Dawn of a New Decade. Defined by the Underdog

From my first job in production to today

My first job in production was to watch director reels so that I could familiarize myself with the work, and the talent behind the work.  I had a grading system that filled notebooks full of my green critique – Back then, we had the giant ¾ inch tapes that needed an entire room of their own just to be housed. The room had a metal chair, no windows and sat directly across the hall from one of the most notorious office smokers in our building. As dreary as that Barney Miller-backdrop-of-an office was, it also came to represent the room where I would find my escape from the day to day. A new world opened up to me behind those closed doors, one that gave me a glimpse into the creative talent that I knew I wanted to work with one day.

The grading system was based on points, 10 being the highest. I hadn’t been exposed to advertising long enough to know how important any kind of relevant brand message was in commercials, so my grades went something like this – If there was anyone in a bikini, it got a 10. If there was a Harley spot on the reel, that director got a 10. Anything with Bo Jackson got a 10. But then my grading evolved as I watched reel after reel…I came to appreciate good composition. I started to recognize good acting. I began to see simple concepts make a very lasting impression. My notebooks grew in size, as I wrote about everything I saw and the emotions each spot would evoke. Some directors faded while others started to rise. What became obvious were the directors that stayed relevant with new work. Sure, it was easy for some who had a super bowl spot on their reel to stay relevant and get new bud light work each month. But, what caught my attention were the directors that flew under the proverbial ad-rat radar. These directors stayed busy by passionately driving the work on seemingly unknown and irrelevant brands – and in doing so, they became relevant in my eyes. I associated with their desire to make the most out of every opportunity you’re given. Spoon wrote one of my favorite lyrics – “You got no fear of the underdog, and that’s why you will not survive”.

At Back Alley, we’re building a team of artists –  those artists are a combination of visionaries with disciplines in directing, photography, writing,  music, art, and just about any imaginable creative outlet that defines and shapes their ambitions. Our job is to guard that ambition and throw our net as wide as we can in 2010, providing them with every opportunity to channel those disciplines into creating relevant work that will build brands, grow relationships with customers and create friendships with like-minded creatives & clients.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be blogging with our artists to capture what’s on their mind and relevant to them. I hope it will be information that becomes relevant to you. It’s the dawn of a new decade – one that will be defined by the underdog, and who chooses to seize the opportunities that others fear are no longer there.