Director Greg Kohs has signed on for exclusive commercial representation with bicoastal/international @radical.media. Kohs, who is based outside of Philadelphia, spent the past 10 years with Mt. Laurel, N.J.-based NFL Films, where he produced, directed and edited films, highlights and promos for the football league.
Prior to signing on with @radical, Kohs helmed the first in what will be a five-spot package of ads for MasterCard via McCann-Erickson, New York. Part of the creditor’s "Priceless" campaign, the ads follow a couple of guys on a summer-long baseball road trip, during which they visit all of the Major League ballparks. The first ad centers on opening day at Cincinnati’s Cinergy Field and was run through @radical. Kohs will direct the next two ads in May, at Fenway Park in Boston and Camden Yards in Baltimore. In July, he’ll head west for spots at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium and Seattle’s Safeco Field.
Kohs earned a degree in American studies from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind. He then started working in production for a local NBC affiliate before coming aboard NFL Films. Drawing on a background in still photography, he began shooting footage and producing films and highlight segments from games for teams such as the Green Bay Packers, which he followed for five seasons. He assembled films from footage captured by other NFL Films staffers, as well. Occasionally, Kohs would also produce documentaries contracted through NFL Films, such as a Harley Davidson anniversary film.
Kohs told SHOOT that about five years ago, as NFL Films’ commercial division started to prosper, he "began to dabble" more in the shorter format, directing and producing promos as well as co-sponsored short films for air during network broadcasts of NFL games. "I enjoyed cutting and working with material I had shot, as opposed to working with stuff from the field," he noted. "So I gravitated toward telling stories that weren’t completely sports oriented, like opening and closing segments and promos."
Among those projects was 1995’s "This Week in Pee Wee Football," an 18-episode series of documentary-style vignettes centered on a football team comprising eight-year-olds. The NFL Films production was presented by Nike via Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.; some of the Kohs-directed promos aired during Super Bowl XXX.
Two years ago, Kohs directed the multi-part "Thank You" campaign, which featured various NFL players heading out to communities to express their gratitude to fans. The promos aired during Super Bowl XXXIV.
Not long after, agency producer Greg Lotus of McCann-Erickson, New York, was looking for a director for a Canadian-market MasterCard ad, "Major League Fans." Set within several tiny hockey arenas in small towns across Canada, the spot derived its "Priceless" aspect from the major-league loyalty of fans, even for junior league teams. "I’d always liked the NFL films on Saturdays and Sundays," Lotus said. So he called the sports franchise, learned of its commercial division, was sent Kohs’ reel and subsequently hired him. "Greg was great to work with and really collaborative," Lotus recalled of the Canadian job. "So when [the MasterCard baseball campaign] came up, I thought he’d be perfect for it."
Meanwhile, Kohs had followed the Canadian spot with Nike’s "Dri Fit," a golf ad via Wieden+Kennedy that was run through @radical.media. That production teamed Kohs with @radical executive producer Robert Fernandez, and the pair hit it off.
"I’ve been keeping an eye on his work for the past couple of years," said Fernandez, who first took notice of the director when he was awarded the Pee Wee work. "When we bid on something [like the Pee Wee job] and it goes to another director, I’m always interested to see how it turns out. I think Greg has a really good storytelling ability. There’s lots of humanity in his work."
Kohs had also made the acquaintance of @radical co-proprietor Jon Kamen. So when he decided to pursue commercial directing full-time, @radical was the place to go. "To me, @radical.media seemed to the commercial business what NFL Films is to sports," he stated. "I was very happy at NFL Films. It [leaving] was just a career thing. Right now, I’m embracing the opportunities that are being put in front of me in the commercial world, which seem to be telling these shorter stories that elicit a smile."
