The Production Designer runs the Art Department, and is responsible for fabricating the Director's dream into a physical world to be filmed. Top Production Designer Evan Rohde does this magically, and it's a privilege to work with him. We chat right after wrapping a long day. He explains his dual roles as both a creative collaborator and fiscally responsible department head. I marvel at Evan's creativity and love how he incorporates digital design plans to show me what he's bringing to life. Cli...
Nov 14, 2014•40 min
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 Producer/Consigliere at Advertising Production Resources (APR), the fabulous consultancy that helps cli...
Nov 05, 2014•51 min
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 when it comes to production, he’s done it all. Today, Ron is a Brand Executive Producer/Consigliere at...
Oct 30, 2014•51 min
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 humanity to her work that takes even seasoned directors years to convey. Enjoy my chat with this director...
Oct 27, 2014•1 hr 12 min
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.
Oct 23, 2014•45 min
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" project. It's voiced by a winning trifecta of comedy talent: Sarah Silverman, Amy Poehler, and Maya Rudolph...
Oct 20, 2014•34 min
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 spoof what they set out to do.
Oct 16, 2014•20 min
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.
Oct 09, 2014•1 hr
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 genuine a man as he is talented. “St. Vincent” opens in LA & NYC on October 10th, then goes wide Octo...
Oct 02, 2014•1 hr 10 min
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 […]
Sep 23, 2014•17 min
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 […]
Sep 18, 2014•1 hr 1 min
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 […]
Sep 10, 2014•43 min
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 […]
Sep 03, 2014•1 hr 11 min
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 […]
Aug 28, 2014•1 hr 3 min
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 […]
Aug 21, 2014•1 hr 2 min
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 […]
Aug 12, 2014•1 hr 10 min
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.” […]
Aug 05, 2014•37 min
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 […]
Jul 31, 2014•1 hr 10 min
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 […]
Jul 17, 2014•13 min
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 […]
Jul 10, 2014•1 hr 10 min
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 – […]
Jul 06, 2014•20 min
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 […]
Jun 27, 2014•1 hr 6 min
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 […]
Jun 19, 2014•1 hr 2 min
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 […]
Jun 12, 2014•1 hr 15 min
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 […]
Jun 05, 2014•59 min
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 […]
May 29, 2014•1 hr 4 min
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 […]
May 21, 2014•1 hr 3 min
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 […]
May 15, 2014•54 min
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 […]
May 05, 2014•51 min
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 […]
Apr 30, 2014•3 min
