444-4444 might be the most famous phone number in Cincinnati, and it’s owned by a man who is just as famous around these parts.
And not only for his phone number. His commercials have graced Southwest Ohio TVs over the last two decades and inspired Reddit posts, Halloween costumes and even a surprisingly enjoyable lo-fi musical remix on YouTube.
Blake “The Attorney” Maislin, lawyer-turned-local-celebrity, might be well known, but not many people know a lot about him. Spoiler alert: No, he wasn’t a boxer, despite the ads showing him squaring up in the ring. There may have been a few childhood scraps along the way, though.
Want more? Call four. (Or keep reading.)
Was Blake Maislin born in Cincinnati?
No. Maislin, whose father was a judge, grew up in Buffalo, New York, where he dedicated himself to studying but was a “little bit of a rebel,” as he puts it.
“Buffalo’s a little different than here,” Maislin said. “It’s a lot more blue collar, so there’s a lot more confrontation up there than there is down here, you know? It was also during the ’70s and ’80s.”
Blake Maislin, Todd Little and Brady Little tailgate before the Cincinnati Bengals preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.
What’s the story with the boxing gloves?
Buffalo is where Maislin’s fighter persona began to grow, not only from the handful of “two-punch” fights he participated in, but from his desire to stand up to the bullies he watched pick on his loved ones.
That anti-bullying mindset has followed him throughout his career.
When it comes to fighting for his clients: “You have to bully the bully. You have to have that in you. You have to be tough. Otherwise, you’re going to lose,” he said.
It wasn’t all fist fights and studying for The Attorney. He was a natural-born entrepreneur, building lemonade and toy stands to sell goods in his neighborhood, and he desired to own a business for as far back as he can remember.
A billboard featuring local attorney Blake Maislin, pictured, Wednesday, April 20, 2022, along State Avenue in Cincinnati.
Where did Blake Maislin go to school?
Initially uninterested in following in the footsteps of his father, he left for Pittsburgh after high school, where he was a pre-med student for a couple of years before deciding the program wasn’t for him and returning to Buffalo.
Maislin considered a break from education until a post-graduation conversation with his father ultimately landed him at the Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University.
“He said, ‘Look, don’t take a gap year, go where I went,'” Maislin remembered of the talk. “I applied, I got in, and, not an exaggeration, my first day of orientation, they taught us a personal injury problem. … And I thought, ‘wait a minute, all I have to do is show that somebody screwed up and somebody got hurt, and I charge a third of the hurt? No wonder there’s billboards everywhere in New York for this stuff.'”
Where did the 444-4444 song come from?
With little competition in the Cincinnati market, Maislin decided to stay after law school and quickly made a name for himself as a personal injury attorney, reinvesting all he could into the advertising that made him the larger-than-life figure he is today.
His most notable investments are the phone number 444-4444 and its accompanying jingle, which has played throughout homes for more than a decade. It was composed by local musician Rob Fetters, who – can you even believe it? – also wrote the LaRosa’s 347-1111 jingle.
Maislin understood the value of a single-digit phone number and hoped that it would help his business become easier to recognize. It worked.
What’s one of Blake Maislin’s craziest cases?
Maislin once had a client who was the victim of a hit-and-run while riding his motorcycle. The victim, a firefighter, came to Maislin for help with his case. As part of the process, he also wanted to find and thank a bystander who treated his injuries while waiting for the ambulance.
Maislin hired a private investigator to find out who had hit the young firefighter. Turns out, it was the person who treated his injuries.
Maislin’s client made the decision to forgive the driver who hit him and move on with his life in a truly bizarre turn of events.
The firefighter had to get a prosthetic leg but was able to return to duty after he completed his recovery.
One of Blake Maislin’s newer billboards in Finneytown.
What’s next for Blake Maislin?
Maislin managed to build a life for himself and his family that he’s thankful for as he heads into the second act of his life.
With his youngest child off to college and a less hands-on relationship with his law firm now, The Attorney has found himself looking for something new to be excited about. “I’m looking for a passion. It’s almost like a midlife crisis at this point because all I really did was work and kids, work and family. That was all I did,” he said.
So what does a personal injury lawyer do with his newfound free time?
He gardens, does a lot of camping and spends time with his wife, traveling around the country visiting each of their six children who live in different cities.
Maislin hasn’t found that next perfect passion yet, but if it’s half as entertaining as the passion he followed up to now, we’re all in for a good time.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who is Blake Maislin? Meet the man behind the 444-4444 earworm ads
