Respect The Process

Writer/Producer/Director Judd Apatow is one of my favorite filmmakers, with "Knocked Up", "This is 40", "40 Year Old Virgin" and "Funny People" being my personal loves. As the ultimate Hollywood hyphenate, he's produced dozens of Brady family classics such as "Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy", the recent "The Big Sick" and the comedic tour-de-force "Talladego Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobb...

A former copywriter, Alex Grossman has always had a love for advertising. In 2011 he got his start directing commercials and was named one of the Top 25 New Commercial Directors by Shoot Magazine. His short mockumentary for Canal+ went on to win multiple lions at Cannes and his Gatorade work starring the Manning Brothers and JJ Watt got over 40 Million hits on YouTube in just over a month. You're...

Filmmaker Dulanie Ellis joins me for a spontaneous chat about her award-winning documentary "Ground Operations" . It's an awesome story on the growing network of combat veterans who are transitioning into careers as sustainable farmers, ranchers and artisan food producers. Perfect for Veterans Day! In fact, make it a double feature with "I Am Battle Comic" this weekend. Enjoy. Jordan This is a 45...

Talented Director/Producer Destri Martino founded The Director List , a database of female directors, when she realized there were far more qualified, working women directors than were getting the big opportunities. But we go back further than that! Destri worked as my overqualified Director's Assistant on two feature films, one for Miramax under now-known sexual predator Harvey Weinstein. So we d...

Filmmaker Carlos Gutierrez is always working and he took time to skype with me and graciously share his filmmaking secrets, both on and off set. His has a fine film pedigree you can read here .  Check out his commercial reel at Superlounge.tv .  thanks, Jordan This is an hour and 19 minutes of commercial making heaven. Commercial Directing Bootcamp is Dec. 02 and will sell out. Sign up or suck for...

Director Kinka Usher won the coveted Directors Guild of America award for his Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials twice, and he has more Cannes Lions that you can fit on the dining room table. Usher directed his first commercial in 1992 after working his way up from production assistant, camera assistant and steadicam operator. He has directed award-winning campaigns for Got Milk?,...

Cinematographer Mike Svitak and I have shot more cars and comedy in the last 13 months than most filmmakers do in their entire career. In this episode, we chat about that, as well as his movie making experiences. And his new film, "6 Below" challenged him to extreme conditions. You will love this. Thanks, Jordan This episode is an hour and 20 minutes. Next Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December...

Comedian/Filmmaker Henry Phillips is one of my favorite comics on the circuit. His specials and live shows are not to be missed. Nor are his two  semi-biographical cult comedy films: "Punching the Clown" and the sequel "Punching Henry" , now on Showtime. He has also made acting appearances on HBO's "Silicon Valley" (4 episodes) and Comedy Central's "Drunk History". His YouTube channel, featuring t...

Filmmaker Nickolas Duarte directs commercials and has a new web series he sold to Warner Brothers that he can almost talk about. He teases us in this episode. Through his Tuscon, Arizona-based Crown Chimp, he has plotted a course for success. he shares his methods that help him set and achieve his goals, techniques that we all can use. I am taken with his work in China, so I've posted a spot at jo...

Shawn Marek is a producer of many a podcast, so he stopped by the RTP Studios to tell us his favorite filmmaking shows. He's producing a live show in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Improv. It's Thursday, October 5th, 2017 called "LA Podfest Preview Night" so get tickets now! I know you'll find this a fascinating chat, as you already love my podcast.  Cheers, Jordan This is 90 minutes full of fun. Co...

Cinematographer Jim Frohna has shot every episode of Amazon's hit show "Transparent", infusing each scene with an intimacy between the characters and the camera. In a sense, he is like the unseen member of the Pfefferman family. Jim has directed the show as well, so you know we chat about that experience too. Plenty of tech talk for ya'll, but moveover, you'll feel the love and cohesiveness among...

Celebrity Makeup Artist Aliesh Pierce and I have done dozens of shoots together. We share a strong work ethic that mandates mastery of craft, and helping others. For example, when HMI lighting came all the rage, Aliesh bought her own to see the effects on her makeup techniques. And then she did her own tests when the digital camera revolution began. Be sure to check out her own line of beauty prod...

Ben Giroux is a comedic actor/director and the creator of the viral music video phenomenon BACK TO THE 90s . Giroux's music video collaborations with indie hip-hop artist Jensen Reed have amassed over 60 million views globally, resulting in endorsements from The Backstreet Boys and multiple weeks climbing the Billboard charts. Giroux currently stars as Mikey Munroe in Nickelodeon's animated series...

Cinematographer Michael Svitak and I have been on quite a run lately, shooting spots for seven major automobile makers in the last year. Michael begged me not to put yet another director of photography episode up so soon so I'm going wait, and give ya'll this teaser. A fascinating true tale of how a young Mike talked his way onto the crew of a Gus Van Sant film. "I Am Battle Comic" is winning over...

Blake Stilwell has an official, impressive title of Sr. Director of Digital Video Content at WeAreTheMIghty.com , but I call him a badass. He's got degrees in design, television & film, public relations and international relations. Blake is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman and Iraq War veteran who spent time as a field photographer and communications officer in the Middle East.  He wrote a...

Cinematographer David Claessen is a dear friend and collaborator. We finally got to talk about his storied journey in cinematography. From his features films, to music videos, to the many high end spots he's done, we cover into it all. Despite starting and loving film, David has embraced the digital world, applying his art and craft to whatever new medium comes along. You will love this episode. C...

I've been dying to talk with cinematographer Rich Schaefer for months ever since RTP guests Director Jeff Gordon and Director Kip Hewitt raved about him and his work. We dive deep into lenses, f stops and all the tech talk you can stomach... and we also cover the fantastic ways Rich preps and collaborates with the entire team to create the world the director sees for the project. A great guy and t...

A good filmmaker friend, who like me is always shooting and always pitching for the next gig, asked me how I avoid burning out. My answer is simple.. shoot and edit more. But what if you are getting burnt from trying, hitting a wall because you are not shooting or pitching enough? Don't give up... do this. Listen. If you're ever in a bad place, you can always hit me up.  Truly, Jordan You know it'...

Cinematographer Nathan Wilson  primarily shoots feature films, but still does plenty of spots and promos. So we compare and contrast the workings of them all. Nathan shares his philosophy "fix it in prep", a mantra we should all embrace. You'll enjoy his tips on how the DP and the Director can eliminate many potential pitfalls before the camera even rolls. And like myself, he respects the process...

My friend Damian Fitzsimmons is a filmmaker, creative director and company owner but he really just enjoys telling stories. Born in Liverpool and now in South Florida by way of NYC, he started Brave Man Media and has been working non stop ever since. Brave Man, as I call it, is a full service shoppe and we discuss what that entails to stay afloat.  You'll love Damian's fascinating journey. After b...

Filmmaker Jeff Gordon has just unleashed new spots for his longtime client, Mothers, makers of quality car polishes and waxes. And lucky for us, he gives us a detailed first-hand account of that entire journey. Soup to nuts. The first time Jeff visited the pod-studio, we chatted about directing chimps and babies. A great episode in the jordanbrady.com archives or hell, just click here . If possibl...

Jordan Flack and I met at the Source screening of short films in the Spring, and we hit it off like two guys named Jordan should. We discuss how he is working alongside filmmakers to set them up for a successful production. Jordan is always looking for any new, great opportunity for his directors, the kind of person you want on the team. His title is Co Producer at Contagious LA, and yes I ask him...

Talented filmmakers Kurt Schneider and Keenan Wetzel are two distinct filmmakers thriving in the fabulous city of Detroit. When these two college pals recently visited Los Angeles, I jumped at the chance to interview them. We discuss the benefits of fostering a directing career outside of New York or Los Angeles, doing the work, respecting the process and so much more.  Click each name to see thei...

Virtual reality aka VR is the buzzword du jour, but filmmaker Pierre Friquet has been immersed in it since 2010. He's directed more than a dozen VR fictional stories, documentaries, music videos, dome and interactive experiences. So we hopped on the Skype and chatted about it all. Pierre has won awards for this original VR fiction, JETLAG, including best live-action award at the Kaleidoscope VR fe...

The highly creative team at WoodShop Studios takes a holistic approach to servicing their execution of commercials. So much that they've brought in the delightful Linda Jackson as Executive Producer of Post Production, a position not many production companies require. Linda's experience and leadership inform the way they approach the creative from the start. We discuss how they concept, dissect ma...