A visualist with a flair for comedy and dialogue, award-winning Director/DP Warren Kushner of K Films has made a career of pushing boundaries. With stunning visual pieces for clients including Nike and Pepsi and high-profile comedy dialogue spots for Priceline, AFLAC, and Burger King, Kushner won the coveted assignment of crafting “DRIVEN: A Race Without Boundaries,” the one-hour special airing this Sunday, October 6 at 4:30 PM EST on FOX. In the show, two renowned drivers race the all-new Range Rover Sport across the toughest terrains and iconic speedways in the U.S.
In expanding on the network’s idea for the show, Kushner strived to develop a format, ideas, and challenges that would tell the story of a head-to-head competition while creating a visceral experience for the audience. “This is what it’s like to be in the driver’s seat,” Kushner said of the show, on which he acted primarily as his own Director of Photography. “I’d love to see more of this in car commercials…the sensation you get in features of being in the moment and on the edge of your seat.”
As a nod to British Heritage, “DRIVEN” is hosted by racing icon Tiff Needell, who treats us to a thrilling competition between 4-time Trans Am Champion Tommy Kendall and world champion drifter and 12-time Pike’s Peak winner Rhys Millen. Kushner wrote “Driven” based on FOX’s vision for “a race without boundaries.” He likened the experience to the working relationship he has with the agency and client on commercial shoots. “It’s all about understanding what their goal is and taking it to a place they never imagined it could go,” he said. “I wanted to deliver a fantastic show inspired by the action films we all love. It was super-exciting for us to be among the first to film the new Range Rover Sport on U.S. soil. I gotta hand it to Land Rover – they gave me full creative license to use the vehicles as I saw fit. These SUVs really are up to every challenge I could dream up.”
In his commercial work, Kushner creates and releases tension in as little as: 30. In the long-form “DRIVEN,” he heightens the tension and raises the stakes accordingly. “I’m addicted to telling stories and making commercials, and I thrive on the challenges of working in all formats,” said Kushner. “The visual artistry should never be a means unto itself. Stories and concepts are what people remember.”
Though Kendall and Millen are non-actors the director exploits their competitive spirit and love of racing to establish a good-natured rapport between the two men. It is a rivalry that escalates with each of the show’s five challenges: when all is said and done, Kendall and Millen will have raced Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats, Pikes Peak in Colorado, and Nevada’s original Mint 400 course, culminating with the competition’s conclusion in Daytona Beach, Florida. Needell leads off the proceedings with charm and humor, a tone Kushner maintains throughout the competition . The show also ups the ante with guests such as land speed record holder Andy Green, the first to break the sound barrier on land; and a guest coach whose appearance will surprise and amuse racing fans and the competitors themselves.
Kushner said the competitive spirit extended beyond that of the drivers, to the dynamic of his close-knit K Films team. “Having my own company has made for the best two years of my career,” Kushner noted. “I hand-pick my team and we are in constant competition with one another to make each project the absolute best it can be. (Executive Producer) Paige Seidel-Hutton has our back and we can put the money on the screen because every job is a key component to the company’s body of work.” Beyond his production staff, Kushner’s “first call” was bringing resolution LA on board for post-production. “Having (resolution LA Executive Producer) Michael Raimondi
