Universal Kids - Rock the Block: This spot serves as a great example of how remote work could be the future of promo production. Working from my home in New York, I downloaded and screened materials provided by the Los Angeles-based client. Using the three hour time difference to my advantage, I had scripts and cuts ready for them to review at the beginning of each day. My background as a musician came in handy as I worked with composer Ego Plum (Spongebob Squarepants, Harvey Beaks) to translate the client’s aesthetic into a custom score. Our LA-based editor was standing by each day for notes, uploading new cuts to a secure online server. And despite a tight turnaround, our agile workflow assured that the spot was delivered in plenty of time to air.
Dreamworks - She-Ra International Women’s Day: The theme of the 2019 International Women’s Day was “Balance for Better,” and Dreamworks wanted to show how a diverse cast of characters onscreen and behind the scenes made their re-imagining of She-Ra such a powerful show. I worked with NuContext on concepts for how to present the material. Once the client chose a concept, I wrote interview questions for the kids, creators, and cast members. And after the interviews were complete, I transcribed them and created a paper cut of the spots which was then handed off to an editor to assemble. I was proud to have a part in creating this inspiring spot.
UPDATE: We won a Daytime Emmy for this spot!
Mississippi Power - Holiday: Mississippi Power wanted to make a spot expressing their pride in helping their customers celebrate the season of lights. Working with NuContext, I pitched them a story about folks of all different backgrounds coming together to help a neighbor feel a little less lonely. NuContext did an amazing job shooting and editing this spot.
ABC Family - Pop Up Santa Reddi-wip: ABC Family's Reddi-wip sponsored Pop Up Santa stunt series was an epic undertaking and I'm happy to have been a part of it. I worked on the pitch and scripted the spots. As each leg of our production team's three-city filming adventure was done, I worked with editors and an outside graphics vendor to construct a series of fun, upbeat spots and get them on the air in time for the holidays. Presented here is the big Los Angeles finale.
USA Network - SVU Behind the Scenes: USA conceived of this series of spots as a great way to give additional content to fans while helping to deliver sponsor messaging. I was asked to write interview questions that would elicit responses that could be mined for these monthly BTS spots. This particular spot was sponsored by Liberty Mutual Insurance, so I scanned through the interviews for any language that supported the ideas of protection and security. Mariska Hargitay's interview was the jackpot! After getting approval on the paper cut, I worked with an editor to construct the spot. I'd previously done extensive work on SVU marathon spots, so finding supporting footage from the show went very quickly. I recorded voice over with Mason Pettit and the spot was sent to Liberty Mutual, who loved it.
Cloo - Charlie's Angels Marathon: If the heart of a good story is conflict, then the creation of this spot would make a pretty terrible story. It was a joy to screen a dozen episodes of this wonderfully campy show, run a few different humorous scripts past the client, find just the right '70s-inflected music track, and work with an editor to put the whole package together. In retrospect, there was one bit of conflict that every promo producer has faced at one time or another: no split audio!
Disney XD - Marvel Universe Live XD Xtra: For this spot showing a behind-the-scenes look at the Marvel Universe Live stage show, Disney XD wanted to do away with v/o completely. They also wanted to do away with a shooting script, instead using the real, authentic reactions of the Marvel Universe Live talent and the Disney XD hosts to tell the story. I worked with our contact at Disney to outline a structure for the spot and come up with questions for the hosts to ask the talent. After the shoot, I transcribed the footage and assembled a paper cut. It was a challenge to condense all of the brand messaging, network direction, and action into :60, but working with a very talented editor, we made it happen. I'm very pleased with the way the energy of the spot; it feels very much in line with the Disney XD brand.
Chiller - Generic Promo: Chiller promos are always great fun to write for two reasons: The network owns the fact that their films are sometimes cheesy but always entertaining, and the fans watching a horror movie network are totally open to promos that push the envelope for both humor and shock. I wrote this spot after screening several of their new movies and then worked with an editor to cut the selects into a promo that's a little gross, a little ridiculous, and a lot of fun.
truTV - Barmageddon Ep. 115 Promo: At this point in the show's run, truTV knew that they no longer had to sell their viewers on the concept of the show (which is kind of a Wife Swap for mixologists). Instead, I was asked to concentrate on the personalities, which was a brilliant move for this episode. Why? One word: Paolo. This Italian flair bartender had enough great moments for four promos — which was perfect because truTV asked us for fresh creative for the :10, :15, :20, and :30 versions of this promo. Working with the client, I wrote several drafts for each promo length and then assembled their favorites with our editor. I remotely directed host Mo Mandel's voice over session, which we had to squeeze in while he was in Syracuse, NY for a comedy festival. I worked with truTV's graphics department to customize some of their graphics toolkit elements for this promo. The spots were finalized with hi-res footage and graphics and delivered digitally for air.
USA Network - Three Faces of Bond Marathon: Connery, Brosnan, and Craig: the three baddest Bonds in one spot. This was a fun one to write, as their are no shortage of promolicious moments in James Bond films.
USA Network - DiNozzo DiKnows Best: USA Network was getting ready to air an NCIS marathon and managed to get Michael Weatherly to perform as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo in a series of interstitials that we were to shoot. The network had the idea of putting DiNozzo in a manly, leather-scented room and having him expound on a variety of topics. At that point, I had already screened dozens and dozens of NCIS episodes for previous marathon spots and I immediately remembered that Michael Weatherly was a talented mimic who often did impressions on the show. I wrote "DiNozzo DiKnows Movies," along with several other scripts for the stunt. After the shoot, I worked with our editor to construct the spot and pull the appropriate footage from old NCIS episodes. Weatherly did some amazing improv on some of the other spots but I'm proud to say this one was performed almost exactly as written. This interstitial won silver at the 2012 Promax Awards.
USA Network - Lone Survivor: Stories From the Front Line: For this spot, the stars and director of the film Lone Survivor sat down with the subject of the film, former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, to discuss the mission that killed several of his comrades. Instead of conducting straight interviews, the network decided to make it more of a roundtable discussion moderated by director Peter Berg. I wrote up a list of questions and topics for Berg to use as a jumping-off point. A NY production crew filmed the talk, and I used transcripts to do a paper cut. The editor and I then worked to cut the spot into shape. After a few rounds of notes, we had a spot that I feel captures some genuine emotion from some big-name stars.
USA Network - Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins: Whenever I write scripts for an assignment, I'm always very conscious of the brand's voice and of the type of material they've aired before, and I strive to maintain consistency with the tone of the network when I present scripts. But I also like to turn in at least one script that takes a bit of a different approach or pushes the envelope a little. When USA asked for a promo for the film Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins, I was quickly able to write a couple of scripts that told the film's story in USA's usual snarky voice. I also gave them a script that built up a pile of high-brow pretension and then deflated it with some humor. And to my surprise, the network told us to go for it. I worked with the editor and our graphic designer to create some Oscar-bait atmosphere at the top of the spot.
USA Network - Law & Order: SVU Munch-a-thon: Richard Belzer's Detective John Munch always adds something special to every SVU episode in which he appears: humor, pathos, and more than a touch of paranoia. One of the scripts I wrote for this marathon spot focused on that final element, and that's the one USA picked.
truTV - Hardcore Pawn Season Premiere: truTV found an opening in their holiday schedule and decided to give viewers a special sneak peek at the premiere of the latest season of Hardcore Pawn. Of course, this last-minute addition meant that the promos had to be produced on an accelerated schedule. I wrote a script, pulled appropriate holiday music, and sat down with an editor to assemble the elements. I also worked with truTV's graphics department and directed the v/o session. There was a bit of weekend work and a few late nights, but the spots made it to air with time to spare.
Disney - The Pirate Fairy: I totally didn't get choked up while screening a movie about fairies. (sniffle) Huh? No, I'm not crying; I just ate a really spicy burrito. Yeah, I wrote this spot and worked with an editor to put it together. (sniffle) I told you, it was really spicy! Move on to the next spot!
USA Network - USA Spotlight: Fury: Ah, autumn…when the leaves begin to change colors, the flannel comes out of storage, and the serious contenders for Academy Awards start to fill theaters. The WWII drama Fury was ramping up its promotion, and USA Network and NuContext were asked to help. Using the USA Spotlight interstitial template and several trailers and TV spots, I wrote a script highlighting the relationship between Brad Pitt's Wardaddy, a hardened tank commander, and Logan Lerman's green recruit, Norman Ellison. Voice over was kept to a minimum, instead letting Pitt and Lerman sell the story and the drama. There was a narrow line to walk with this spot: All action would make the film look like a light summer blockbuster, and all talk would make it look ponderous and heavy. The choice of music and judicious use of the film's spectacular tank battles added tension and interest to the film's dark, dramatic subject matter.
THQ - uDraw: THQ's tablet gaming controller for kids and families was getting a re-launch and NuContext was asked to pitch some ideas. I contributed to the brainstorms and did most of the writing for the pitch documents. After we were awarded the job, I helped refine the winning concept and wrote the scripts that we eventually produced.
USA Network - Law & Order: SVU - What Would BD Do Marathon: At NuContext, we'd already produced marathon spots for most of the main SVU cast members and often joked with USA Network that we really wanted to do a spot featuring the team's unflappable psychologist, played by B.D. Wong. Much to our surprise, they programmed a B.D. Wong marathon and asked us to make the promo. I screened dozens of SVU episodes to find the best Wong moments and worked with our editor to construct a spot showcasing his cool, badass character.
Chiller - Premiere Movies: This Chiller promo was less about the jokes and more about the scares. After screening several of their movies, I wrote a script and worked with an editor to assemble all of the clips. The best part of working on this spot was getting to watch Grizzly Park, the best killer bear flick since 1976's Grizzly.
USA Network - Chrisley Knows Best / Benched: I was really impressed with the pilot for USA's comedy series Benched. The writing was sharp and funny, the performances were great, and the concept was rock solid. The trick would be getting eyeballs on the show. USA decided to air Benched right after their hit reality show Chrisley Knows Best and asked for a :20 promo linking the Chrisleys with the Benched team. Despite having some major tune-in business to get across, I tried to keep the voice over to a minimum in order to let the performances shine.
USA Network - Political Animals: This USA Network mini-series had some high-caliber star power, and some of those stars took time out to help promote it. For this series of spots, I started out with transcripts of the interviews and constructed several paper cuts. After working with the network to make sure all of their talking points were represented, we moved into edit, constantly trimming and honing to make sure the juiciest bits were right there for viewers to sink their teeth into.
USA Network - Burn Notice Declassified: Burn Notice spots were always fun to work on because the show sported some world-class stunt and special effects work, and those moments looked great in short TV spots. This particular one was part of an interstitial series that aired during a Burn Notice marathon on USA Network. I was given a series of interviews with the show's stars and picked some of the best moments to turn into :30s. I worked with an editor to assemble the interviews, then added coverage and SOTs from episodes I had screened.
Chiller - Vending Machine: This is one of a series of image spots produced for Chiller. After several brainstorm sessions, we settled on the idea of the Chiller offices as a place where the shocking and supernatural were as commonplace as the cubicles and coffee maker. I wrote the script for this particular spot.
Autonomy - Crash Course: Holy Godfather!: This was part of a spec show the company Autonomy produced for VH1. The show was meant to give viewers a crash course in pop culture. Since you can't truly be film literate without having seen The Godfather films, a condensed version of this epic trilogy was definitely necessary. I screened the films, took copious notes, and then squeezed the holy hell out of the story until it fit in a compact 2:06.