EP/Managing Director
Durable Goods
What advice do you have for new directors?
Include whatever you feel will be helpful…
The saturation and competition of directors in the advertising space is the highest I have ever seen, but directors shouldn’t feel discouraged. Rather, they should find their voice within the noise and hone their specific style. I know directors hate to be pegged into one genre, but understand that creative directors and clients are looking for a specific skill set and genre when choosing a director, so one must specialize. Always be creating; don’t wait for a job.
Also, while the trend to stay freelance is so appealing these days, make sure you understand the pros and cons. Being freelance appears, at the surface, as a way to get as many leads as possible. However, when agencies see more and more that you are being presented from so many production companies, it does lessen your value.
My recommendation is that you find a production company to advocate for you. Whereas the freelance model requires you and only you to advocate for yourself, especially after a company tries to sell you several times and does not see a good response to the work. That’s really the main difference. It’s natural for the company to move on to the next director or creative until success is found from the pool of freelancers.
A good production company will also provide a home and support structure to back you — a place that gels with you and ensures they’ll submit your work and champion you throughout the sales process. It can be very much the “chicken or egg” paradox in the sense that you have to build a body of work — enough to create effective reels. That’s why it’s important to always be creating and building new work, even when you’re not working.
Also, understand that, sometimes, you must be submitted multiple times to an agency before they even remember and recognize your work. Ultimately, when you’ve built a strong body of work and given the production company enough variation and work to build reels from, you will see the rewards.
Any tips on how to balance career and personal life?
It is crucial that you love what you do. When you really love what you do, going to work every day feels amazing. That being said, it is equally important to take mental and emotional breaks, so that you are able to feel rejuvenated often. Life is too short, so prioritize your health.
Full Lineup Set For AFI Fest; Official Selections Span 44 Countries, Include 9 Best International Feature Oscar Submissions
The American Film Institute (AFI) has unveiled the full lineup for this year’s AFI Fest, taking place in Los Angeles from October 23-27. Rounding out the slate of already announced titles are such highlights as September 5 directed by Tim Fehlbaum, All We Imagine As Light directed by Payal Kapadia, The Luckiest Man in America directed by Samir Oliveros (AFI Class of 2019), Zurawski v. Texas from executive producers Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Jennifer Lawrence and directors Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault, and Oh, Canada directed by Paul Schrader (AFI Class of 1969). A total of 158 films are set to screen at the 38th edition of AFI Fest.
Of the official selections, 48% are directed by women and non-binary filmmakers and 26% are directed by BIPOC filmmakers.
Additional festival highlights include documentaries Architecton directed by Victor Kossakovsky; Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie directed by David Bushell; Devo directed by Chris Smith about the legendary new wave provocateurs; Gaucho Gaucho directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw; Group Therapy directed by Neil Berkeley with Emmy® winner Neil Patrick Harris and Tig Notaro; No Other Land directed by a Palestinian-Israeli team comprised of Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor and Hamdan Ballal; Pavements directed by Alex Ross Perry; and Separated directed by Errol Morris. Notable narrative titles include Black Dog (Gou Zen) directed by Guan Hu; Bonjour Tristesse directed by Durga Chew-Bose with Academy Award® nominee Chloë Sevigny; Caught By The Tides directed by Jia Zhangke; Hard Truths directed by Mike Leigh with... Read More