The Tragic Process of Producing Comedy
Producing comedy is a lot like making a burrito: a plethora of tangy challenges wrapped in a tortilla of high hopes. It requires a light tou
And Then Advertising Got Weird: What Is Oddvertising?
My director of photography and a production assistant were holding them off with sticks, the art director had been reduced to a puddle of te
When Subjectivity Rears Its Ugly Head
Everyone has been through this. You write the funniest spot in the history of the world. You go through all the internal reviews, an
Creating Comedic Characters That Can Sell Anything: Part II
As I explained last week, if you can create a well-designed character it can live for a very long time. But what I failed to mention is that
Creating Comedic Characters That Can Sell Anything: Part I
The senior copywriter rolled his eyes, expressing complete disdain for my answer, the idiot who let me in the building, and my very existenc
Where Comedy is Most Effective in the Marketing Funnel
The hotel manager was pounding on the door outside the Grand Ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle. Inside were two sturdy productio
The Fatal Mistake Writers Make Creating Comedic Commercials
I scrambled on stage slinging a clapboard in one hand. Some fans in the crowd noticed and started screaming in anticipation. As I made a gia
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
