NEW YORK—Returning to the roots of its annual Lecture Series, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) has secured four major directors to share insights into the craft of spotmaking: the team of Kuntz & Maguire (Tom and Mike, respectively) from bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander (MJZ); Andrew Douglas of bicoastal Anonymous Content; and Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks, Los Angeles. Moderating the discussion will be Alex Bogusky, executive creative director of Crispin, Porter+Bogusky, Miami.
The morning program—half of the AICP Show & Lecture Series—takes place Monday, June 14, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Lecture Series started out years ago with the featured speakers being marquee directors, but recent installments of the event have gone in a different direction.
"The Lecture Series always looks at what’s going on in our industry," said AICP president/ CEO Matt Miller. "For the past several years, we’ve been examining business trends. One thing that is immune to market trends is creativity. It’s always there; it’s the driving force behind all marketing communications. And who better to demonstrate the power of creativity in the marketplace than the commercial filmmakers who are creating the visual images we see every day?"
Kuntz & Maguire have been a team on the agency side of the business (as creatives at Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners, New York), at MTV as writers/directors and now in the production company community. Their first spot shop roost was now defunct Propaganda Films in 1999, followed by MJZ in ’01. The duo’s directorial endeavors span such clients as FOX Sports, Sprite, Monster.com, Volkswagen and Budweiser.
Douglas first established himself as a still photographer, paired with his brother, Stuart. The Douglas Brothers then transitioned to live-action commercial directing, initially in music videos before diversifying into spots. Andrew Douglas went solo as a helmer in ’97, with credits that include spots for Nike, Citroen, American West Airlines, Volvo, United Airlines, Chrysler, Merrill Lynch, Coca-Cola, Lexus, Ford, Hewlett-Packard and Verizon.
Murro’s ad industry roots are as an agency creative. He then moved into directing, his first production company home being bicoastal HKM Productions and then Stiefel+Company (which has since been acquired by bicoastal/international @radical. media). In ’00, Murro partnered with executive producer Shawn Lacy Tessaro to launch Biscuit Filmworks. He has been nominated for the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award as best commercial director for the past two years. Those nominations have been earned on the strength of spots for Saturn, the California Fluid Milk Processors, Bud Light, eBay and E-Trade.
Bogusky is widely regarded as a leading creative force in the industry. Crispin Porter+Bogusky’s client roster includes Ikea, Mini Cooper, Molson Beer, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Burger King and Borders Books and Music. The agency also created the "Truth" anti-tobacco campaign, which has been deployed in recent years by the American Legacy Foundation, with thought- and emotion-provoking ads conceived jointly by Crispin Porter+Bogusky and Arnold Worldwide, Boston.
Established in ’92 in cooperation with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the AICP Show & Lecture Series has two parts: the morning conference and the evening show, "The Art & Technique of the American Television Commercial." The show recognizes excellence in 24 categories of commercial filmmaking (including an advertising excellence/international category). The honored commercials are made part of the permanent archives of MoMA’s Department of Film and Media. While MoMA undergoes construction, the AICP event will take place at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Joanne Ferraro, managing director of bicoastal production house Coppos, is chairperson of the ’04 AICP Show & Lecture Series.
