Commercial production company Good Times has signed filmmaker Rob “Whitey” McConnaughy to its directorial roster. McConnaughy’s specialties include comedy, hidden camera/man-on-the-street, action, and celebrity-driven projects. He’s a multifaceted director whose skill set includes shooting, editing, and writing.
“I’ve been happily independent for years, but I couldn’t resist the chance to get down with Good Times,” said McConnaughy who’s known the company’s executive producer/co-founder Eric McCasline and EP Bernadette Spear for many years. He described them as “great at what they do, and just as important, they’re fun to be around. I think enjoying your work is how you get the best results in this business. Funny commercials should be fun to make!”
A lifelong skateboarder, McConnaughy began his filmmaking career in true punk rock fashion when he started his own DIY production company at 21 years old. He’s produced and directed 16 best-selling skateboard and snowboard films and was instrumental in launching the Jackass franchise, including shooting material for the TV series pilot and shooting and writing on the first two feature films.
McConnaughy has successfully taken the youthful, off-the-rails spirit that he gleaned from Jackass and a lifetime of skateboarding into his two decades of directing commercials for Nike, Nissan, Burger King, Honda, Sprint, Mountain Dew, Coors, State Farm, Coca-Cola, Progressive, Farmers, Activision, Sprint, EA Sports, Domino’s, and many more. One of McConnaughy’s many talents is working with celebrities; he intuitively knows how to make everyone feel comfortable on set, setting the stage for memorable performances, whether scripted or not.
“Rob can take a dull idea and make it razor sharp, then execute that idea in a smart, organized manner,” shared McCasline. “We’re stoked to bring his unique energy to Good Times and leverage his talents in a wide range of projects.”
In addition to his commercial work, McConnaughy has written and directed shorts for the Late Late Show with James Corden, and Funny or Die, and helmed the Chris Fairbanks standup comedy special Rescue Cactus for Amazon Prime. McConnaughy’s inventive and comedic music videos have racked up hundreds of millions of views and sparked record deals for emerging artists. He won a Bronze Cannes Lion for an outrageous spot where he placed the legendary band ZZ Top in a beer cooler and surprised the living daylights out of unexpecting customers, and also directed one of the world’s first viral videos for Nike via Wieden+Kennedy featuring Kobe Bryant appearing to jump over a speeding Aston Martin.
