LOS ANGELES-Director Craig Ferber-who’s scored a comedy reputation based on some modestly budgeted yet high profile spec fare-has signed with Right Brain Films, a Los Angeles-based house headed by exec. producer Stuart Wilson.
Ferber helmed his first spec spot, Champion athletic wear’s "Butt Pat," back when he was on staff at TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York, as an account executive. The comedy piece-which showed the different types of butt pats athletes give one another, each with its own meaning-made SHOOT’s "The Best Work You May Never See" gallery (SHOOT, 7/24/98, p. 16). It also qualified for the international reel of U.K. trade paper Shots, and then aired last month during an ABC-TV special, The Best Commercials You’ve Never Seen, produced by Dakota Entertainment. The ad was conceived by a TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York, team of copywriter Ray Johnson and art director Tom Quaglino.
Looking to follow up on the success of "Butt Pat," Ferber then exited TBWA/Chiat/Day to focus on building his directorial reel. Toward that end, he freelance directed a series of spec spots for Comedy Central conceived by copywriter Mike Sullivan and art director Adam Hessel, a junior creative team at TBWA/Chiat/Day that has since moved on to Deutsch, New York. One of the Comedy Central commercials, "Car Thief," also earned recognition in SHOOT’s "The Best Work You May Never See" (SHOOT, 9/18/98, p. 15). "Car Thief" was shot from a camera P.O.V. looking out the passenger-side window of a parked car. From that perspective, we see a pedestrian-from the shoulders down-walk by and then exit frame right. The same pedestrian then comes back into view-his face still unseen. He’s pacing back and forth, seemingly looking around to see if anyone else is watching. Then the pedestrian’s face and his intent are revealed when he bends down. He is in full clown make-up, armed with a crow bar as he attempts to break into and steal the car. The automobile’s alarm goes off, causing him to flee. A supered tag explains: "Comedy Central. Putting clowns out of business since 1992."
Ferber said that the exposure in SHOOT prompted Right Brain’s Wilson to contact him. Wilson was favorably impressed with the aspiring director, so much so that he offered to finance an additional spec piece; this time, though, Ferber could conceptualize as well as direct and help produce the job. The result is a humorous Prodigy Internet spec ad that again exhibits a slightly twisted take on life.
"Stu wasn’t just someone who called me, looking to throw my work up against the wall and see if it would stick somewhere," related Ferber. "Instead he made a commitment to me with the spec piece. We worked together well and decided to formalize our relationship."
Ferber has spent most of his life in the commercial business; he started out as a child actor, appearing in some 30 spots, including work directed by such notables as Steve Horn and Ron Travisano. On the agency side, Ferber served as an account exec. at Young & Rubicam, New York, for such clients as AT&T and Sears before moving over to TBWA/Chiat/Day in the same capacity on the ABC-TV account.
Ferber becomes the second director on the Right Brain roster; the other being director/cameraman Stefan Von Bjorn. Right Brain was launched in ’96 by Wilson and some partners whom he later bought out. The company initially operated as a production services operation but when Wilson took sole control last year, he began to pursue directorial talent, signing Von Bjorn and now Ferber. According to Wilson, he’s negotiating with several other directors to further expand the Right Brain roster.
