1) My best advice to new directors is to keep directing. The barriers of entry are gone. You just need to direct something that people like. These days all you have to do to cast a shoot is to post a casting notice. Shooters are easy to come by. Work on your craft, If you have the talent you’ll be found.
2) If you want to be a good producer, you better develop your taste level. Go to museums, watch classic movies, read books about storytelling and learn narrative structure. The best producers know how to mix the right ingredients for the best possible execution of a story.
3) My efforts at McCann have been to build a production department that can make “anything.” I needed to learn what a modern production method could be — and to bring in producers that have different backgrounds and expertise, who can help make anything. We take on never-been-done-before projects, so we are always collaborating in different ways: both internally as a department and also in how we work with new types of vendors.
I’m constantly learning on the job, but that’s always been my experience in production: when a creative idea needs to be brought to life and it demands a deep investigation to figure out how to best execute it.
4) Releasing the Universal Love album for MGM after 2 1/2 years of development is a proud achievement. My wife and kids are proud that I worked on Universal Love. The campaign represents all that’s good in our industry. We’re lucky to have a client that had the patience to allow us to produce an album that has an impact.
