The first thing Benjamin Jackson did upon arriving in Vancouver on Wednesday morning after spending the holidays in Hamilton was change the marquee outside The Penthouse strip club, where he works as bar manager.
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“As soon as I dropped my bags at home, I walked straight to the club to update the sign around 2 a.m.”
During his layover in Toronto, the 43-year-old spent time watching the news and brainstorming his next sign idea. What he didn’t know was that his late-night inspiration would make headlines of its own.
Jackson changed the letters on the marquee to spell out: “Forever neighbours, never neighbors.” The message — highlighting the difference in the way Canadians and Americans spell certain words — was a swipe at U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s repeated suggestion that Canada could become the 51st state.
Within hours, an image of the new sign posted to the strip club’s X account was flagged as potentially hateful content, resulting in the account, @ThePenthouse604, being suspended that night.
“I was blown away,” he said Thursday.
Originally from Ontario, Jackson has worked at the Penthouse since 2015. These days, he is also the social media manager.
For the past seven years, he has climbed a ladder outside the downtown club at 1019 Seymour St. each month to craft a new one-liner that is limited to 40 characters on its marquee.
While some of his messages have earned the business widespread acclaim on social media, others have sparked controversy.
“It all started as me trying to make my friends at work laugh,” Jackson said.
In 2017, after creating a message outside the Penthouse that read: “We take off more than WestJet,” the Canadian airline sent the club a cease-and-desist letter, demanding that the public proclamation be taken down.
Jackson complied.
It was earlier that year when he first asked the club’s owner, Danny Filippone, if he could to take on the unpaid role of “sign guy” for the Penthouse, which has been operating since 1947.
“I knew I could do better,” Jackson said, reflecting on the bland messages that once advertised the club’s events, such as “Book your stag” or “I wish you were beer.”
The first promise that he made his boss was that he would steer clear of politics or religion with the messages.
But that all changed when Trump was elected U.S. president in 2016.
“All of a sudden, there was so much good material that was hard to ignore,” said Jackson.
One sign he made said, “Our poles are more reliable than CNN projections.” After the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Jackson put up a new sign: “Better security than the U.S. Capitol.”
Another topic the bar manager has poked fun at is the city’s NHL team, the Vancouver Canucks. When the team was on a seven-game losing streak in 2022, the marquee message read: “Canucks drink for free after you win one.”
But Jackson and the club are just as eager to point the finger back at themselves.
During the COVID pandemic, messages went up outside the club, including: “Not the outbreak we’re used to,” and “Masks and clothing optional” when the establishment finally reopened.
“For me, it’s just a good opportunity for a joke,” Jackson said. He admits his biggest inspiration is news.
“I usually look for what’s funny and go with whatever side that puts me on in the sign.”
Good ideas often strike when he least expects them — in the shower, while grocery shopping, or just lying on the couch. Something will pop into Jackson’s head, and he’ll quickly jot it down on his phone.
“You’re never going to make everybody happy,” he said. “Once the signs started going viral and making the news, the club’s owner offered to pay me separately for doing it. I feel lucky because every day I get to make people smile, which makes me smile.”