Filmmakers In Advertising

Today we’re talking to Levi Sanford, Senior Marketing Manager at Ice Barrel. If you’re a filmmaker who works in advertising, this discussion is tangential because it will help you better understand how a (truly) value-driven company and its teams communicate in healthy ways, serve their customers, and achieve their goals. Levi is one of the most genuinely authentic guests we've spoken to thus far.  His leadership style,  and commitment to his team and helping others, make this conversation informative and engaging, even if you're not in filmmaking and or advertising. Expect to gain some valuable knowledge on both personal and professional topics.Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com LinksLevi SanfordLinkedinIce BarrelJustin RossbacherLinkedinInstagramCodey WilsonLinkedinInstagram

On today’s episode of Filmmakers In Advertising, Director Mwita Chacha interviews Director Justin Rossbacher on Directing through Loss & Grief.I (Codey) initially wanted to share how we adjusted to such a shocking situation as a company, but, ultimately, we realized it was important that Justin simply share his experience of how he had to direct one of the biggest commercial campaigns of his career, at the time, while receiving the news that his brother was dying. We talk about: Mortality Love for your siblingHaving a special relationship with your clientCreating with people you care aboutAnxiety as unprocessed sadnessAnd turning grief into artSo, if you want to hear how a director navigated massive loss while in the midst of a large commercial production, but also how his collaborators and friends showed up and got him through it, this one’s for you. Justin at CRY - https://filmcry.com/justin-rossbacherJustin’s website - https://justinrossbacher.com/Justin’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bossrocker/Mwita at CRY - https://filmcry.com/mwita-chachaMwita’s website - https://mwitachacha.comMwita’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mwitachacha/Carilion Clinic Curious Campaign - https://filmcry.com/carilion-clinic-curiousFilmmakers In Advertising Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/filmmakersinadvertising/If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com 

Today we’re talking to Michael Ryan Bennett and Josh Shadid of LORD DANGER!Lord Danger is a creative production studio based in Los Angeles that specializes in bold and innovative commercials, branded content, and music videos. From their commercials for Old Spice, Tostitos, and Mint, to their music videos for Lil Nas X, Doja Cat, and Run The Jewels, LORD DANGER is making some really cool work. However, while getting to know the guys, we learned that one of the reasons they have such high-quality creative, especially with animation, is because Michael and Josh run several different companies that work in tandem with LORD DANGER, (such as Modern Logic, under the holding company, Monstera Group). Josh and Michael share about: The ups and downs of building your own shipHow to scaleHow to team up to generate successBeing solution driven and when to contribute as an employeeRunning a hybrid studioAnd keeping production and creative separate but equalSo, we hope you get something out of this episode with Michael and Josh of LORD DANGER … Modern Logic … And Monstera GroupMichael Bennett bioMichael Bennett is the Managing Director, Executive Producer, and Founding Partner of Monstera Group, holding company for Lord Danger and Modern Logic, creative studios specializing in design, animation, live-action and immersive content. As an award-winning producer working with brands across industries, Bennett has led national and international campaigns through the lens of cutting-edge technology, design, and craft. A self-proclaimed futurist, Bennett has a deep understanding of the evolution of tech spanning decades. Prior to launching Monstera Group with Josh Shadid, Bennett held senior positions at Method Studios, LAUNDRY and yU+co and has earned over 20 awards including Daytime Emmy Award, the Cannes Lions Grand Prix, Webby Awards, and the Best Film/TV Award at SXSW Interactive Awards.Josh Shadid bioJosh Shadid founded Lord Danger in 2012, which was acquired by Zealot Networks in 2015. After negotiating his exit and the repurchase of the Lord Danger brand, Josh re-established his independence. During the initial height of the pandemic in 2020, Josh co-founded Solo Cinebot, the world's most advanced remote production system which was employed by major studios, brands and celebrities worldwide. Concurrently, Josh partnered with commercial veteran Michael Bennett to build brand studio Monstera Group which operates Lord Danger as well as design and animation studio Modern Logic. Josh is currently President of Monstera Group and Executive Producer of Lord Danger.LINKSMichael Ryan Bennett - Managing Director / EP - Partnerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ohtheplaceswewillgo/Josh Shadid - Founding Partner, Executive Producerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/joshshadid/LORD DANGERhttps://www.lorddanger.com/MODERN LOGIChttps://www.modlo.tv/MONSTERA GROUPhttps://www.monstera.group/If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

Today we’re diving into the world of PR, specifically around the advertising industry, and to guide us is today’s guest: Matt Van Hoven of Raven PR. Matt is the Co-founder of Raven Public Relations and a former journalist who helps ad agencies, media companies, and publishers find their voice in the market and make it heard.Matt has a ton of industry experience and knowledge, and today he talks to us about: Raven PR and what it is that they doWHY PR companies support ad agencies and media companiesHOW should we be thinking about PRWHEN a production company, media company, and creative directors, need to start thinking about working with a PR companyWorking with Gary Vee at VaynerMediaAnd much more. So, we hope you learn something from this episode with Matt Van HovenRAVEN PRhttps://www.ravenpublicrelations.com/Matt Van Hoven Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattvanhoven/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MattVanHovenDonate An Organ spot:https://www.fastcompany.com/90649260/would-you-donate-an-organ-to-a-stranger-this-extraordinary-new-ad-campaign-makes-it-hard-to-say-noIf you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

Hey everyone, today we’re talking with Dan Sorgen from X4YYou really should listen to this one because Dan and his collaborators at X4Y have created a way for filmmakers to get discovered by brands and monetize your existing footage and creative, as well as giving Brands access to you and your ready-to-brand stories. We discuss how you can make money creating spec commercials, whether that’s creating a new spec from your old footage, or creating new specs from scratch with the intention of them being purchased from you. This is beyond posting your stand-alone shots on stock footage sites, this is creating specs that X4Y will shop to brands and clients for you, and brands are already coming to X4Y looking for specs they can use and new creators they can work with. I could go on but you’ll hear me fanboying plenty enough throughout the episode as Dan tells us about what X4Y is up to, how this process works, and what may be a new future for commercial filmmakers and brands. x4y LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/x4y/about/x4y Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/X4Ycom/x4y Twitterhttps://twitter.com/X4Ycomx4y Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/X4Ycom/If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple Podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

Learn the sales and marketing tools that The Lewis Brothers used to grow their filmmaking business, Atomic City, and land six-figure gigs with Amazon.Taylor covers how he and his two brothers (aka The Lewis Brothers) went from lighting each other on fire and filming it when they were young into a full-blown production company 20 years later, working with brands such as Amazon, Microsoft, and DJI. He shares how networking has been one of the biggest contributors to landing new clients and gives some helpful tips and tricks on how they turn clients into fans, while also sharing a few tactics to avoid.We also chat about their online filmmaking course where they help filmmakers from all levels grow their business. Lastly, they are giving away their 12-page filmmaking guide, “The Filmmakers Handbook,” free to our audience. The Lewis Brothers cut their filmmaking teeth by lighting each other on fire and filming it in their parent’s backyard. After many trips to the hospital, they knew this is what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. Starting their production company before graduating high school, they have grown an impressive client list (Amazon, Microsoft, DJI) that has them shooting projects all around the globe. With a relentless passion for filmmaking (plus cereal and gummy candy), they love keeping their sets relaxed and believe in helping other filmmakers along the way with their online courses and filmmaking tools.Site LinksCourse: https://www.filmcreatorpro.com/Free 12 Page Filmmaking Guide: https://www.filmcreatorpro.com/handbookCompany website: https://www.atomiccity.com/Atomic City on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atomic_city/If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple Podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

Holiday Ride is Chevrolet’s new ad about a father, his daughter, and his late wife’s classic 1966 Impala. It’s sad, inspiring, and it tugs right at the heartstrings.Based on a true story, GM ad-maker Commonwealth/McCann worked with Academy Award winners Tom Hooper, Claudio Miranda, and Rachel Portman “to tell the story of love, redemption, and restoration.”The McCann Creative Director of Holiday Ride is Nick Allen, who was kind enough to join us to talk about his methodology, his process, and how Chevy and McCann created the most tear-jerking ad of the 2021 Holidays. If you are a filmmaker who’s curious about what goes on inside the minds of the creative directors at large agencies, how the people who you want thinking of you when they’re planning their next big campaign think, then this episode is for you. Nick AllenWebsite - www.ideasoutofnowhere.comInstagram - nicka11enLinkedin Commonwealth // McCann AdWeek article on Holiday RideIf you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple Podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

...with Codey WilsonI’m gonna share how I almost botched a huge campaign for filmCRY, what we learned from it, and what we’ve implemented since to make sure it didn’t happen again. The role, I’ll be discussing has a few different names depending on where you work or the size of your production company or agency you’re working with, but the most familiar one we’ll use for this discussion is - THE AGENCY PRODUCER.Reference Linkshttps://theindustryclub.co.uk/agency-producer-and-production-company-producer-who-does-what/https://www.wrapbook.com/blog/agency-producerIf you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple Podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

Your copy - the words you use to communicate with your ideal customers - is what makes people decide if they like you and trust you enough to buy from you.Today’s guest, Kelsey Formost, specializes in teaching NON-writers (like us) how to write copy that quickly connects to our ideal customers, and converts them into paying clients (and maybe even fans).This is a high-value episode. There are literal steps that Kelsey shares that you can apply to your own business and website copy. So grab a notepad, or bookmark this episode for later, because you’ll want to take notes and then go to her website to take advantage of her templates, courses, and freebies. *This one’s a little ZOOMY, and I’m SORRY about that, but we’ve since solved the Zoom - electro-sound debacle. Otherwise, I hope you get as much as we did out of this episode with Kelsey Formost.Kelsey's Website - https://kelseyformost.comIf you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple Podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

Today we have on Jackson Adams, a director & writer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Western Massachusetts, Jackson graduated from Emerson College in 2010. He’s worked extensively in original and commercial content online, which has been viewed more than a billion times. He also directed the most “disliked” YouTube video of all time!Jackson is the Associate Creative Director at Portal A.This episode is one of those ‘hang out ’ types where we get to know Jackson and learn a little bit about how he got into his current role, his perspectives, and what’s working for him right now. Jackson has some good tips to share, as well as some familiar but validating experiences, such as: If someone gives you an opportunity to direct, whether you feel you’re ready or not, - just say yes and figure it out. ...A little bit about casting and working with talent and influencer talent, as well as working with some high profile brands and creators, such as Infiniti and Stephan Curry, and an important reminder, that whether your content is branded or not, this stuff should be fun to watch. As always, if you have any recommendations for guests just message us on instagram or facebook at filmmakers in advertising, or head to filmcry.com and shoot us an email. //jacksonhadams@gmail.comhttp://www.jacksonhadams.com/Steph Curry Infinityhttps://www.portal-a.com/projects/infiniti-life-lived/Portal Ahttps://www.portal-a.com/If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

Today is very exciting because we got to talk to Natalie Metzger and I’m so happy that she was willing to talk to us because I don’t think it’s going to be easy to get her on the phone in the near future. Natalie and her friends are living the filmmaker's dream and if you want to know how you could replicate that for yourself you should listen to what she has to say. Her films have premiered at top festivals around the world including Sundance, Cannes, Berlin, SXSW, Tribeca, and Locarno. She is now the VP of Production & Development at Vanishing Angle, making several films a year now while running commercial and marketing companies at the same time. Like many others, I saw the Thunder Road short about six years ago, then followed along to watch their team fight to get the Thunder Road feature made, which has been talked about by Jim Cummings and there’s great coverage and articles about that which can be found with a simple google search, but today we’re going to talk about Natalie because I think she’s a powerhouse behind the scenes making a lot of this exciting stuff happen. She’s awesome, soak up some wisdom, and please enjoy this episode with Natalie Metzger. Natalie’s website - https://www.nataliemetz.com/Natalie’s instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nataliemetzger/Natalie’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/metzartVanishing Angle - https://vanishingangle.com/Thunder Road Sundance Case Study - https://www.sundance.org/case-studies/creative-distribution/thunder-roadThe Beta Test Wefunder Page - https://wefunder.com/thebetatestIf you have any ideas for future episodes or who you’d like to hear from next, please DM us or leave us a comment on Instagram or facebook and we’ll try to make it happen. If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple Podcasts. Brought to you by CRY https://filmcry.com/Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

If you pay attention to the advertising or commercial production world, you’d have noticed over the last few years that a small agency from Chattanooga, Tennessee, has quietly been climbing the ranks of AdAge’s annual agency A-list awards. That agency, or brand production studio, is Humanaut.You’re about to hear from a few of the awesome personalities that make them so good at what they do,  because today, we’re talking to Tommy Wilson and Dan Jacobs, as they share some of the secret sauce that makes Humanaut one of the top ten agencies in the country. LinksHumanauthttps://www.humanaut.is/Humanaut Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/humanaut.is/?hl=enThe agency is No. 10 on Ad Age’s 2020 A-Listhttps://adage.com/article/special-report-agency-list/how-humanaut-regional-small-agency-winner-2017-made-it-top-10/2249826Nice Talk https://www.instagram.com/nicetalkshow/Brought to you by CRY https://filmcry.comIntro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

Matt is the creator of CineTracer, a Cinematography Simulator that enables filmmakers to visualize films, tv shows, and commercials in 3D in the app before shooting in real life. He also runs Cinematography database - which, to best understand what he does there, you should just visit his YouTube channel, where he showcases what he’s working on. Also, recently he started a new channel called project MetaHuman 1, and has been concentrating lately on motion capture.Basically, he does a lot, and he runs several virtual production blogs where he’s sharing his progress and projects, mostly in Unreal Engine. For those of you who don’t know about Unreal Engine, or if like me you’ve wondered how to incorporate Unreal into your filmmaking, this is a nice way to ease your way in and get a broad scope overview of how it works. Matt’s Twitterhttps://twitter.com/cinedatabaseCinematography Databasehttp://www.cinematographydb.com/https://www.youtube.com/c/CinematographyDatabase/videosCineTracerhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN0HxYF_yeEOGEodgK6ww0QCitizenMetaOne https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2gH3UhyNvsyNZwubGTBhIgUnreal Engine Showcase - Directed by Matthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bErPsq5kPzEIf you have any ideas for future episodes or who you’d like to hear from next, please DM us or leave us a comment on Instagram or Facebook and we’ll try to make it happen. If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple Podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

We are trying something new, where we invite others in our industry to take over the podcast for an episode and share some helpful tips and information, what is and what isn’t working for them right now, or anything else they may find useful. Marybeth and Chris recently linked up to start their new company - Electric Creative, and on this episode, they discuss building a foundation for content creators who specialize in creating video content.This should be helpful to those of you who are just starting out, or who want to give your business a bit of a boost by trying new strategies, or want to simplify what you’re doing, refocus, and clarify your brand in pursuit of better business results.So, please let us know if you like this format and we’ll do it again. If you like this episode, check out  Electric Creative and go to www.electriccreative.studio/fia and schedule a free idea session with Marybeth and Chrishttps://www.electriccreative.studio/If you have any ideas for future episodes or who you’d like to hear from next, please DM us or leave us a comment on Instagram or Facebook and we’ll try to make it happen. If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcastsBrought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com (The nicest filmmaker you may ever meet) - Noam Kroll is a champion for filmmakers and up-and-comers who seek knowledge. I’ve been listening to his podcast SHOW DON’T TELL for years, I think it’s one of the best filmmaking podcasts out there, and I was thrilled when he agreed to join us and talk to us about his experiences with filmmaking and advertising. If you want to hear about (1) how to balance your filmmaking career with your commercial production and advertising career (2) different strategies for managing your own production company, (3) and other related topics, this episode may be for you. To know Noam, visit https://noamkroll.com/about-noam/Noam’s newsletterhttps://noamkroll.com/newsletter-archive/SHOW DON’T TELL Podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/show-dont-tell-micro-budget-filmmaking/id1228448011Website: https://noamkroll.com/Podcast Website: https://noamkroll.com/category/podcast/Instagram: https://instagram.com/noamkrollTwitter: https://twitter.com/noamkrollIf you have any ideas for future episodes or who you’d like to hear from next, please DM us or leave us a comment on Instagram or Facebook and we’ll try to make it happen. If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple Podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

Today we’re talking to Casting Director, Erica Arvold. This episode is packed with knowledge. Erica shares a lot about her experiences and perspectives, her education programs, and memberships, among many other things. Erica has spent the past 30 years as a casting director, producer, writer, and has contributed to the making of over 140 films, 85 television shows, and a lot of commercials. She’s also kind and generous and she does a lot for the acting and filmmaking community. If you want to learn about: Casting and Production, the state of the industry on the East Coast and in the Southeast, intensives, and educational opportunities for actors and directors, then this episode is for you. Also joining us for the interview is Director Justin Rossbacher. He and Erica have worked together before so we thought it would be fun to expand the conversation a bit …..and he just has a great podcast voice. Check out Erica and her endeavors at www.Arvold.comhttps://www.facebook.com/arvoldofficial/https://twitter.com/arvoldofficial?lang=enhttps://www.twitch.tv/arvoldofficialYou can also checkout Justin Rossbacher at https://filmcry.com/If you have any ideas for future episodes or who you’d like to hear from next, please DM us or leave us a comment on Instagram or facebook and we’ll try to make it happen. If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcasts. Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Episode Edited by Dylan Giovanetto - DylGio@gmail.com | www.DylanGio.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

This is Part Two of two episodes with David Hoffman. Where our last episode was more technical, David sharing about how he booked his role in the massive Liberty Mutual campaign, this one is more emotionally intelligent. It could be argued that it’s actually more valuable to understand the mindset of someone who’s achieved something that you may want, and David opens up and shares insightful and authentic truths with us here in Part 2. David articulates and says some things that a lot of us have thought about and maybe haven’t had the courage to say publicly or even admit to ourselves and we hope you get something out of it.Relevant LinksDavid’s website https://www.thedavidhoffman.com/David is not on social media (he’s truly free)LiMu emu & Doug commercials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWXjw7QY7xY&list=PLxUNmyJ_IIGzPPOd52HUmzMEnMHcbYHw0&ab_channel=LibertyMutualGeorge Washington Is Here To Help https://www.thedavidhoffman.com/georgewashingtonBrought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Episode Edited by Dylan Giovanetto - DylGio@gmail.com | www.DylanGio.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com 

PART 1 - BECOMING AN ICONDavid Hoffman is an actor, writer, and all-around creative. This is Part One of two episodes where we talk to David about his experiences and life as an actor, artist, and creative. In this episode, we focus on what led to him becoming the face of the Liberty Mutual commercial campaign (alongside an emu), as well as auditioning for There’s …Johnny on Hulu, and his web series, ‘George Washington Is Here To Help.’Relevant LinksDavid’s website https://www.thedavidhoffman.com/David is not on social media (he’s truly free)LiMu emu & Doug commercials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWXjw7QY7xY&list=PLxUNmyJ_IIGzPPOd52HUmzMEnMHcbYHw0&ab_channel=LibertyMutualGeorge Washington Is Here To Help https://www.thedavidhoffman.com/georgewashingtonBrought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com Episode Edited by Dylan Giovanetto - DylGio@gmail.com | www.DylanGio.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com | www.mahartman.com

A quick tutorial on current remote directing and editing methods with Cry director Justin RossbacherCreativity as Discovery > Dynamic Editing > Remote Editing. https://rogueamoeba.com/loopback/https://streamyard.com/https://www.evercast.us/Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com www.filmmakersinadvertising.comInstagram - @FilmmakersInAdvertisingFacebook - @FilmmakersInAdvertising

Sean Patrick Kirby is a Director of Photography. We talk to Sean about becoming a DP, being based in Birmingham, Alabama, and working all over the country. From living in a van to shooting national commercials. Working up from PA to Grip and Electric, to DP. The LA vs. not LA conversation is more complicated than it used to be. Networking and picking the right projects. Transitioning from music to filmmaking. Taking the LSAT hungover. Ivan Drago. Shakespeare created during plagues. And again, love for video game commercials. Brought to you by CRY filmcry.com Relevant LinksContact - kirby@seanpatrickkirby.comSean Patrick Kirby’s website - https://www.seanpatrickkirby.com/Sean Patrick Kirby’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thekirby/Far cry commercial series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5uHQYz-hNwTom Clancy commercials https://production.family/works/commercials#&id=364254130Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nwRiuh1CugEdited by Dylan Giovanetto - dylgio@gmail.com | https://www.dylangio.com/Episode Mastered by Sophia Wade Sound - sophiawadesound@gmail.com Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com