The Secret Formula to Make Everyone Love Your Pre-roll Ads
I was directing a commercial for AT&T when the composer emailed me a handful of music samples based on my initial notes. My feedback was tha
Why Hiring Comedians Is a High-Stakes Gamble for Brands
I was fast asleep on a bed of saddle blankets in a barn in East Texas. The night before I’d winged halfway across the country on the red-eye
The Most Amazing Method for Writing Killer Jokes
We locked eyes. The next thing I knew a determined account executive was rushing me from across the room like I had just set her tabby cat o
How Comedy in Advertising has Changed over Time
I was wrapping studio cables as fast as humanly possible. Once you’ve mastered the basic over/under hand technique, maintaining a steady rhy
15 Comedy Hacks Every Young Writer Needs to Know
I was sweating like an expectant father at a trendy New York post house. It was the first session I’d ever produced, a small story MTV News
29 Simple Comedic Devices that Make Advertising Irresistible
Due to a series of mistakes, I was standing in the middle of an auditorium surrounded by 14 production assistants. Their combined years of p
An Imperfect Guide to Directing Funny Commercials
My nieces tossed my home office like burglars looking for the master safe. They were after my Sharpies so they could draw signs for our fami
Your Super Bowl Commercial Isn’t Funny. Now What?
You’re sitting in front of a TV as big as a drive-in screen. It’s the Super Bowl party from last year. You’re flanked by a few close friends
The Critical Change That Made Mac Versus PC Unforgettable
I rubbed my eyes after staring at a creative brief for what seemed like an eternity. Blink. Blink. The brief was nothing but a laundry list
The Art of Pitching Comedy to People Who Hate Comedy
There were a couple of fans rattling in the small conference room at our offices. The creaky old building with no AC had been a horse stable
The Video That Turned Dollar Shave Club into a $1B Company
The price of razors was sky high, and Dollar Shave Club saw an opportunity to undercut the competition by selling cheap razors over the Inte
Why Comedy Always Dominates Top 10 Advertising Lists
It was back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth and commercials were shot on 35mm film. Day two of overnight shooting. Everyone was a litt