One of the preeminent commercial directors of advertising campaigns across the print, television and interactive media in Hollywood today, Jay Silverman, founder of Jay Silverman Productions, has just hit a career milestone. Silverman just shot his 5,000th career national print ad campaign, marked by his newest project for Pizza Hut, featuring Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Silverman’s client for the new Pizza Hut project was Tracy Locke Advertising of Dallas, with Dino Deleon, Executive Creative Director, and Bri Wollman, Creative Director.
“I would have celebrated, but I didn’t realize we hit the 5,000th milestone until my bookkeeper looked at the job number on the invoice, and saw the magic number,” Silverman joked. “We started back in the 1980s when there was plenty of work around for everyone, and clearly, we’ve survived the ups and downs of Hollywood and the advertising business by the simple fact that we’re still here and we’re still as busy as ever!”
Jay Silverman Productions has five full-time employees, and hires more than 50 freelance set designers, makeup artists and other technicians as various jobs require. Budgets for Silverman projects range from $ 20,000 to several million dollars, not including salaries for celebrities.
Silverman began work as a professional photographer at the age of 17, when he photographed the TV show “Kung Fu” for public relations and promotional purposes. Now some 40 years later, with still photography remaining his “First Love,” Silverman also directs live action multi-media advertising projects for such Fortune 500 clients as McDonalds, Intel, Disney, Coors, Budweiser, GM, Coke, Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Visa, and Gatorade, among many others.
During the span of his award winning career, Silverman became a noted celebrity photographer, specifically requested by high profile actors, sports personalities, recording artists, industry leaders, and supermodels. Dozens of legendary Hollywood notables have been photographed by Silverman during the past three decades, including Ray Charles, Vincent Price, Quincy Jones, Salma Hayek, Rodney Dangerfield, Sharon Stone, George Burns, Vanna White, Clint Eastwood, Snoop Doog, Beyoncé and Will Smith. A number of these photos appear here.
Expanding beyond print photography in l995, Silverman next became a commercial director, and has since successfully balanced a dual career in both still photography and live action direction. His repertoire of national campaigns across multi-media includes those for such clients as Greyhound, Petco, Fifth Third Bank, Carnation, A&W, Pepsi, 24-Hour Fitness, and Rent-A-Center. Over the years, Jay’s work has been honored with numerous Belding, Telly, Promax, and Lucy Awards. In addition, he has also been recognized for his achievements in creating and producing many national PSA campaigns for such worthy causes as the American Cancer Society, the Foundation for the Junior Blind, the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, the ACLU, and the Sierra Club.
Jay Silverman has also directed countless on-air promotional spots for all of the major broadcast networks, as well as for many cable channel, including the original launches of the smash hit TV series “American Idol,” and “Desperate Housewives,” and his own series, “The Cleaner.”
Jay Silverman Productions is located at 1541 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028. The phone is 323/466-6030, and the web is www.jaysilverman.com.
