Here's an oldie-but-goodie TVC collaboration with the talented LA ad agency writer and creative director Daniel Gray.
I remember the shoot fondly because we shot it in my backyard at our Sherman Oaks home in Los Angeles. Usually we'd have a mama and a baby deer hanging out on that brick backyard, but they'd made room for us to shoot this spot. My friends all helped- Kathi, Anna, and Katie behind the camera and Matt and Randy on camera. I directed and DP'd, using my brand-new RED One camera. I remember it needed a lot of light to make the best images, so we had some big reflectors to channel the biggest light ever in our Solar System. It worked great.
The comedy was what attracted me to the spot. I'd just finished (co-creating with Kathi) one of the web's first comedy series, so I wanted something with some funny. Daniel obliged, and I did my best to honor his vision for the commercial.
This was also the very first commercial I ever directed, so we did it on the cheap. But wow, we had fun. It turned out pretty great!
ps: I kept the grill. It lasted over a decade. Good stuff.