Need a copywriter, director, or editor for you next commercial project? I know a guy.
COPYWRITING
Copywriting may be my favorite part of the commercial production process. Taking a brand's creative, brand voice, and concept (whether preexisting or developed in partnership) and distilling it down into a 60, 30, 15, or even 6 second script satisfies both my storytelling habit and my puzzle addicted brain. In my mind, there's nothing more satisfying than fitting all of a brand's key value props into a tight script that still feels like a story, no matter how short. My decades of work in voiceover have given me the privilege of reading nearly every piece of commercial copy over the years, and to this day, I lean on this side of my work to stay plugged in to what's trending.
Take a look at this spot I wrote and directed for Brunt Workwear (Featured in the Colorado Ad Club's "The Fifty 2023") where we crafted the 30 second story of a relationship on the verge of calamity due to the durability, comfort, waterproofing, and 30 day risk free trial of a pair of Brunt workboots.
DIRECTING
With a background in acting, my approach to directing hinges on great casting and getting just the right performances out of our talent to bring a brand's story to life. I love learning the stories of the companies I get to partner with, getting to know their consumer base, and working together to hone in on a story that speaks to their people and converts into engagement. As a director, I lean heavily on your people to make sure we're representing your brand authentically, and am always looking for creative input from the team that knows the brand best: you.
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When it comes to production, I believe we get the best results when talented people across the crew and post team are empowered to give their best. With that in mind, I spend a lot of energy on set and in post production making sure that ideas are heard, folks' talent is respected, and we are all working in service of a unified vision of the story we're wanting to tell. A great director should always have a vision and the ability to lead, but nobody has time for the diva behavior we all see too often that leaves team members feeling devalued and under appreciated. My shoot days are often jam-packed, hard days of work, but it's good vibes only and everyone's leaving on time and with a smile.
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Take a look at this 15 second spot for Brigit, the second of 3 spots that were shot in a single day, where the final cut wound up including an improvised moment (popcorn anyone?) from one of our phenomenal actors that ended up playing better than the line that was scripted.
EDITING
I love getting the opportunity to edit my own work- it's where the vision finally comes to life and we get to find out if what we thought was going to work, actually does. (Spoiler alert: it almost always does!) Cutting together just the right performances, placing just the right music and sound design, and taking out or adding just the right amount of frames to make a moment land, there's nothing more satisfying than getting an edit to a place where the spot finally feels like the spot. A little movie magic sprinkled in here and there never hurt anyone either.
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Take a look at this spot I wrote, directed, and edited for GovX. There was a whole lot of content to squeeze into 30 seconds, and a lot of fun tricks in the edit. You might also notice a familiar face on camera... our talent got sick on the day of the shoot and yours truly had to step in. (with client approval of course)