What a difference a year makes. At this time in 2005, Harry Cocciolo, an accomplished agency creative, made the leap into full-time directing, joining bicoastal Tool of North America.
Remarkably, just a scant 12 months later, Cocciolo has fashioned a reel that’s generated considerable industry buzz–to the point where his newest work being wrapped at press time, two Acura spots for Rubin Postaer and Associates, Santa Monica, represents yet another career breakthrough, his first directorial foray into the automotive arena. It’s the latest diversification for a helmer who has been able to establish himself in the storytelling, humor, people/dialogue and visual genres in a relatively short time span.
In some respects Cocciolo’s progression as a director has evolved to where it parallels his reach as an agency creative, which encompassed two tours of duty at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (first as a writer who became an associate creative director, and the second as a creative director/writer), a stint at See, San Francisco as its executive creative director, and a tenure as partner/creative director at the San Francisco office of London agency Leagas Delaney.
To be sure, as an agency creative, he was best known for his work in strong, at times off-the-wall comedy, ranging from “got milk?” (“Trix,” “Heaven”) to CNET (“Dancers,” “Plant”) and adidas (“Abandoned Mr. S,” “Spelling Trouble”). But while on the ad shop side, this humorous fare sometimes overshadowed his creative involvement in the relevant, emotional brand of storytelling reflected in pieces like AT&T Wireless’ “Business Traveler” (directed by Scott Hicks of Independent Media, Santa Monica, for Goodby), a sweet tug at the heartstrings that showcases the special relationship between a father and young daughter. And there was also automotive advertising like Cocciolo’s creative work at Goodby for Isuzu.
“My hope [from the outset] was to get to direct a wide range of work, enabling me to continue to be involved in the varied creative I had enjoyed during my agency days,” relates Cocciolo. “Realistically, though, that is hard to accomplish given the tendency to categorize directors. I’ve been very fortunate to get the opportunities I have in my first year at a production company.”
That good fortune, observes Tool’s managing director Phillip Detchmendy, stems in part from the fact that many agency creatives feel simpatico and like working with Cocciolo. Indeed having been on the agency side, the director understands what ad shop artisans have to go through in order to get a campaign off the ground.
“That’s what I thought I would miss most when moving over to the solo life of a director–the camaraderie of being part of a creative team,” shares Cocciolo. “Happily, I’ve been able to retain that feeling of camaraderie with my crew. And even though I’m now further down the line, I’ve been given the chance by agencies to help bring their ideas to life.”
On the crew front, a prime perk for Cocciolo has been the opportunity to work with varied artisans. Rivaling the kick of being able to broaden directorially into cars with the Acura job was being able to collaborate on that two-spot package with DP Max Malkin. “I’ve wanted to team with Max for a long time–to see how he works and to get a first hand feel of his approach and what he does visually. It’s been a real treat.”
The Acura campaign additionally underscores the fact that for Cocciolo, diversification has elements of familiarity. While he breaks new ground directorially by moving into the automotive discipline, the spots also incorporate humor and storytelling, which have been Cocciolo mainstays. The storyline for an Acura MDX spot, for instance, centers on a waiter who works his way down the street and through town in the SUV, eventually meeting another dozen waiters as it’s revealed to us that the MDX has a navigation system that also provides info on nearby restaurants, replete with Zagat restaurant ratings.
From his very first spot at Tool–the San Francisco Zoo’s “Tail” for BBDO West, San Francisco–Cocciolo made a mark directorially. “Tail” tells the story of a schoolgirl who’s an outcast because of a physical oddity; she has a long fur tail. While the circumstance is offbeat, the spot carries the universal emotion of feeling at one time or another isolated–if not shunned–for being different. The commercial walks the fine line of us feeling the girl’s pain but not getting immersed in that loneliness thanks to the sense that something magical is about to unfold–and it does, as she finds another girl with a tail, who’s standing in line to get into the San Francisco Zoo. A voiceover then asks, “Are you one of us? An accompanying tag reads, “Join Zoomanity.”
The charming, intelligent yet whimsical humor of “Tail” helped Cocciolo earn inclusion in SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase last year. From there, he moved on to take on a mix of work such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s “No Brakes” for Denver agency Cactus, LucasArts’ “Dodgeball” and “Paperboy” for Butler, Shine & Stern, San Francisco, the California Lottery’s “Snow” via BBDO West, San Francisco, Sprint/Nextel’s “Directions” for TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York, Reebok’s “Far” and “Paying Dues” out of McGarry Bowen, New York, and MasterCard’s “Canyon” from McCann Erickson, New York.
The latter shows a couple camping out–but ill-equipped for the experience. As the costs of various necessities are revealed, they are conspicuously absent, leading to the conclusion that being prepared for an outdoors outing is “priceless.”
While he couldn’t predict the success he’s enjoyed just a year into his directing odyssey, Cocciolo proved prophetic when interviewed by SHOOT upon joining Tool in ’05. He explained the one consistency in his filmmaking that indeed has since earmarked his body of directorial work over the past 12 months. “It’s the humanity of the message,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that it features people, just that there is a real message there, told in a way that is hopefully relevant to the viewer. It can be funny, emotionally moving or something altogether different. There is power in respecting your audience and finding the humanity in each idea.”
How The Hollywood Awards Calendar Has Been Affected By The Wildfires
Hollywood's awards season has all but come to a rare halt as the wildfires continue to disrupt life and work in the Los Angeles area. There are near daily updates from the Hollywood guilds and organizations that put on awards shows as the industry navigates the ongoing crisis.
Here's an overview of the major upcoming awards shows, from the Oscars to the Grammys, including updated dates for nominations.
Producers Guild and Writers Guild award nominations
Postponed, no new dates announced
The Writers Guild of America nominations were to be announced Jan. 8, a date that was pushed to Jan. 13 and then postponed indefinitely. The Producers Guild of America nominations for feature films were to be announced on Jan. 10, which was pushed to Jan. 12 and then postponed to an unspecified date this week.
Academy Award nominations
Jan. 23
The Oscar nominations have been twice-delayed — they were initially slated for Jan. 17, then Jan. 19, before being delayed again. The delay in the announcement accommodates an extended voting deadline, as many Academy members have been affected by the wildfires.
The nominations will be announced via a "virtual presentation," eschewing press on site.
Critics Choice Awards
Jan. 26
Originally slated for Jan. 12, the awards were set to take place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, only miles from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood where fire was raging.
The awards will be broadcast live on E!, hosted by Chelsea Handler.
Grammy Awards
Feb. 2
By virtue of announcing their nominations back in November, the Grammys' schedule has largely been unaffected by the wildfires. Some... Read More