1) Since I’m in advertising, I can only talk about commercial directors as I’m sure every medium is different. That being said, my first piece of advice for new commercial directors is to pick a genre you are passionate about, whether it be dialogue comedy, visual comedy, drama, visual effects, etc and really try to perfect that one genre. I think a lot of new directors want to do it all, so their reels are very diverse, which makes it hard for an agency to understand just what they are all about. If your specialty is comedy, then just direct comedy spots and keep working at that until you get really good at it. Then, after you have mastered that genre, and agencies admire what you do, they will be more willing to accept the idea that you’d like to direct a dramatic piece or a visual effect piece, etc. My second piece of advice pertains to talking with an agency when you are presenting treatments. It’s best when a director has a strong vision, but at the same time, they need to listen to the agency. A lot of times a director will be so passionate about his or her idea, that they won’t listen to what the agency has to say. So after you have presented your vision, make sure to stop and really listen to what the agency has to say. Maybe they have a different idea about the creative concept? If you show that you are listening by really taking in what they say and acknowledging that you understand their vision, the agency will be more apt to listen to your ideas. Remember that the agency creatives have been working weeks and weekends, and sometimes months, and competed with multiple creative teams in order to get a concept sold to a client. Understand that they might be a little defensive to changes at first, but, if they feel like you can relate to where they are coming from, they will most likely warm to your side.
2) My main advice for an upcoming producer is to set your ego aside and just focus on solving challenges and getting things done. Don’t worry about who gets credit for what, or if “so and so” used your idea and now looks like the hero. Just make sure you put your creatives in the best position to make the best spots, long form project or digital idea they can. In other words, no matter how crazy the ask may be from one of creatives, check into it and see if it may be possible. Multiple times I have been asked to do what I think are impossible tasks, and somehow, after talking with the production company, or the editorial company, or the visual effects company, they are able to make it happen. So before you roll your eyes, or panic or say “that’s not possible”, check to see if it is. You will probably be surprised at the result. As often, our expectations are wrong. Remember, most of the time, your production partners want to see a project succeed and be the best that it can be. So if you are nice and respectful, they will move mountains to make the project great.
3) What fascinates me about producing, is that rarely do I encounter the same challenge twice. It seems every job presents something new that I never anticipated, Thus I learn something new on every job. One area that I always have to remind myself that I’m not an expert on is in the area of visual effects. I worked in visual effects many years ago, and technology has changed tremendously since then. It’s gotten so good and so fast, it seems almost every difficult situation is solvable with the right effects team. So, as a general rule, when I’m on set and a creative asks me if we can “do something in post,” I never say it can’t be done. I always say, “let me check” and I find the visual effects supervisor and ask him before I answer. I’ve been burned by saying something “can’t be done” a couple times, and then humbly had to let the creative know, usually in front of everyone, that we can actually do what they’ve asked. I now know to keep my mouth shut and check before I assume something is not possible.
4) I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a lot of amazing creatives on a lot of great creative pieces. From the Kia Optima Blake Griffin spots, to the Kia Soul Hamster spots, I have been proud of all of my work. However, the one project that I am particularly proud of is the 2017 Super Bowl spot for the Kia Niro which starred Melissa McCarthy. I had seen Melissa as a guest on Saturday Night Live during the summer of ‘16. I always admired her brand of comedy and thought she was one of the funniest comedians I had ever scene. I thought how great it would be if I could work with her one day, then quickly put it out of my mind. Cut to six months later when Mark Monteiro and Ben Purcell presented a Super Bowl spot at one of the creative presentations starring none other than Melissa. It was one of many spots that were going to be presented that day and I thought “naw, it’s a 200 to 1 chance that gets picked by the clients.” Well, I was wrong, and the next thing I know I’m working on a Super Bowl spot with Melissa McCarthy. And, she was great. All she cared about was making the spot funny…which was all we cared about. I’d get a phone call from her, round up the creatives, and we’d have conversations on how to make the spot the funniest it could be. We worked on the spot for so long, and watched it so many times, we didn’t know if it was even funny or not. When we finally QC’d the spot at Fox a few days before the Super Bowl, all the tech guys in the broadcast room started laughing. Everyone I was with looked at each other and realized that we had something good. It ended up winning the USA Today Ad Meter Poll, and that was amazing achievement to share with the team.
