Hope springs eternal in spring. That’s true even in these tumultuous times. The past year or so has seen many changes in the world of commercial production. Several prominent and longstanding spot houses have shut their doors, and advertisers have cut back on budgets across the board, leading many to believe that in the jungle of the ad business, it all boils down to survival of the fittest. But, as evidenced by SHOOT‘s special report on directors, great creative is still being produced by talented spotmakers, proving that the fittest can do much more than merely survive.
SHOOT‘s latest crop of up-and-coming directors-the helmers looking to be the A-listers of tomorrow-possess bodies of work that hint at their potential. "Seeds Of Spring" examines four directors who are new to the spotmaking business. Sean Ehringer of Tool of North America is a former partner/co-creative director at Leagas Delaney, San Francisco. Alexander Kane of The Haus put together a spec reel as a feature film calling card, only to find that the commercial medium was enjoyable and creatively worthwhile. Warren Kushner of Bedford Falls is a former camera assistant who counts the late Paul Giraud as a mentor. And LITTLE x of HSI Productions, a noted music video director, has made the leap to spots.
Included in this special report are several profiles of spot directors who help craft the ads that seamlessly blend art and commerce. SHOOT‘s Adam Remson talks to Bob Kerstetter, the surprise winner of the 2001 Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award for best commercial director. Kerstetter, co-founder/creative director of San Francisco agency Black Rocket Euro RSCG, won the honor based on three spots that he helmed for The Musco Family Olive Company, which were produced through Tool of North America. Also in the issue are profiles of Kerstetter’s fellow DGA nominees-Craig Gillespie of Morton Jankel Zander; Joe Public-a.k.a. Adam Cameron and Simon Cole-of Headquarters; Joe Pytka of PYTKA; and Baker Smith of Harvest. Other profiles include a few directors looking to make their marks stateside, as well as directing teams
We hope you enjoy the Spring 2002 Directors issue, and as always, we welcome your feedback.