Just how difficult is it to launch a new director, given the current economic climate? To be perfectly frank, it’s a tough proposition, according to several production company execs that SHOOT spoke with. Whether a director is a well-respected former agency creative with years of experience in conceptualizing campaigns, a film school graduate with a reel of superlative spec spots, or an established European helmer trying to break into the U.S. market, getting noticed—let alone landing spot work—is hard these days.
"We try to be honest with all the guys we’re developing now," says Stephen Orent, partner/executive producer at bicoastal/international hungry man. "If you think you’re going to have a directing career within the next six months, it’s not going to happen. You’ve got to be prepared to take your time."
As everyone in the industry knows all too well, there is simply less spot work available in general right now, due in large part to the economic crunch. Complicating matters, "seasoned directors are taking the opportunities that the developing directors normally would have," relates Joanne Ferraro, managing director of bicoastal Coppos Films.
Competition is truly at a fever pitch. "Everyone is fighting and fighting and fighting for the same work," says Phillip Detchmendy, managing director of bicoastal Tool of North America.
"It’s wild, what we’re seeing," says Jules Daly, president of bicoastal RSA USA. "We’ll see [boards for] a pregnancy test commercial that a major player is bidding on."
That reality makes building up a new helmer’s reel more difficult. Ferraro, who has two up-and-coming directors on the Coppos roster—Shawn Driscoll and Maria Demopoulos—reports, "During the first part of 2001, we were able to get six new spots on Shawn’s reel. Then, during the second half of the year, things just really slowed down." Some of Driscoll’s credits include three ads for Upstairs @Prodigy Salon in Virginia: "Blind Date," "Trimming" and "Supermarket." The package was created on a freelance basis by Valerie Foley and Aurica Green, two creatives from The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. Demopoulos has helmed some spec fare, including "Digital Walkman" for Sony, Levi’s "Shrink to Fit," Equal’s "What Are You Reaching For?," and Sephora. com’s "Beauty de Soleil."
Obviously, Ferraro would like to get Driscoll more work. (The company has only been working with Demopoulos for two months and intends to do a slow build.) But she believes it is important that the director not lunge for any assignment just for the sake of having something new to put on his reel.
Tom Mooney, partner/executive producer of bicoastal Headquarters, agrees with that approach. "We’re still not grabbing every board that comes in for Sean," Mooney says, referring to Sean Mullens, a relative newcomer who is represented by bicoastal Brand, a satellite of Headquarters. "We’re still being very selective, even if it means he doesn’t work, and Sean is totally behind that."
Mullens, who has been directing full-time since 1999, has slowly built his reel, choosing quality over quantity. That strategy seems to be paying off: A spot in an EPSN campaign he directed last year copped a Bronze Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, and he recently helmed a spot for car rental firm Budget called "Roller Skate," via Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York. He also concepted and directed a series of anti-litter PSAs for the state of Texas via Tuerff-Davis EnviroMedia, Austin, Texas.
Of course, one can be too selective. But as Mooney notes, "If you get known for doing Cookie Puss commercials or something silly, it’s hard to go back to that very same agency and say, ‘This guy can do top stuff.’ "
Getting The Work
There is no magic formula for landing a developing director "top stuff." Rather, the process simply involves lots of footwork, says Detchmendy, who is carving out a directing career for former agency creative Sean Ehringer. Most recently a partner/creative director at Leagas Delaney, San Francisco, Ehringer already has some new spots for Sears through Ogilvy & Mather, Chicago, on his reel. "Sometimes you find work out in regional markets," explains Detchmendy. "Sometimes you find work at a big agency that has an idea but doesn’t have money. The tough part is, everyone is looking in the same places."
Frank Scherma, co-proprietor of bicoastal/international @radical. media, says that Chris Milk, a director the company has slowly been building, has been able to bulk up his reel by taking jobs for overseas markets. "Right now he is in France doing a big job for a French agency. He also worked in Australia about six months ago," notes Scherma, referring to "Greyhound" for Telstra, out of Mojo Partners, Sydney. "So the fact that he can see creative from a global point of view opens up the door for him to see more work and be able to do more work." (Milk’s U.S. credits include a Power Bar spot via Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., as well as an ad for Partnership for a Healthy Mississipi, through Maris West & Baker, Jackson, Miss.)
When good boards just aren’t coming through the door, production companies can make opportunities for their directors. "If you can’t get a good spot, then create one," says Orent. "One of the first things we did for Marcos [Siega] was create a campaign for the Independent Film Channel." The spots, created client-direct for Rainbow Media, the parent company to IFC, were created by freelancers Stephen Pearson and Tom Miller, who were co-creatives/art directors/copywriters on the package. Siega recently helmed a series of spots for Doritos—including "Mink Coat," "Cheerleader Extreme" and "Basketball Extreme"—out of BBDO New York.
Creating a spot package isn’t the only way to garner attention for an up-and-coming helmer. Another idea: Throw a party. In order to familiarize advertising agency creatives with Acne, a directing collective out of Stockholm that comprises the helmers Jesper Kouthoofd, Tomas Skoging, Adam Springfeldt, Henrik Timonen, Henrik Sundgren, and Fredrik Edfeldt, Daly decided that a celebration of sorts was in order. "I threw a great cocktail party in New York," she explains. "Our reps picked the kind of people—[agency] creatives and heads of production—that were appropriate to the kind of work that Acne does, which is comedy, and it was great. It was a social setting, so it wasn’t like we were sitting in a room just showing everybody the reel. People got to know the directors, and the guys of Acne really worked the room."
Getting press coverage has benefited Driscoll, according to Ferraro. "He’s gotten some good press from the work he has done," she notes. "We’re always trying to get some press going. It just helps if agency people have heard of, believe they have heard of, or seen something about the director."
Does anyone have a leg up on the competition? "People coming in with comedy reels seem to get a bigger shot," says Mooney. "Comedy has been king the last five years."
Ferraro thinks directors that come from the agency side have an advantage, particularly when handling the all-important conference call. "They’ve listened to directors have conference calls," she notes, "and they have had to sell their ideas to clients and their creative directors, so they’re quite savvy."
According to Nancy Fishelson, executive producer of bicoastal Bedford Falls—part of the Stoney Road family of companies owned by Michael Romersa—a sane, stable personality goes a long way. Fishelson, who recently signed Warren Kushner, a relatively new director, notes that Kushner’s reel displays a knack for visuals and an ability to capture warmth and humanity. Additionally, the helmer has quickly developed a reputation for being easy to work with. "We’ve come across a few people that have worked with Warren in the past. They have a lot of faith in him and they like him, and that’s the first step," says Fishelson. "It’s too complicated now to work with difficult directors." Kusher’s recent credits include a spot for E*Trade, out of Direct Partners, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles.
Overseas Connection
Clearly, it isn’t impossible to launch a fresh face, but what about launching a European director here in the U.S. Even a director with a reputation in Europe is, in essence, starting over when trying to find stateside work. But that does not deter Scherma, who points to the success of New Zealander Gregor Nicholas, who has been with @radical.media since ’99. Nicholas, who has already found success in the ad markets of Australia and New Zealand, has been steadily building his profile in the U.S. One of his most notable efforts is Visa’s "Broadway Poem," which he directed for BBDO. The ad was originally created to tout Visa’s sponsorship of the Tony Awards, but was later re-cut and given a new soundtrack as a tribute to New York and live theater after the events of 9/11. "The fact of the matter is, I think what foreign directors need—whether it is our company or not—is to know how to direct," says Scherma. "And they need to know how this market works. One of the problems foreign directors have is coming here without the support."
While Scherma has had success with Nicholas, Daly is confident that Acne will enjoy a fruitful career in the U.S. And Ferraro believes that her company can make a director named Daniel Benmayor—whose credits include "Dominoes," a Samsung job via FCB New York—a star stateside. Benmayor is represented by Errecerre, which has offices in Barcelona and Madrid; Coppos Films has a reciprocal representation agreement with that company.
Despite the challenges involved in launching a new director—whether an up-and-comer or an established European talent—most execs note that they continue to work on development, although their focus is certainly narrower. "In the old days you could take on two, maybe three, [new directors]," Fishelson recalls. "I think you have to be a little bit more selective now. To really build a director, you’ve got to believe in them, and I very much believe in Warren. Rather than spend my time doing two builds, I would rather concentrate on him."
Of course, it is hard to resist a real talent—even now. "If the reel has it, I jump on it," says Mooney. "As a matter of fact, right now there is somebody I’m looking at. He did some clever spec work."
No matter how tough economic times get, company execs insist that it is vital to tend to the crop of newcomers. "You need your farm team, because as the other directors become more seasoned and move along, you need to have directors that are going to move up, and you need to protect yourself if directors move on or if they become out of favor," Ferraro says. "The other part is, you also want to be able to service the agencies on many levels. When they call, you want to be a resource on all the levels, so you need to have directors in every category, in every level."
"Those people you are bringing along—they’re the stars of the future," states Orent. "We never stop looking for great talent."
