Director/writer/producer Nelson McCormick has come aboard Aero Film, Santa Monica, for exclusive spot representation. He is best known for his direction of popular drama/action TV series, including episodes of CSI-New York, Alias, Cold Case, The West Wing, ER, CSI, Nip/Tuck, and Third Watch.
At press time, McCormick was at Raleigh Studios, Los Angeles, helming an episode of The Closer, a series which airs on TNT. Last year he directed two episodes of Stephen Bochco’s acclaimed and controversial series for F/X, Over There, which chronicled the drama of soldiers serving overseas in Iraq.
McCormick is no stranger to the ad discipline. Early on in his career he had a stint helming spots via The Front (the former live-action arm of Los Angeles animation/multimedia studio Duck Soup), and Red Sky, San Francisco. His spot credits back then included Ultrawheels In-Line Skates for agency TDA in Longmont, Colorado, and Airwalk footwear via Lambesis in Carlsbad, Calif.
“Nelson is great at directing drama, action, and dialogue,” related Aero executive producer Lance O’Connor. “There’s hardly a person in this country that hasn’t seen or been affected by the television shows he’s either produced, written or directed. Every show he’s directed demonstrates what a strong storyteller he is. I’ve got many different [spot] jobs in mind for him.”
Ironically, it was McCormick’s commercial work eight years ago that brought him eventually to the forefront of directing primetime TV series. According to McCormick, Reid Shane, a producer working at now defunct Propaganda Films, left for a position at Paramount. Shane, impressed by McCormick’s spot fare, brought him over to do a series titled Primal Force. I was immediately thrown into the mix,” recalled McCormick. “At first I was ambivalent about work in television, but that quickly changed. The timing was right, TV work became very high caliber, with good writing and good stories. Many great people like Jennifer Garner (Alias) and J.J. Abrams (Alias, just directed Mission Impossible 3)–their careers were born in television.”
McCormick sees no problem with translating his television work to the commercial world. “Characters are complex in television, the rich drama is great for creating moments–the same with commercials. The stuff I’m doing, whether it’s dialogue driven, emotional or high risk scenarios like on West Wing, relate perfectly to commercials. Television gives a director the discipline to create moments and tell the story.”
McCormick has a highly unusual background for a filmmaker, getting most of his training and experience as a combat cameraman while serving in the U.S. Air Force. “My experiences taught me how to capture the moment the first time, because most of the time you didn’t have the luxury of getting a second chance.”
The director foresees no problems in terms of his availability for spot assignments. “Television work has become very seasonal, schedules get hot in the fall, but I take one at a time, and can schedule one or two week outs with very little notice,” he related. “It actually takes less time to prep a show than people think.”
McCormick joins an Aero directorial roster that also includes Klaus Obermeyer, Henrik Hansen, Ken Arlidge and Brent Jones.
Beyoncé’s Halftime Show Highlighted Netflix’s NFL Debut On Xmas Day
Beyoncé provided more excitement than either game during Netflix's NFL debut on Christmas Day.
Riding into her halftime appearance on a white horse, the 32-time Grammy winner rocked her hometown Houston crowd with a nearly 13-minute performance on Wednesday.
She surprised fans by bringing along Shaboozey to perform "Sweet Honey Buckiin" and Post Malone joined her for "Levii's Jeans."
The action on the field didn't live up to expectations as the NFL showcased four of the AFC's top five teams.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce exposed a glitch in Pittsburgh's defense during Kansas City's 29-10 rout in the first game.
The broadcast itself went off just fine, quickly becoming the second-most popular live title on Netflix to date, according to NFL Media.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens led C.J. Stroud and the Texans to 17-2 at halftime before Beyoncé stole the show.
Mariah Carey opened Wednesday's doubleheader with a taped performance of "All I Want for Christmas is You" and then the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs trounced the Steelers to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
There were no signs of any major streaming issues during the game after Netflix experienced minor blunders at the start of the pregame show. The broadcast opened with roughly 10 seconds of silence because it appeared studio host Kay Adams' microphone wasn't turned on.
Beyoncé's live performance at NRG Stadium was supposed to be the biggest test for the streaming giant and it seemed to go off without a hitch.
Mahomes threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns and Kelce had eight catches for 84 yards and one score as the Chiefs (15-1) earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The... Read More