It’s been a pretty good year for Dante Ariola, who directs commercials via bicoastal/international Propaganda Films. A campaign he helmed for Budget rental cars via Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York, won a Gold Lion at the 2000 Cannes International Advertising Festival, among other industry accolades. His Volkswagen ads "Bear" and "Big Day," via Arnold Worldwide, Boston, aired during Super Bowl XXXV. And he was one of five directors nominated for the Directors Guild of America’s (DGA) best commercial director of 2000 award.
"I’ve only been at this three years, and they’ve all been pretty good," says Ariola. "My slogan is, ‘Be prepared for luck,’ and that’s what I feel has happened to me." Lucky he may be, but the director is also a realist. When it comes to his chances at taking home the DGA award, he projects "one in five" odds—there are only five nominees. (Leslie Dektor of Dektor Film, Hollywood, picked up the honor.)
The spots on his submission reel, selected by Propaganda VP/commercials Colin Hickson and Propaganda director of sales Dana Balkin, consisted of "Elephant," via Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.; and Hewlett-Packard’s (HP) "Taxi" and "Tickets," out of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), San Francisco. Hickson says the selected work "encompassed what epitomizes Dante in terms of great execution of good ideas, and strong performances."
But Ariola hinted that another factor influenced the decision. "There wasn’t much American work to pick from," he says. "With the strike, I ended up doing a lot of work in England."
In fact, the H-P campaign was shot in London because Ariola was there on another assignment. Describing the production as "relaxed," he added that he’s most pleased with the casting in the spots. In "Tickets," for instance, a Mr. Bean-esque bumbling Brit and two accomplices attempt to purchase tickets to a sporting event, but meet with various hassles. When the Englishman tries to cut into the line of other waiting fans, a man head-butts him, giving him a black eye. The trio then attempts "plan B"—scaling the stadium wall—but is caught by police and ends up in the slammer. A voiceover then explains that H-P’s e-services allow you to print out tickets from the safety of your own home.
Meanwhile, "Elephant," which features a pachyderm and Tour de France-winning bicyclist Lance Armstrong, was anything but relaxed. In the ad, Armstrong comes across a circus elephant that is down on the ground, apparently not breathing. He successfully resuscitates the beast by blowing air into its mouth. "It was crazy," the director recalls of the two-day shoot. "The elephant could only lie down for sixty seconds at a time, so I was running around with an apple box, then grabbing Lance and sticking him in there. But I’ve gotten stuck with a lot of animals, so it was right up my alley."
Call it another stroke of luck, but Ariola didn’t set out to be a commercial director. He used to own Pawn Shop, a Los Angeles-based graphics business which, among other endeavors, designed logos and packaging for local bands. Then one day Ariola’s partner, Jay Papke, suggested directing music videos for their clients. Ariola did, and soon his clips for Cake and 311 had piqued the interest of the advertising commun-ity. His first commercial gig was Aiwa’s "Revolution," via now defunct Holland Advertising, which was run through now defunct Commotion Pictures. The experience convinced Ariola to consider a directing career, and shortly thereafter he signed with Propaganda.
Over the past three years, Ariola says his directing style hasn’t evolved so much as it has come into being. Admittedly, starting out with no formal training in film made for a significant learning curve, particularly in terms of the technical aspects. But the director says that wasn’t the greatest challenge.
"Initially, there was a lot more stress involved," he says. "It’s tough when you first get in, because your opportunities are really limited. I’ve definitely had some hell jobs. But it’s true what they say: You can surround yourself with talented people and get by. Really, what’s changed for me is just knowing what I need."
In addition to his commercial work, Ariola is exploring offers to direct his first feature film, and he’s also developing some ideas on his own. What sort of project is he looking for? "Good question," he says, seemingly undaunted. And why should he be otherwise? For Ariola, things have a way of working out.
