Respect The Process

Part two of my enlightening conversation with production genius Ron Hacohen. Why is it harder to break into directing if your female or a minority? Ron explains he's actually a "production consultant". He strives to inform clients of the process, because of the increased efficiencies. We end the talk with his advice for people breaking into commercial directing. Today, Ron is a Brand Executive Pro...

Ron Hacohen taught me how to be a commercial director, back when he was my Executive Producer at HKM productions, and his Bravo Zulu. Besides being one of the funniest people I know, he’s extremely production savvy, having risen through the ranks of production to run his own shop. He’s a former President of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers’ prestigious West Coast chapter, and wh...

How the multi-talented Jeannette Godoy came to spot directing is quite a fascinating tale. She's worked on set as a choreographer, a wardrobe stylist, a production designer and even a dialect coach. Then she turned her talents to directing, and was shortlisted at Cannes as "Best New Director" and plucked for Shoot's New Director Showcase for her very first spot. Jeannette brings a warmth and human...

Michelle Eskin, partner and Managing Director Cut + Run LA, has built a creative oasis in Santa Monica. We chat about the importance of setting the tone for doing great work. Despite how the editorial business has changed, she and her editors, effects artists and staff remain cheerful and positive.  It's a real treat to edit there. Young editors listen up.

Truly one of the great comedy minds of our time, director Adam McKay has now used his powers for the betterment of mankind. He's created a magical land inhabited by multi-colored Alpacas who love lollipops and rainbows, to teach us about the growing divide in wealth distribution. It's called "The Unbelievably Sweet Alpacas". Just one of 20 short films for Morgan Spurlock's  "We The Economy"  proje...

Composer Andrew Feltenstein and his partner John Nau run Beacon Street Studios. They scored hundred of award winning commercials. They now do a lot for Funny Or Die, including their Emmy® nominated songs for "The Spoils of Babylon". They support he movie by not being funny. Rather they respect the script and play it straight. Making great music allwos Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Judd Apatow to sp...

Michael Koman is Co-Creator along with star Nathan Fielder of the Comedy Central hit show "Nathan For You". If you loved the "Dumb Starbucks" episode as much as the world did, you'll want to listen. Guest interviewer Michael Addis, a former guest of the podcast himself (January 2013) probes Mr. Koman to find out what a shworunner does.

Writer/Director  Theodore Melfi  has been making commercials and indie films for a decade. So when he nabbed Bill Murray for the starring role of his script, he was more than ready to deliver. Listen to this great casting tale, his hanging with Jack Nicholson, and how his real life inspired his script that he hand-wrote in four weeks. I’ve known Theodore since he started directing, and he’s as gen...

As a director, I’m hired by advertising agencies of all sizes. Some are huge, part of a global conglomerate, while others are nimble shoppes, but equally as creative. The big agencies are always in the trades, pitching and winning even bigger clients. But I wondered how these smaller agencies got their work. So I traveled […]

Hear why David Fincher, J.J. Abrahms and myself use Green Screen Animals. Simple: Mark Shockley and his animal-loving crew shoot all kinds of creatures on green screen, and then license the footage to you. Best of all, they treat the beasts like the divas that they are. Mark only works with trainers and handlers that […]

For decades, the inspired and hilarious short films of Saturday Night Live have been the highlight of show. So what a treat to talk with Adam Epstein, the SNL film unit editor that pulls it all together, literally overnight. We chat about workflow, turnaround, teamwork and the amazing talent both in front of and behind […]

Tom Lowe is an experienced line producer who produced a few of my epic Dodge spots for the Doner Agency this summer. Naturally, we chat about the creative problem solving the line producer brings to the shoot. His advice to new directors is invaluable. The first half of this engaging, tech-filled interview, we focus on […]

Comedian Steve Hofstetter produces a stand-up comedy show for FOX. The show is called “Laughs” and it airs Saturday nights. Steve is busy fulfilling his order for the series. Bravo, I say. I met Steve through director/producer Dane Hanson and marveled at how they’re pulling the show together. Here’s the extended promo for the show […]

Judd Minter is one of my buddies off set. On set, he’s an attentive, detailed-oriented hair & make up artist at the top of his game. He has an acute awareness of not just the “looks” of the characters he creates, but also of the days’ schedule and comedic tone of the commercial we are […]

Director Michael Patrick Jann brilliantly draws an analogy between directing and the art of ancient Chinese calligraphy. This is a must-listen episode. Michael knows comedy. Straight from film school to directing MTV’s “The State”, then onto “Reno 911″ and countless commercials, he’s been directing the funny non-stop for 15 years. Today, Michael is an accomplished […]

We stray from spot-making, but you’ll love my chat with Kris Tinkle. He’s hilarious and was determined to put out another comedy CD of all-new material. And I got to help, respecting the process of great recording and well-honed material. Click to get the album on iTunes: “Kris Tinkle: Maybe I Don’t Feel Like Smiling.” […]

The Perlorian Brothers make comedy spots that I wish I’d made. Admittedly, I was giddy interviewing the dynamic directing duo from the Great White North, because I’ve held them in such high regard since I began, and because Canadians are genetically funnier than most. Ian Letts and Michael Gelfand sat down with me at the […]

Director Steven Feinartz and I met as he was putting the finishing touches on his documentary about comedian Eddie Pepitone called “The Bitter Buddha”. It’s a great character study of a funny man on his own journey. Steven recently shot Eddie’s stand-up special for Netflix, so I wanted to hear how that was different from […]

Visual storytelling requires a discerning eye and a strong point of view. My guest has that and more. I sat down with Director Graeme Joyce, whose work I’ve admired for a while now. Naturally, we talk about treatments and the state of the spot business. Graeme also gives us his two cents on why directors […]

Creative freedom feels so good. By self-distributing my new comedy documentary “I Am Road Comic” directly to fans for $5, I’m showing the world an unfettered work. This episode is just me rambling about my grass roots strategy, and being very transparent with how the money flows. The last ten days I’ve been connecting – […]

Sugar.tv’s Director Chris Smith is a happy commercial director. Like myself, he loves the medium, the process and has built lasting relationships that trust him beyond compare. We chat about conference calls, spec spots, post vfx (warning: gets very geeky and I love it!). Chris believes knowing the tools make you a better director, but […]

Matt Miller is a master at weaving the aural layers in our commercials and often composes original music for them too. Sound design, mixing and finding the right music are the most subjective arenas in all of advertising and Matt is one of the best. He also crafted the stellar mix for my new documentary […]

Mike Leary is one of the most buttoned-up agency producers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. But just what the heck does an agency producer do? For starters, the agency producer guides the matchmaking process, helping the agency creative team find the right director for their project, thus making this a must-listen episode for […]

If you’re thinking about ad agency life, you need to hear this chat. Top creative Bart Cleveland cherishes seeing people succeed. Bart has always mentored his creative teams, and now he’s founded Job Propulsion Laboratory to help people entering advertising plan and manage a successful career. Oh, we also discuss that the perfect commercial is […]

I’m a huge Bobcat Goldthwait fan for decades. First as a comedian, then as a writer/director. His diverse directorial gigs defy classification. Besides his own films, he directs “Maron”, numerous stand-up specials, helmed many a “Chappelle’s Show” sketch and hundreds of nights of “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, a multi-camera show. This is a great episode to […]