The end of an era is in sight at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners as Cindy Fluitt will retire on Dec. 18, wrapping a 25-year run at the agency, having served as its director of broadcast production since 2005. Executive producer Tod Puckett is being promoted to succeed her. As a 20-year veteran of Goodby, Puckett brings a significant measure of continuity to the helm of the broadcast production department. SHOOT caught up with both production mainstays via phone, asking Fluitt to reflect on her Goodby tenure and how the role of producer has changed over the years. Meanwhile Puckett shared his aspirations for Goodby's production department and expressed his gratitude to Fluitt and her predecessor as head of broadcast production, Debbie King.
Fluitt's first job was with Foote, Cone & Belding/Honig, San Francisco, where she met Rich Silverstein. Fluitt then reconnected with him in 1987 at what is now Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, freelancing as a producer there for a year before coming on staff. She has seen the agency grow from a handful of staffers and produced assorted notable jobs over the years, taking the production department reins from the venerable King in '05 and a year later being named an associate partner.
Amassing a body of work that's scored honors at a wide range of award shows, Fluitt cited three jobs she produced at Goodby that are near and dear to her: eBay's "Toy Boat," the SPCA's "Toby" and The Partnership for a Drug-Free America's "Long Way Home." The latter two were done on shoestring budgets and were both directed by agency co-chairman Jeff Goodby. "To have no budget and make something that moves people, that promotes doing good, is very special," assessed Fluitt, noting for example that some $3,000 was spent on "Long Way Home" and that for the SPCA PSA she managed to scrape together 1,000 feet of film.
"Toy Boat" is on the other end of the continuum, sporting a healthy budget and media buy as part of a high-profile campaign. In the spot, which was directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks and helped him earn the DGA Award as Best Commercial Director of 2004, an eBay user discovers his beloved childhood toy online–a model ship he brought to the beach at Cape Cod one day in 1972. On that day, it floated out to sea, eventually sinking to the ocean floor during a violent storm. The toy turns up years later when a large fishing vessel near China pulls its netted catch aboard. The fisherman who spots it amid the slimy fish puts it up for sale on eBay, where the boy, now a man, spots it. A voiceover asks, "What if nothing was ever forgotten? What if nothing was ever lost?"
Certainly not forgotten by Fluitt is the emphasis on craft and creative at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, as well as the belief "that a great idea can come from anywhere." She recalled the role her production department played in helping to generate and to bring such work to fruition as Chevrolet's "My Dad's Car" (directed by Chris Wilcha via Park Pictures) and the "Hacking Autism" initiative, the centerpiece of which was the I Want To Say short (directed by Peter Sorcher of Bodega Studios).
"Jeff [Goodby] and Rich [Silverstein] have shown us the importance of craft and creativity. Craft is such a big part of what we do," affirmed Fluitt. "All along the way we're crafting–not just during the producing phase. There's constant discussion about how we can make work better, planning ahead so we come up with the best possible creative work."
As for how the agency producer's role has evolved, Fluitt recollected her first job, prior to joining Goodby, which entailed a 16mm print. "That's a far cry from where we are today where we hit 'send' and poof, work is distributed around the world. It's such a different time. One of the fascinations for me has been the evolution of technology. We've always embraced the new things that have come along, exploring their potential. You can't sit still. If you do, you're immediately behind. No day is ever the same as any before it in our department. You work with new people, new tools and technology, and try to bring ideas to life. Even when you're in them midst of the hardest job you've ever endured, it's exciting.
"Right around the time I became head of broadcast," continued Fluitt, "the sea change had begun. We started crafting on our own in a different way to take on the big surge of the internet. It's always that Lewis and Clark adventure where you're not sure where you're going but if you work hard enough, you will end up in a good place and learn along the way."
Tod Puckett
Puckett's credits include a long list of award-winning TV campaigns for such clients as Budweiser, the California Milk Processor Board ("got milk?"), Comcast/XFINITY, E*Trade, Hyundai, Isuzu and Porsche. He produced the NBA's "There Can Only Be One" campaign, which inspired a Time magazine cover in 2008. USA Today named his E*Trade "Monkey" spot one of the 10 best Super Bowl ads of all time, and his Saturn "Door Music" commercial was nominated for an Emmy.
Puckett broke into the business at McCann Erickson, San Francisco, where he spent a year-plus before getting his big break, landing the job as production coordinator for King at Goodby. "From day one, I realized the priority was crafting great work, stuff you're proud to show, work that connects with people," related Puckett.
He moved up the ladder to producer, then executive producer and was named an associate partner at the agency a year ago. Now he's taking on the director of broadcast production mantle. "What big shoes to fill," said Puckett of succeeding Fluitt. "To be in the role Cindy and Debbie held means a lot. I learned so much from them, how to help create a creative culture and manage people so they do their best work and feel loved and appreciated. I want to continue that while staying close to the work. My ultimate goal is to be the best production department in the world. I want everyone in our building, everyone in the industry to be jealous of our department, to want to work in our department. We will continue to craft great entertainment, to focus on the craft from concept all the way through execution. This means collaboration and planning, working with others like our interactive department to share case studies, resources. We will continue to get more resourceful in how we work and create."
With the benefit of hindsight, Puckett feels that Fluitt has in many respects been grooming him over the past year or two to lead the department. "She was mentoring me about how the agency functions, the business aspects, how the producers work and providing them with what they need so they can do their best work."
Fluitt, though, doesn't see it that way. "To be honest, I needed help and Tod's been there for me. He has been a wonderful working partner. Sometimes the process can be tedious in an administrative role. He helped bring creative energy back to me. The truth is that he's been serving as head of production through the way he has partnered with me. The department has already been working under his management."
Puckett noted that teaming this way with Fluitt has been a godsend, making his promotion to director of broadcast production a far easier transition. "Instead of being thrown into the fire, I've had the benefit of Cindy being my safety net, preparing me for this next chapter in my career."
In a released statement, Jeff Goodby said, "Cindy Fluitt's are big shoes to fill. She has run the department for decades with an empowering, supportive hand. Tod is the only person I can imagine taking that legacy on. His credits are indisputable. He is a musician and a filmmaker. And he is loved. He couldn't be more perfect."
As for Goodby's "musician" reference, Puckett is a noted music composer and performer. He released his fourth Puckett Family Project album, 247 Liberty St., in 2012.
