While it’s been gratifying to have "The Best Work You May Never See" gallery call attention to deserving spots that otherwise might not gain widespread exposure, there’s an even greater sense of fulfillment when an entry makes people aware of each other, leading to their collaboration.
The latest case in point involves director Eric E. Fitzpatrick, whose Guinness ale spec spot "Shaving Cream" appeared last October in the SHOOT gallery. The coverage prompted commercial industry veteran Jack Cohn and staff West Coast rep Ezra Burke of bicoastal Cohn+Company to contact Fitzpatrick in order to see his reel. Cohn evidently liked what he saw, signing Fitzpatrick for commercial representation and investing in another spec piece—this one for Miller Genuine Draft—to showcase the helmer’s talent (see separate story, p. 7).
The premise of the Guinness ad confirms that necessity is, indeed, the mother of invention, particularly when you’re badly in need of a shave. In the wordless spec spot, a man—dressed in no more than a towel—looks into the medicine cabinet above the sink and finds what he’s after: a can of shaving cream. Alas, the can is empty.
But the look in his eye tells us that bewilderment has been quickly replaced by inspiration. He makes a beeline to the refrigerator. In the blackout between scenes, we hear the pop of a bottle cap. The ad cuts to him, again at the bathroom sink. With his back to us, he blocks our view of what made the popping noise and the subsequent sound of pouring liquid.
Suddenly, he’s shaving with a rich, luxuriant lather. Next we see a glass of Guinness ale—its thick head of foam having proven the perfect complement to a razor blade. The man’s admiration of his clean-shaven face makes a case for Guinness’ inclusion in a personal toiletry kit. More importantly, "Shaving Cream" makes a case for Guinness’ stout full body, which yields a froth that can get a person out of and into a close shave.
"Shaving Cream" was written, directed and co-produced by Fitzpatrick. A graduate of Emerson College, Boston, with a degree in marketing and advertising communications, Fitzpatrick moved to Southern California in January 1999, becoming a production assistant on commercial shoots. But when the actors’ strike against the ad industry began last May, P.A. work began to dry up. So in July, he took a position as assistant to an executive producer on a series for UPN TV. In the meantime, he began circulating his director’s reel to select commercial houses.
Also on that circulation list was SHOOT. Staff reporter Millie Takaki saw the spot and put it on a short list for "The Best Work You May Never See" gallery. After it was eventually selected for the section, she wrote the piece, setting the wheels in motion for Fitzpatrick to gain his first spot production house roost as a director.
Whatever direction Fitzpatrick’s career takes from this point on, at least a door opened for him in part due to our weekly gallery. That’s in keeping with the simple promise we made when starting "The Best Work You May Never See," in 1998: to call attention to worthwhile, yet potentially overlooked, spots and the artists behind them.
