On April 29, members who specialize in directing commercials attended dual events at DGA headquarters in Los Angeles and the Guild’s New York offices. The bicoastal gatherings provided the opportunity for these members to mingle with their peers and featured the panel discussions, Directing Commercials: A Conversation about Advertising’s Shifting Landscape.

During the Los Angeles event, Directors Bashan Aquart (one part of directing duo Jams x Bash), Calmatic, Tom Kuntz, Kim Nguyen, Kitao Sakurai, and Guy Shelmerdine shared their experiences in the Commercial world during a conversation moderated by Director Walt Becker that covered issues Commercial Directors are facing in the workplace in 2024 including production workflow from bid to post.

Becker kicked off the discussion by asking the panelists where they all began their careers. Calmatic and Aquart (along with his directing partner Jamaal Parham) got their start in music videos before making the transition into the world of commercials. Sakurai directed television – including every episode of The Eric Andre Show – before making his shift. Both Shelmerdine and Nguyen came from the other side of the business – advertising – and Nguyen reflected on her time as a copywriter before coming to directing.

All of the panelists shared how markedly different a directing environment the commercial world presents with its unique Client-Agency-Director dynamic – a dynamic that has evolved over time. Kuntz characterized this evolution as the increasing struggle to maintain the creative direction of the projects he is hired to do as agencies look more to the client’s vision than the Director’s.  Aquart and Nguyen affirmed Kuntz’s experience and shared that, luckily, there are still some agencies that maintain a collaborative attitude with the Director.

When the discussion turned to dealing with treatments, Shelmerdine, Aquart and Calmatic spoke about employing company resources to assist in the writing and visuals for the treatment process in order to meet the high quality and quick turnarounds the current bidding process requires, especially if you are likely not going to book every job you are pitching. Kuntz, on the other hand, prefers to do all the work, including rewrites, himself. He feels it enhances his connection to the project and is an important part of his process.

Touching on the topic of AI, both Kuntz and Sakurai expressed that although impressive, AI could never replace the human element that audiences naturally crave.

The New York event of the same day, featured a discussion with Directors Lena Beug, Joy Kilpatrick, Jared Lapidus, Jamaal Parham (the other half of directing duo Jams x Bash) and Hank Perlman. The conversation was moderated by Director Sorrel Brae, who began by noting that there has been a push within the Guild to engage more commercial Directors and encouraged those in attendance to stay involved moving forward, before entering a discussion with the panelists about the state of the business and their approach to the craft.

Perlman shared his unique insights as a co-founder of the production company Hungry Man and how he’s seen the industry change over time. Beug spoke about how she collaborates with different departments on her commercials and her close involvement with production design. Parham revealed how he works with actors on commercials by providing them with details on their characters that can help shape their performance. Kilpatrick discussed her approach to “tabletop” commercials, with her emphasis on human connection. And Lapidus gave the audience advice on how he manages the needs of clients and agencies while still finding a way to bring his own vision to his commercials.

Both events included informal receptions where the attending Commercial Directors could network and continue connecting on topics that were brought up throughout the evening.