its face. It was really a unique dog," Sobel said.</p><p><span></span><span>The winning pup and its owner receive $1,500, a trophy, a free trip to New York City for media appearances, and bragging rights on the next trip to the dog park.</span></p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dog-before-after-100-years-breeding-science-german-shephard-dachsund-bull-terrier-bulldog-shetland-sheepdog-2017-5">Here's what popular dog breeds looked like before and after 100 years of breeding</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video                    

The head judge of the World's Ugliest Dog competition reveals how he picks 'winners'

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56d9a7db6e97c61f048bb75b-853-640/12391344_10155419055998644_2758024613409385778_n.jpg" alt="BrewDog" data-mce-source="BrewDog"><p class="source"><span>BrewDog</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Craft beer's beef with big beer is no secret. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rivalry between a major craft brewer and the largest spirits maker in the world show just how deep the animosity goes. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In one corner is Guinness, an iconic 257-year-old brand, backed by its parent company Diageo, the spirits market leader that also owns Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Baileys. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the other corner we have BrewDog, an independent Scottish brewer founded in 2007 that has </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/brewdog-founder-james-watt-interview-crowdfunding-craft-beer-and-how-to-start-a-business-2015-11?r=UK&amp;IR=T"><span style="font-weight: 400;">revenue of more than $48 million</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The craft brewer has called Diageo everything from "</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">dumbass corporate freaks" to manufacturers of "mass-produced rubbish" like Guinness.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We started BrewDog because we were bored of the industrially brewed lagers and stuffy ales that dominated the UK beer market,"&#xa0;<span class="message_body">Sarah Warman, BrewDog's head of marketing, told Business Insider.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span>"We won't conform, we won't apologise, we are punk and we will stand up for the beer in the face of anything."</span></p><h2><strong>The fight began in earnest in 2012</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The setting was the 2012 British Institute of Innkeeping Scotland Annual Awards, a seemingly innocuous industry event that became the setting for a surprising sabotage. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">BrewDog had been favored to win the award for bar operator of the year. The award went to a different group, however, even though the trophy had the name "BrewDog" engraved on it. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two days after the event, BII Scotland revealed that Diageo, a main sponsor of the event, had decreed that BrewDog could not win the award, threatening to pull sponsorship for future events. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Diageo apologized for the event at the time, calling the incident a "serious misjudgment by Diageo staff." (The company declined to comment on the incident to Business Insider.)</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56d9a8cb2e5265b9008bb777-533-400/brewdog%20news.jpg" alt="brewdog news" data-mce-source="BrewDog" data-link="https://twitter.com/brewdog/media"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://twitter.com/brewdog/media">BrewDog</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">BrewDog did not quietly accept the apology, seeing the move as part of a wider issue&#xa0;of establishment beer companies trying to stamp out&#xa0;craft brewers, which pride themselves on experimentation and complexity over profit. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"As for Diageo, once you cut through the glam veneer of pseudo corporate responsibility this incident shows them to be a band of dishonest hammerheads and dumb ass corporate freaks," the craft brewer </span><a href="https://www.brewdog.com/lowdown/blog/diageo-screw-brewdog"><span style="font-weight: 400;">wrote of the incident in the company blog</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. "No soul and no morals, with the integrity of a rabid dog and the style of a wart hog."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A backlash against Diageo blew up online, with fans posting more than 500,000 tweets supporting BrewDog in the #andthewinnerisnot hashtag. BrewDog wrote a </span><a href="https://www.brewdog.com/lowdown/blog/diageo-screw-brewdog-part-ii"><span style="font-weight: 400;">follow-up blog post</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in which it said the incident was far from isolated, painting "a picture of a very corrupt and dishonest organization."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Four years later, the company's opinion hasn't changed much. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Diageo was scared by the craft beer movement four years ago because it challenged their mass-produced rubbish,"&#xa0;says</span><span class="message_body">&#xa0;Warman.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> "They should be even more scared now."</span></p><h2><strong>Why big beer fears craft </strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Craft beer has been exploding in the UK in the past few years. In 2015, the number of breweries in the UK had jumped to more than 1,400, generating growth of </span><a href="http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2015/09/beer-guide-praises-uk-craft-beer-growth/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">more than 10% for the third year in a row</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The sector is growing, consumers are realizing the value of craft and independent brewing, and big-beer companies are just not cutting it any more with their unimaginative and passionless rubbish," Warman said.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56d9a8f62e52651a008bb6ff-853-640/1923794_10155433729473644_824492609803772339_n.jpg" alt="BrewDog" data-mce-source="BrewDog"><p class="source"><span>BrewDog</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The past four years have been huge for BrewDog. The company has gone from 67 employees brewing 22,795 barrels (<span>26,750 hectoliters)</span> of beer in 2011 to 540 employees brewing 113,190 barrels (<span>134,000 hectoliters)</span>. BrewDog has raised more than $30 million through crowdfunding, using what the company calls the "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/brewdog-founder-james-watt-interview-crowdfunding-craft-beer-and-how-to-start-a-business-2015-11?r=UK&amp;IR=T%20">Equity for Punks</a>" model. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As craft beer grows stronger, it has forced major beer companies to address the independent companies as competitors. That means taking steps to either wipe them out - or acquire them. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the BII incident, most of BrewDog's shots at big beer have been on the topic of acquisitions. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Acquisitions go against the very nature of craft beer - by commoditizing it, big companies are pulling the wool over customers' eyes," Warman said. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the US brewery Ballast Point was sold to Constellation Brands for $1 billion, BrewDog cofounder James Watt announced that BrewDog would no longer be ordering the brand for any of the company's 44 bars. </span></p><p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Sad about the Ballast Point deal this week. We will no longer be ordering these beers for our bars. We are 100% committed to craft beer.</p>- James Watt  (@BrewDogJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/666848092763877376">November 18, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="font-weight: 400;">After Anheuser-Busch InBev's acquisition of Camden Town, BrewDog stepped in with another comment on Twitter:</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>We will no longer be selling any <a href="https://twitter.com/CamdenBrewery">@CamdenBrewery</a> in our bars. We don't stock <a href="https://twitter.com/ABInBevNews">@ABInBevNews</a> beers.</p>- James Watt  (@BrewDogJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/678915275664830464">December 21, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It's just going to limit choice and lead to a further reduction in beer quality globally which is going to be bad for the customer," Watt </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/brewdog-founder-james-watt-interview-crowdfunding-craft-beer-and-how-to-start-a-business-2015-11?r=UK&amp;IR=T">told Business Insider</a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on the <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/ab-inbev-sabmillers-agree-merger-megabrew-2015-10">recent $108 billion<span> (£71 billion)</span></a> merger of the brewing giants AB InBev and SABMiller<span style="font-weight: 400;">. "It becomes this huge global monopoly, and those two companies have already not done much for quality beer."</span></span></p><p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The difference between craft beer and big beer. <a href="https://t.co/ICwp0VRShM">pic.twitter.com/ICwp0VRShM</a></p>- James Watt  (@BrewDogJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/674160387508555777">December 8, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Guinness, for its part, says it welcomes the rise of craft beer. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We've been banging the quality and flavor drum for decades, and it's a relief no longer to be in the minority," Emma Giles, Guinness' brand director, told Business Insider. "Yes, the thousands of new breweries are increased competition for Guinness, but we view that as inspiration for us, too, to raise our game."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unlike its rivals AB InBev and MillerCoors, Diageo has avoided acquisitions.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56d9a99f2e5265b8008bb6a2-960-720/10418396_10153465369786519_1798227368769166330_n.png" alt="Guinness Brewers" data-mce-source="Guinness"><p class="source"><span>Guinness</span></p><p class="caption">Guinness' Brewers Project.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead, it has tweaked Guinness' image to fit the craft mold, with initiatives like The Brewers Project, which </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/diageo-full-year-results-show-guinness-back-to-growth-2015-7?r=UK&amp;IR=T"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Business Insider UK's Oscar Williams-Grut called</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> "</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">a branding and marketing campaign tied to the launch of new Guinness beers, all trying to make the Dublin brewery look like a 'craft' beer maker of the type springing up across Britain right now."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It's a rebranding that BrewDog would consider deceit. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We support craft, and craft breweries should be independent, not bastardized by megacorporations who will compromise the quality of the beer to cut corners, cut people, and make a profit," Warman said. </span></p><h2><strong>2016: Payback time</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">BrewDog has never been silent in its disdain for big beer. But its rivalry with Diageo once again reached a boiling point last month. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>It's been three years, but tomorrow is payback time.<br><br>Hope Diageo have a sense of humour!<a href="https://t.co/QfbKh8azkh">https://t.co/QfbKh8azkh</a> <a href="https://t.co/VWWJ1ydJwq">pic.twitter.com/VWWJ1ydJwq</a></br></br></p>- BrewDog  (@brewdog) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/697398514393968641">February 10, 2016</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In February, BrewDog released an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/brewdog-parody-guiness-advert-2016-2">ad parodying Guinness' iconic surfers and horses commercial</a> to promote the new Jet Black Heart stout.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 1998 Guinness ad had a massive budget and featured surfers taking on massive waves as CGI horses galloped over them. BrewDog's version features Watt and cofounder Martin Dickie in a local swimming pool wearing a cheap horse costume.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56bc7ae06e97c61a008b68fa-1066-800/screen%20shot%202016-02-11%20at%2012.12.00.png" alt="BrewDog beer horse swimming pool" data-mce-source="BrewDog"><p class="source"><span>BrewDog</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Big beer advertising is b-------," Watt said in a press release. "If you have to spend millions of pounds on ad campaigns to get people to drink your beer, the brewing is probably being neglected."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Guinness declined to comment on the parody ad to Business Insider. But the brand's advertising has recently drawn from craft beer's styling as part of Guinness' rebranding.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Our brewers now star in our TV commercials, and there is way more information about our beer on the internet than ever before," Giles said. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While BrewDog's parody may cap off the era of the BrewDog-Diageo war, don't expect the craft brewer to stop speaking out against big beer anytime soon. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Being loud, reckless, and shouting about what we believe in has allowed our Punk army to grow to over 35,000 members," Warman said. "This incredible force continues to drive the craft beer movement forward and shows no sign of stopping."</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-toast-around-the-world-anheuser-busch-beer-america-ireland-china-2015-8">Here's how to toast around the world</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tyY255djpxQbJXmMZhKdQfK0UU6rttGZ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'tyY255djpxQbJXmMZhKdQfK0UU6rttGZ',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

The ugliest feud in the beer industry just reached a new boiling point

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Three years ago, Anders Boisen quit his 9-to-5 job in the city to live in a tiny house in the woods.</li><li>He was disillusioned by the need to conform to societal expectations of what his life and work should be like.</li></ul><p>It's been three years since Anders Boisen, 36, left the city to live in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diy-renovation-tiny-home-pilot-airplane-truck-before-after-photos-2023-4">tiny house</a> in the woods in Denmark — and he's never been more content with life.</p><p>This drastic lifestyle change was driven by his desire to break free from societal standards and live life on his own terms.</p><p>Like many Danish millennials, Boisen attended university, where he did his bachelor's in English and Business Communication and obtained a master's in Experience Economy. He spent the year after graduation living with a former girlfriend in a three-room apartment in Aarhus, the second-largest city in Denmark.</p><div type="image" title="A man carrying a crate of produce." height="3024" width="4032" msid="113108854" hostid="261" sizebytes="2365406"></div><p>After breaking up, moving out, and job-hopping a couple of times, he eventually landed a role with the local municipality. It was a stable, 9-to-5 job that paid him enough to live comfortably.</p><p>And yet, life felt stifling.</p><p>"The whole idea of conformity, that whenever you enter this stage of your life, you're expected to have a job where you sit all day by the computer, where you live in the suburbs, have two kids, have two cars in your carport and all that," Boisen told Business Insider. "I just found it so absurd from very early on."</p><div type="image" title="A man holding up the wooden frame for a tiny house." height="2448" width="3264" msid="113108852" hostid="261" sizebytes="530288"></div><p>There was a societal pressure to consume, to give the impression that he was doing well in life — which didn't sit well with his own environmental beliefs.</p><p>"I was disillusioned by the feeling of not being able to make a real difference, and also the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diy-construction-log-cabin-woman-sustainable-rural-living-school-2023-10">conformity of normal life</a>, which wasn't satisfactory to me," Boisen said.</p><div type="image" title="A tiny house on wheels." height="2448" width="3264" msid="113108853" hostid="261" sizebytes="798320"></div><p>He <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retired-millennial-moved-america-philippines-slow-life-debt-free-2024-2">yearned for a simple life</a> where he could be surrounded by nature, and it wasn't until the pandemic that things finally came to a head.</p><p>"I was just sitting in that chair in front of the screen all day, and no one was actually directly affected by the work that I did," Boisen said. "At the same time, I was looking out into the world and seeing this new era where so many people were inspired to do something else with their lives. So I decided to be one of those people."</p><h2 id="48745075-0636-4738-97e7-b0481473b3fb">To build a tiny house</h2><p>In 2020, Boisen quit his job. He had already been building a tiny house on the side, and he decided to focus on the project full-time.</p><p>He first encountered the tiny house movement in 2016 through social media. Inspired by the minimalist way of life, Boisen saw tiny living as a way to achieve economic freedom while living more sustainably.</p><p>"I started building one tiny house, which got stolen because it was on wheels. It was a crazy story, and I never managed to find it. That was in 2019, so I needed to start all over," he said.</p><p>Thankfully, the tiny house took about eight months to complete, including a short break he took in the middle of the project during winter.</p><div type="image" title="A sofa in the tiny house." height="1134" width="1512" msid="113108860" hostid="261" sizebytes="201806"></div><p>Not only were the weather conditions tough, but Boisen also made a mistake on the roof, which caused rain to destroy part of the structure from the inside.</p><p>"I was so stressed at that moment, so I needed to take a break because I didn't have the mental energy to deal with work and a rotting house," Boisen said.</p><p>Thankfully, he was done with the build during the spring of 2020, with help from some friends and a carpenter. Afterward, he moved the house onto a piece of land that he rented for a year and a half.</p><div type="image" title="The kitchen area." height="1134" width="1512" msid="113108857" hostid="261" sizebytes="157612"></div><p>When his lease was up, Boisen decided he wanted a more permanent place to call home. So, he looked up real estate listings online and found the perfect plot to put down his roots.</p><p>The land, still located in the Aarhus region, measures about 17,800 square feet. It sits at the end of a dirt road and is bounded by a lush forest and an open meadow.</p><div type="image" title="A small room with a simple desk set-up and a sofa." height="1512" width="2016" msid="113108862" hostid="261" sizebytes="591804"></div><p>There's a very small village less than a mile away, and the next biggest town is about three miles away, Boisen said.</p><p>After viewing the plot in person, he bought it for 160,000 Danish kroner, or about $23,800.</p><p>"I got the house out here with a tractor. The tractor pulled the house out of the city," he added.</p><h2 id="46a912ba-c46f-4742-a4d4-1863e9fb6ce9">Off-grid in the forest</h2><p id="46a912ba-c46f-4742-a4d4-1863e9fb6ce9">The tiny house, where Boisen currently lives with his dog, measures about 150 square feet, and isn't connected to electricity, heat, water, or the sewage system.</p><div type="image" title="A wood fire heater." height="2268" width="3024" msid="113108855" hostid="261" sizebytes="260444"></div><p id="46a912ba-c46f-4742-a4d4-1863e9fb6ce9">"I'm using energy from solar panels, I'm collecting rainwater, and I'm chopping wood for my fire. It's self-sufficient in terms of that," Boisen said, adding that he also grows some of his own food.</p><p id="46a912ba-c46f-4742-a4d4-1863e9fb6ce9">However, when he first told his parents that he was planning to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cottage-renovation-photos-city-country-life-hannah-duggan-2022-12">live off-grid in the forest</a>, they were shocked.</p><p>"We're not very alternative in our family, so I think they were a bit nervous on my behalf that I was deviating from the usual course. Because how would I then be able to secure my pension, get a well-paying job, buy a house, start a family?" Boisen said.</p><div type="image" title="The sleeping quarters." height="1512" width="2016" msid="113108868" hostid="261" sizebytes="200526"></div><p>However, they started warming up to his alternative lifestyle when they saw how he was gaining traction on social media and was even featured on local Danish news outlets.</p><p>"I think they started seeing it from a different perspective, that this was actually something bigger than just my own ambitions. It's actually saying something about what many other people maybe want to do in society as well," he added.</p><p>Additionally, he's also not as isolated as people think.</p><div type="image" title="The bathroom." height="1134" width="1512" msid="113108867" hostid="261" sizebytes="231668"></div><p>"I'm living at the end of a dirt road, but on that dirt road there are also neighbors. I don't get to see them as much because I'm at the end of that road," he said.</p><p>He also sees his friends and family often.</p><p>"The thing is, I have the time and flexibility to prioritize social relations in a different way than when I worked a 9-to-5," he added.</p><h2 id="72a899e6-45eb-4b98-9402-a6beea5282fa"><strong>Living life on his own terms</strong></h2><p id="72a899e6-45eb-4b98-9402-a6beea5282fa">Boisen isn't alone in being drawn to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-tiny-home-renovation-old-shed-diy-before-after-photos-2022-6">tiny house living</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/couple-diy-abandoned-farm-portugal-off-grid-youtube-creator-family-2023-8">homesteading</a>, which is the practice of living self-sufficiently off the land.</p><p id="72a899e6-45eb-4b98-9402-a6beea5282fa">Thanks to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/buying-a-house-keeps-getting-more-expensive-nar-report-2024-5">skyrocketing house prices</a> and the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cities-best-quality-life-also-least-affordable-real-estate-prices-2023-12">high cost of living in cities</a>, homeownership is becoming <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-house-home-real-estate-mortgage-rates-rent-debt-boomers-2022-9"><u>increasingly elusive</u></a> for — not just Americans — but people all <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cities-best-quality-life-also-least-affordable-real-estate-prices-2023-12"><u>around the world</u></a>. For some, <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-smallest-living-spaces-around-the-world-2019-10"><u>tiny living isn't always a choice</u></a> but an inevitability.</p><div type="image" title="A black dog sitting next to a shelf where firewood is stored." height="2268" width="3024" msid="113108870" hostid="261" sizebytes="1263336"></div><p id="72a899e6-45eb-4b98-9402-a6beea5282fa">That said, tiny living and homesteading represent an opportunity for people <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiny-houses-true-appeal-live-freedom-of-choice-2022-12">to live life on their own terms</a>.</p><p id="72a899e6-45eb-4b98-9402-a6beea5282fa">Six people who live in tiny houses previously told BI that it was a way for them to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiny-house-living-advice-financial-changes-to-expect-2019-7">improve their finances</a>. Other homesteaders that BI previously spoke to shared that it was a way to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-millennials-people-are-homesteading-control-uncontrollable-food-feel-safe-2024-1">reject the status quo</a>.</p><div type="image" title="A man tending to his vegetable garden." height="1080" width="1440" msid="113108871" hostid="261" sizebytes="492604"></div><p id="72a899e6-45eb-4b98-9402-a6beea5282fa">Indeed, Boisen says one of the best parts of his lifestyle is the freedom to be outside in nature.</p><p>"If I were to have a bad day, I only have to go outside and do some practical stuff, be in the sun, and I'll be in a super good mood," Boisen said. "I am enjoying it so much."</p><p>It's also a privilege to not be constrained by societal beliefs about what work and life should look like, he added.</p><p>"I can decide on my own what I really want to do in my life, what I'm really passionate about, because I don't need to earn that much money to keep the house going," he said.</p><div type="image" title="An outhouse." height="3024" width="4032" msid="113108869" hostid="261" sizebytes="2970568"></div><p>And that, Boisen says, involves tending to the land and doing projects around the house.</p><p>In addition to living off the land, Boisen earns income primarily through giving presentations around the country about living off-grid.</p><p>He also teaches tiny house-building classes on a freelance basis, and makes <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/@andersboisentinyhouse">YouTube</a> videos on the side. Boisen has about 26,400 subscribers on his channel and says he's only been monetized recently.</p><div type="image" title="The cabin during winter." height="2268" width="3024" msid="113108863" hostid="261" sizebytes="783548"></div><p>"The feeling whenever people comment that they get something out of watching my videos is also one of the absolute best things about my lifestyle," Boisen said. "Because it means that I'm not existing in a vacuum and that everything I do has an impact on someone else."</p><p>To supplement his income, he also has a little annex on his property that he rents out on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=29f46d0acf76f0b2e7a1705dd1f51cd5ea79e166e13968dea4633a11cac0021a&amp;postID=66cc0e4fb6269761a73a7c71&amp;postSlug=millennial-city-life-quits-job-build-tiny-house-wood-denmark-2024-9&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.airbnb.com%2Frooms%2F988916118639199292%3Fsource_impression_id%3Dp3_1725268302_P3PumnChz1NimUqs">Airbnb</a>.</p><p>"It was a part of a building class last year," Boisen said. "It has been a huge focus this summer to make it more comfortable. Now it has all the functions that you need to live there: a shower, a toilet, and a kitchen."</p><h2 id="a52b1a8d-45d6-4109-99d0-25e288a784e8">Changing values and perspectives</h2><p>As much as he is satisfied with his life now, Boisen says it isn't always a bed of roses.</p><p>Making the switch from having a regular paycheck to not earning a steady income was tough, and he says his main concern was economic insecurity.</p><div type="image" title="A man and his dog sitting outside a cabin in the woods during winter." height="3024" width="4032" msid="113108872" hostid="261" sizebytes="2056520"></div><p>"I'm still in the habit of counting my money and buying only what I really need," Boisen said. "I can allow myself the luxury sometimes of buying a good beer or something, but I really scaled down the things that I buy for myself."</p><p>Boisen estimates that he can get by with 5,000 Danish kroner, or about $750 a month, which is "not much."</p><p>A large part of the money goes back into the property since he's always trying to improve his infrastructure.</p><p>"People are commenting on the raggedy levels of my clothes because I don't have a T-shirt that doesn't have holes in it anymore," Boisen said. "But that's just vanity, I think."</p><div type="image" title="A man sitting on his front porch during winter." height="2268" width="3024" msid="113108873" hostid="261" sizebytes="607144"></div><p>"I am not in a situation in my life right now where I'm comparing myself to other people in terms of clothing," Boisen said.</p><p>Right now, his favorite shirt is one that was owned by his late father.</p><p>"I've always considered it the ugliest shirt, but now it's a good memory of him, and also it's super warm. I use it whenever it's practical, and that's what my values are right now," he said.</p><p><em>Have you recently built or renovated your dream home? If you've got a story to share, get in touch with me at </em><a target="_blank" href="mailto:agoh@businessinsider.com"><em><u>agoh@businessinsider.com</u></em></a><em>.</em></p>

Sick of the 9-to-5 grind, he ditched the city to live in a tiny house in the woods. Now, he says he can get by on $750 a month.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12154119" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="johnny-depp" source="Orion">Johnny Depp</keyword>'s and <keyword id="12154120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="amber-heard" source="Orion">Amber Heard</keyword>'s lawyers have entered the spotlight over the former couple's trial.</li><li>Depp fans have rallied behind his lawyer Benjamin Chew and vilified the lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn.</li></ul><p>On December 21, 2020, the attorney Benjamin Chew saw the funnier side of life as he compiled evidence for his highest-profile client.</p><p>The actor Johnny Depp had recently instructed Chew to <a href="https://www.insider.com/johnny-depp-amber-heard-relationship-timeline-2020-7">file a $50 million defamation claim</a> against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Driving the case was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ive-seen-how-institutions-protect-men-accused-of-abuse-heres-what-we-can-do/2018/12/18/71fd876a-02ed-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html">a 2018 op-ed</a> by Heard in which she discussed being a victim of domestic abuse, which Depp's team says implicates him despite not naming him.</p><p>In an email that day, Chew joked to Heard's attorney, Ben Rottenborn, that he would get "coal in the stocking" if he didn't submit documents to the judge on time. In another, he lamented that Coco, his dog, was furious with the arrival of his newest canine, Chewbacca. The innocuous emails were disclosed <a href="https://80b08171-ce73-4488-b369-fe3934b0504a.filesusr.com/ugd/5df505_fc725a2cff974ce281e8c909973d014d.pdf">as part of Depp's legal case against the UK's Sun newspaper</a> over an article calling him a "wife-beater."</p><p>Two years on, the setting of their exchanges changed dramatically. Chew and Rottenborn are pitted against one of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-recap-what-we-learned-2022-4">ugliest celebrity trials</a> in recent memory.</p><p>The Depp v. Heard trial began on May 2 and is set to culminate on May 27. Every moment of it has been streamed live. </p><p>The case has sparked a social media frenzy. Rottenborn and Chew were caught up in the drama, alongside Depp's other attorney, <keyword id="13960508" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="camille-vasquez" source="Orion">Camille Vasquez</keyword>, and Heard's other representatives, Joshua Treece and Elaine Bredehoft.</p><p>Vasquez has gained fandom for her cross-examination of Heard and <a href="https://www.insider.com/depp-lawyer-laughs-doesnt-answer-asked-if-dating-actor-video-2022-5">her chummy relationship with Depp</a>, which his cheerleaders speculated could be more than professional. (A spokesperson for the actor said their relationship is strictly professional.)</p><p>Chew and Rottenborn's firms — Brown Rudnick and Woods Rogers, respectively — declined to comment, saying its staff would not talk to the media until the case concludes. Representatives for Heard and Depp also declined to comment.</p><h2><strong>Depp's fans rally behind his lawyer </strong></h2><p>From the outset of the trial, Depp's devoted fanbase <a href="https://www.insider.com/johnny-depp-fans-take-over-social-media-with-memes-mockery-2022-4">rushed to his defense</a> and mobilized against Heard and Rottenborn. Chew's opening statement garnered more than half a million views <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYv9D8CIDJQ">on YouTube</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTuTO_lwMM8">compilation videos</a> showing an apparent bromance with Depp have proliferated on social media.</p><p>A TikTok of the lawyer, posted by the account <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@inlovewithbenjaminchew/video/7091298613501971717?is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1">@inlovewithbenjaminchew</a>, racked up more than four million likes in days. Similarly, a YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EROtgB80nmg&amp;t=25s">video titled</a> "Johnny Depp's Lawyer SHOCKED Over Actor's Impressive Doodle" fast exceeded five million views.</p><p>But Chew appears unfazed by his new status. </p><p>The Washington, DC-based attorney sat next to Depp throughout the trial and seemed relaxed and comfortable. He's hugged and shared laughs with the actor while nibbling on gummy bears neatly stacked in a pile on his desk.</p><div type="image" title="Ben Chew, Johnny Depp" height="3413" width="4551" msid="91708165" hostid="261"></div><p>But when he has stood to speak, Chew's jovial demeanor vanished to be replaced by ruthless professionalism, and his experience in Big Law shines through.</p><p>"The thing that throws people off about him is that he looks happy, but he's actually a cutthroat lawyer," said Kristen Johnson, an attorney who worked with Chew for nine years at his previous firm, Squire Patton Boggs.</p><p>As a seasoned litigator with more than 25 years of experience, his appointment by Depp was no surprise, Johnson said. </p><p>"He's not intimidated by anyone, so it doesn't matter who's on the other side," she said. "It would probably give him a boost to have a formidable opponent." </p><h2><strong>Trial by internet </strong></h2><p>His adversary, Rottenborn, has struggled to win the popularity battle online. Early in the trial, Depp fans blamed Rottenborn for an embarrassing slipup from another of Heard's lawyers, Adam Nadelhaft, that has since become the defining soundbite of the case: Nadelhaft <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI4qHCdcaQs">objecting to his own question</a> while grilling Depp. </p><p>The fallout has been brutal for Rottenborn. A Twitter account named "Ben Rottenborn Parody" has started commenting "objection" underscores of tweets about the case. A YouTube video titled "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBiBjyf6F14">Johnny Depp dealing with Amber Heard's lawyer</a>" has been viewed more than 11 million times, and another titled "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO2s8pdUhXc">The entire court LAUGHS AT Amber Heard's Lawyer</a>" has been viewed 2 million times. </p><p>"He became a meme," Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor commentating on the case for Court TV, told Insider. </p><p>"That's not what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to move to strike. You saw he was a little bit frazzled, and I think Depp rattled him."  </p><div type="image" title="Ben Rottenborn" height="5218" width="6958" msid="91708168" hostid="261"></div><p>But just as Chew won't be shaken by his newfound fame, the criticism won't faze Rottenborn.</p><p>"He'd handle it just about better than anyone else I know," said Jay O'Keeffe, a Virginia lawyer who has worked with and against Rottenborn. "He's extraordinarily level-headed." </p><p>" I suspect that nobody around here or at his firm would have been ready for the level of backlash this case is getting."</p><p>But Rottornborn may not even be aware. "He's not even a social-media person. I don't even know if he knows what's going on," Michael Fox, a Virginia-based neuroscientist and Rottenborn's friend told Insider.</p><h2>Their toughest test yet </h2><p>Chew is no stranger to being in the spotlight, having previously represented high-profile figures, including Cher and two Olympic gold medalists.</p><p>But Chew is a DC man through and through. </p><p>A graduate from the nearby University of Virginia School of Law, he cut his teeth on complex litigation cases for the giant multinational law firm Squire Patton before moving to Manatt, Phelps &amp; Phillips in DC. He joined Brown Rudnick as a partner in its DC office in 2018.</p><p>Chew, who speaks Spanish fluently, has worked for the governments of Guatemala, Ecuador, and Honduras and has argued cases before the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court.</p><p>Before becoming his lawyer, Chew had been introduced to Depp by a mutual friend, according to a person with knowledge of the relationship, whom Insider granted anonymity to speak candidly.</p><p>Chew <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/07/johnny-depp-financial-crisis-money">defended the actor in two fiduciary-breach cases in Los Angeles</a>, the latest of which concluded in 2019. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-44857708">Depp sued his former business managers</a>, alleging they misspent his funds.</p><p>They countersued him, saying Depp was responsible for his poor money management. Ultimately, the parties agreed on an out-of-court settlement.</p><div type="image" title="benjamin chew" height="1000" width="1333" msid="91708169" hostid="261"></div><p>Rottenborn's résumé is similarly intriguing. </p><p>A 2006 graduate of Stanford Law School, Rottenborn started clerking for an Arizona district judge but was soon hired by Kirkland &amp; Ellis, <a href="https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2020/03/18/kirklands-reign-continues-as-firm-hits-4-billion-in-revenue/?slreturn=20220412040227">the world's largest law firm by revenue</a>, in Chicago. He made partner in 2012.</p><p>That same year, Rottenborn ditched the city for the unassuming Virginia town of Roanoke in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Rottenborn's wife, a Stanford classmate, had a career opportunity there.</p><p>In Roanoke, Rottenborn joined Woods Rogers, a local law firm that, while respected, was a far cry from big-hitters at Kirkland &amp; Ellis. Nevertheless, Rottenborn continued to pull in prestige clients like Warner Bros, New Line Cinema, Wells Fargo — and now, Heard. Last November, Rottenborn helped nine Charlottesville <a href="https://www.insider.com/charlottesville-organizers-discussed-legally-running-over-protesters-testimony-2021-11">Unite the Right rally</a> victims win $26 million in damages. </p><p>"It's not usual that you would see someone from Roanoke representing Warner Bros or Amber Heard," O'Keeffe told Insider. "That alone tells you something about his skill."</p><p>"He's the sort of lawyer you'd run into in Chicago, DC, or New York. So when he showed up, you noticed." </p><h2><strong>Two private men in a very public case</strong></h2><p>Outside court, Chew loves cracking jokes and doesn't take himself too seriously, former colleagues said. </p><p>"He was just really thoughtful about the people he worked with," Johnson said, adding that he gave her a carved block inscribed with her son's name and weight after she gave birth.</p><p>A friend and former colleague told Insider that Chew is also a family man. The person was also granted anonymity to speak candidly. </p><p>Chew loves candy and often brings gummy bears and M&amp;Ms with him to snack on during the long hours in court, Johnson said. A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XcDRu8Pauc">YouTube video</a> titled "Johnny Depp and his Lawyer are Continuously Chewing Candy During Court" has amassed more than 1.4 million views.</p><div type="image" title="candy ben chew" height="1000" width="1333" msid="91708170" hostid="261"></div><p>He also has a love for flashy suits and all things on wheels. Colleagues fondly remember him arriving at the office either on a Vespa or in a teal Ford Thunderbird with the top down, singing show tunes.</p><p>"Ben has got his place in the world, and he's very comfortable there," another person, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly, told Insider.  </p><p>"He's found a way not to just be a corporate shill," the person said. "He's still just Ben."</p><p>Like Chew, Rottenborn is considered a gentle soul. Both Fox and O'Keeffe praised him and said he was undeserving of the attacks. "He's one of the kindest, most generous people. A reserved, quiet guy," Fox said.</p><div type="image" title="amber heard ben rotte" height="1000" width="1333" msid="91708171" hostid="261"></div><p>O'Keeffe added: "Thoughtful, intelligent, soft-spoken. Very, very reasonable. As a lawyer, his style is much the same. There's not a lot of bluster." </p><p>Rottenborn is also active and adventurous: He and Fox traveled to Ecuador several years ago to climb volcanoes, and in Roanoke, he's a keen runner and Little League coach. "He is usually the first to volunteer to coach kids' athletic events and is just generous with his time," Fox said. </p><p>It is evident that Rottenborn and Chew are respected and well-liked by their peers, but in the courtroom, the high-stakes nature of their clients has left them at the mercy of the internet. </p><p>The popularity contest has swung in Depp's — and Chew's — direction, but the case hangs in the balance, with several days of questioning and witnesses to come. Perhaps to Rottenborn's advantage, the jury cannot see social media. </p><p>"The case should be about evidence, but it's about likeability and credibility," Rahmani said.</p><p>"You want to control the witness, but Johnny Depp did such a good job controlling Rottenborn." </p><p><em>Editor's note: This story was updated May 23 to clarify that the attorney working for Amber Heard who objected to his own question was Adam Nadelhaft, not Ben Rottenborn.</em></p>

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