Director Bob Kerstetter is a little bit different. His ca-reer, his work—even his nomination—and win—for the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award for best commercial director of 2001—are a reflection of what separates him from other professionals in the field. His path may have led him to the same destination, but the scenery was definitely different along the way.
Kerstetter is the only DGA winner in the history of the commercial director category to hold a position at an advertising agency while directing spots. As co-creative director at Black Rocket Euro RSCG, San Francisco, he is an active participant in the spots from conception to postproduction. "I am all over post," he says. "I get involved in the editing, in the music … the big thing I have always held out for is casting. We spend a lot of money on casting, trying to get amazing people."
With no insight into how the nomination—much less the win—happened, he joked that there may have been a mistake. "I was very surprised and quite humbled," notes Kerstetter. "I really don’t know what to make of it, to be honest. I am wondering if they saw everybody’s stuff."
Kerstetter’s winning spots are stories of outcasts finding others to whom they can relate. Co-written with freelance copywriter Joe Stevens, who was formerly on staff at Black Rocket, and run through bicoastal Tool of North America, the three ads for Musco Olives tell the tales of special people with black olives on the tips of their fingers. Shunned by the world, the characters must cope with being outsiders forever. But at the last moment they are saved when, by chance, they meet others with the same affliction. "I think it touches on something that a lot of people used to do—the simple olives on the fingers—and yet it goes to a different place," he reflects. "It is pretty hopeful in that there is someone out there for you. Every spot says, ‘Hey, I’m not the only one.’ "
The scenes play off common notions of drama: a young boy in an orphanage ("Orphanage"), a well-dressed older man feeding pigeons in a park ("Birds") and a factory worker fired from a job ("Worker"). "It is a dark take on the canned-food American dream," explains Kerstetter. "There is a timeless quality about them. They are different and not so spongy/happy."
Each commercial does a lovely job of telling a complex story in 30 seconds. The mood is quickly established through music and a rich, but almost colorless, look. Time, although skewed, is established with the clothing and a well-placed car or piece of furniture from the 1940s. "You can do a lot in shots where you take care of a lot of elements," Kerstetter observes, "[but] you have to compress things without feeling compressed. A commercial is thirty seconds long, and you may be sitting on a set arguing about something, then realize it makes up a maximum of two seconds in the commercial. It is so funny; we always think theatrically and then realize, ‘This isn’t a fifteen-second scene. This is four seconds, tops.’ "
Multi-Tasking
Having graduated from San Diego State in ’82 with a degree in graphic design, Kerstetter even draws his own storyboards. "I think you have to be somewhat visually inclined to direct," he notes.
As far as giving life to a commercial goes, Kerstetter holds the highest regard for DPs. "They make it happen visually," he notes. "The DP is highly underrated. It is really great if you can get a guy who understands the story. This is important in ads especially, where you have the compactness of time."
Kerstetter’s DP is Mark Plummer. "I have always worked with Mark," relates the helmer. "He has that rare combination of photography skills, incredible ability to tell a story, and being an incredibly nice guy whom you want to be around for sixteen-hour days. He totally gets it."
It is doubtful that Kerstetter, who made his directorial debut in ’92, with 11 spots for MTV, would give up his agency position for full-time commercial helming. However, he would take a break from commercials to direct a feature film—a personal interest he makes no effort to hide. "I wouldn’t direct commercials full-time, but I would do a film," he states. "As much as I love ads, I love film more. I don’t rent commercials on the weekend, and I don’t take dates to see commercials."
Kerstetter started Black Rocket in ’95, after six years as a creative at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco. In the early days of his new agency, he met principals at another fledgling business, soon to become Black Rocket’s first client. That business was Yahoo!, and that meeting kicked off a seven-year relationship between the companies. "Back then, they were tiny," recalls Kerstetter. "We didn’t know what it was. We told Yahoo!, ‘If you can show us how cool it is, we can show the world how cool it is.’ We actually pitched against a few bigger agencies, like Rubin Postaer and Associates [Santa Monica]. We were just four guys with some tissue paper, and Yahoo! knew it, but somehow we got it." Black Rocket went on to build a strong client base that today includes Morgan Stanley, MTV, Ben & Jerry’s and Eddie Bauer.
Kerstetter admits there was no method to the madness, and that starting an agency was less about strategy and more about divine intervention. "I have no idea why I started an agency," he relates. "But I can still remember the moment when I decided to do it. I was taking a shower and I could hear on the TV a story about some football player who was out with some terrible injury and would never come back. They interviewed the player and he said, ‘You know, if you can’t take a chance on living, then you can’t take a chance at all.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, my God. I don’t know what that means, but it makes incredible sense to me and I have to start my own agency.’ "
