It’s been praised for its perfect timing, clever storytelling and a lead character who’s fast becoming as memorable as the Mountain Dew dudes or Wendy’s "Where’s the Beef?" lady. Yet director David Kellogg of bicoastal Anonymous Content refuses to take credit for the success of OfficeMax’s "Rubberband Man," the spot nominated for the primetime Emmy Award for best commercial, out of DDB Chicago—mainly because he isn’t the credit-taking type. "A lot of people made that commercial good," he says. "It wasn’t just me."
One look at the ad, though, and his influence is obvious. The subtle humor, the seamless look, the natural performances, even from barely-seen supporting players—all typical qualities of a Kellogg spot—characterize "Rubberband Man." The spot is a witty montage featuring a wiry, Afro-sporting office-supply clerk who happily dispenses office supplies (an organizer for the woman with the catastrophically messy desk, a first aid kit for the guy mishandling the paper-cutter, etc.) while dancing to the eponymous 1970s hit from The Spinners. "I feel like the agency came up with a good idea," notes Kellogg. "We got a really good actor, we shot as many scenes as we could, and the editor put in the good ones and took out the bad ones." Adam Parker of Chrome, Santa Monica, cut the spot. (The Emmy went to Citibank’s "Outfit," out of Fallon, Minneapolis, and directed by Kevin Thomas of Thomas Thomas, London.)
For someone who’s long been regarded as one of the top comedy directors in the business, Kellogg is remarkably—and refreshingly—self-deprecating. Getting him to accept a compliment without mentioning all the people who "really deserve" kudos is close to impossible. (In fact, Kellogg says it surprises him that "actors never thank editors when they win an Academy Award. They should.")
But while he welcomes input from talent, crew members and creatives, Kellogg is no pushover. "I think I was probably a pain in the ass to the agency [on ‘Rubberband Man’] because I kept saying, ‘That’s not funny enough,’ " remembers Kellogg, who received storyboards from the DDB creative team prior to casting.
With close to 20 years of spotmaking experience, Kellogg knows what—and who—is funny. "I think the character is the key," he observes. "[‘Rubberband Man’] probably wouldn’t be as charming with a different actor playing the part." Most importantly, he says, the Rubberband Man needed to look "like he really, really likes his job."
According to Kellogg, casting can make or break a commercial, though actor Eddie Steeples was the ideal Rubberband Man from the get-go. "He’s really comfortable in his own skin," relates the director. "I knew he’d be true to his character and not look like just some guy pitching a product."
While the director always looks for that kind of self-assuredness and enthusiasm during casting sessions, he remarks, "What surprises me with a lot of commercial actors is that they don’t bring anything to it. They’re more like, ‘Where do you want me to stand? What do you want me to do?’ My theory is that those actors have worked with directors who beat performances into people. They’ve been told exactly what to do. They’ve been given line readings."
Kellogg wastes no time reprogramming these performers. "Beforehand," he shares, "I call them up and say, ‘I want you to think about your character, almost like you’re in a movie. What do you want to do? What would you like to do with your hair? Do you want a prosthetic nose?’ Things that I don’t think [commercial] actors are used to. And then it’s really easy to work with them because they know to be themselves."
Funny business
Kellogg also works hard to make sure the atmosphere on-set is relaxed and friendly. "There has to be a really good environment for the commercial to be funny," explains the director, who played an extended version of The Spinners’ "Rubberband Man" on that spot’s set and encouraged Steeples to ad-lib. "Everybody has to be happy. If [a crew member] is disinterested or intimidating, the actors get uncomfortable. The reason I ended up in the comedy area is because the shoots are fun and you laugh a lot. I’d like to keep things that way."
As a student at Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., Kellogg studied art in the hopes of becoming an illustrator. But after interning at a local public television station, he realized he preferred working with a camera. "I thought, ‘I’ll get a degree in film so I can teach it and make short, experimental films on the side,’ " he recalls.
Instead, he wound up making documentaries and music videos before moving into commercial directing. In terms of material, Kellogg says he’s always been drawn to "observational humor." Over the years, he’s garnered countless awards and nominations, helming ads for clients like Budweiser, Volkswagen and Hershey’s. He’s directed two feature films—Disney’s Inspector Gadget and the Vanilla Ice vehicle, Cool As Ice—and worked with celebrities like Jerry Seinfeld (on an American Express campaign via Ogilvy & Mather, New York) and The Blue Man Group (for an ongoing series of Intel ads through Euro RSCG Worldwide, New York, as well as the Dave Matthews Band video "Sing Along"). His latest OfficeMax spot, "The Party’s Over," features the Rubberband Man traveling to beaches, pools and skateboard parks to give school supplies to vacationing kids. More commercials starring the character are bound to follow.
"It’s definitely a blast," says Kellogg of his chosen profession. "I go into every job that comes to me thinking, ‘This is going to be great.’ I still haven’t become jaded."Z
