Respect The Process

DP Afshin Shahidi toured Europe with Prince. In fact, one of Afshin’s first gigs in film was a music video for his Purple Badness. Turns out, we have several mutual friends (not just Prince) that he’s shot with, so it was fun to meet via the podcast. His work speaks for itself, but we sat […]

Brett Wagner’s short drama “Care” is a film festival fav, recently winning “Best Drama” at LA Shorts Fest. I first met Brett five years ago when it was called the LA International Short Film Festival, and his magnificent film “Chief” won Best Dramatic Short as well. He’s been steadily gobbling up awards ever since. Brett […]

Australia’s Aaron McCann is a filmmaker I discovered at a recent industry showcase held by the nice folks at SourceEcreative. He (along with his sometimes partner Henry Inglis) writes, directs and often stars in some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever seen. I wanted to know what it’s like directing down under, so Aaron granted […]

Helen is sick, and I am traveling to the World Premiere of my new documentary film “I AM ROAD COMIC”, so here’s a happy track by my son Benz and Jamir “Croosh” Malik. It’s called “We’re Normal” off their “Mooky Island” mixtape. You can download it for free here. Jamir scored original music for my […]

Video Village is where the ad agency and client watch the monitor while enjoying fresh ginseng smoothies. It’s also one of the nerve centers of creativity on set. I had a quick chat with VTR Operator Matt Wallace about the dynamics of the video village. Matt was great to work with and always had his […]

This episode is like a Master Class for any director that aspires to shoot commercials for a living. Jeffrey Fleisig and I met while we were both on the roster at Über Content, and we instantly hit it off as friends. Professionally, I admire the subtle performances he delivers and his keen talent for crafting […]

Fathering five daughters inspired this week’s guest, advertising guru Kevin Sutton, to write a book, “Dear Midol: Essays from Estrogen Hell”. It’s a hilarious collection of short stories, all based in truth & good parenting. Kevin is a pal and now the Executive Creative Director at Moroch Partners, a fine advertising agency. We chat about […]

I’m off to NYC for a secret screening of my new film “I AM ROAD COMIC”, so this is a quickie podcast of me rambling about the benefits of shooting on a stage versus a location. And of course vice versa. Just one man’s opinions, but I hope it can help inspire you. If you’re […]

At age 8, second generation ad wizard Ian Barry pitched his first advertising campaign, now he’s Senior VP/Executive Creative Director at Cramer Krasselt Phoenix. We chat about how his agency chooses directors, swap stories from the trenches and he explains what a “chemistry meeting” is. After nine years and dozens of spots with this funny […]

Do actors really need to wear the same outfit to the callback as their first audition? How much should you fawn over the director? Hey agency folks, why did you call everyone back? Casting is always crucial, so working with a deft casting director is a must. Danielle Eskinazi is one of the best. She […]

Andy Baker is SVP/Group Creative Director for the National Geographic Channels. Technically, he’s the client. He runs an in-house staff of highly creative people, so he’s also the agency. As a hands-on filmmaker, Andy shouts his mantra of collaboration from the mountain top. His must-read blog, the client blog offers insights for all. Listen as […]

Marcos Cline Márquez is Executive Producer of Altered. LA, a commercial production company that services the U.S. Latin Market. What is that market? If 80% of Latinos in the U.S. speak English, why make ads in Spanish? In any language, AlteredLA is a collection of great storytellers. You’ll love Marcos’ advice for new directors. For a […]

My guest Nick Franchot is a second-generation Key Grip and one smart filmmaker. His experience ensures the shoot runs smoothly. So just what does the Key Grip do? Don’t Grips just lift the heavy stuff? And why does everyone keep calling Nick “Soda Pop”? Nick anticipates the DP’s needs, collaborates with the Gaffer, and supports […]

Jim Elliott, Chief Creative Officer at Y&R NY, leads by being a hands-on creative. Never one to shy away from hard work, Jim once donned a boy scout uniform for a spot we did back in the day. Hear that story, what he learned from ad titan Jeff Goodby, and how respecting the process means […]

Blissfully married and immensely talented, the directing duo Jacob Slade represents the perfect union of creativity and love. Besides being the cutest couple I’ve ever met, Enno Jacobsen and Kristina Slade have started directing together. Well, it’s about time! The two been collaborating on each other’s individual assignments since the day they met. Do they […]

Innovators Bill Wright and James Dawson-Hollis are Co-Chief Creative Officers at Ogilvy West. They’ve won wheel-burrows full of awards at Cannes, The One Show and every other major advertising show. This dynamic duo have more Gold Lions than anyone I’ve ever met. I chat with Bill in the editing room. He inspires us with his […]

Considered the Oscars© of Advertising, the Super Bowl allows our clients to strut their stuff, creatives to go big, and viewers to be entertained. For directors and agency folks, it’s a big deal. My sincere congrats to all that made it to the big game. Here are my thoughts on what we all enjoyed. Side […]

Comedy director Michael Addis is my hidden camera guru. He’s the go-to guy for successfully mining humor from an unsuspecting public.  I chatted with Michael the night before his shoot for a Superbowl spot. The thrill of the unknown, shooting without a net in New York City, is what he lives for. In this episode, […]

Chatting with Ted Haler of Aero Mock-Ups reveals many insights about respect. During prep, Ted offered nothing but solutions, so I knew he’d be a great guest.  We talked on the day before my Ogilvy shoot about world peace, movies versus commercials, and the ghost of Stan Laurel. Ted is a wise soul who reminds me humility is a huge part […]

My friend Jordan Levy is a great cinematographer, always in demand.  He’s been busy shooting comedy spots, high fashion, luxury cars and Comedy Central’s The Jeselnik Offensive.  He claims comedy is harder to shoot than fashion. Who knew? Find out who’s a bigger diva: Oprah or Snoop Dog?  This episode settles into a very technical […]

Toby Nunez shares his journey from starving artist (while working on the Ford assembly line making windshield wiper motors) to his first agency gig as an art director.  Today Toby is a highly prolific copywriter at Doner in Detroit.  He still cranks out some pretty twisted artwork on his personal site. Toby tells me that […]

Working with a great editor, like Bill Marmor, ensures your footage will be fully realized into a great spot. Bill explains his process for editing commercials.  We discuss how he finds those magic moments and why he did not like “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, which I loved. We also chat about objectivity in […]

This episode will surely invigorate your creative juices! My 5 easy steps get your passion project off the couch and onto the screen. Enough already! I was lucky to have a mentor in Al Burton, a crazy, genius producer that taught me his “10 Steps to Success” in show business.  Sadly, I can only remembered […]

Richie Keen directs hit sitcoms, most recently “New Girl” & “Mixology”. He makes hilarious sketches. (See: Funny Or Die shorts,  “Important Things with Dimitri Martin”). And he’s shot commercials in the former Soviet Union. If it makes him laugh on the page, he’s usually game.  And after directing multiple episodes of “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”, it seems […]

His spots are meticulously executed, while his music videos are wonderfully bizarre. Director Keith Schofield won the prestigious Gold Lion at Cannes and helped define “viral video”. I love that he posts his treatments on his website for all to see, which indirectly influenced me to start this podcast. Hear why… Oh yeah. I need […]