Filmmakers In Advertising

This week’s episode is a fun one, with guests Bonnie Dennison & Alison Barton, or the directing duo known as Bonabart. 
They are LA-based directors rostered at Tool of North America, and are known for their comedy chops working with brands such as Wendy's, Subway, Amazon, Spotify, and Liquid Death. They also are writers on the upcoming Amazon series “Ride Or Die” starring Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer, and have a series called “Granted” in development at Warner Bros Animation. 
Bonnie & Alison share some funny stories, insights on the job, and a reminder on how crucial collaboration is for our industry, whether you’re a directing duo or not.
Some highlights include:
Transitions from actresses, to creating their own sketches
How budget changes the approach
Sourcing inspiration from life
Almost quitting the industry
And even how to approach client dinners 
Much gold to be found here. Don’t miss it!
Links:
Ride or Die Season 1
Bonabart's Site
Bonnie & Alison’s Work | Tool of North America
If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcasts. 

From CRY, a Creative, Production, and Post house based in New York City.
Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com 
Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com

Today on FIA, Justin sits down with film director Russell Owen to discuss his career from commercials to feature films, and the path that led to his acclaimed psychological horror Shepherd, a New York Times Critic's Pick and BBC critic Mark Kermode's Film of the Week.
Russell shares the unconventional route that shaped his career, from making an experimental first feature and directing a zombie film to breaking into advertising and ultimately bringing a long-held passion project to life. He also explains how his feature work unexpectedly opened the door to commercial directing, leading to hundreds of campaigns for global brands including American Express and Armani
The conversation also explores Russell's role as co-founder of Kindred Pictures, a London-based production company producing both commercial and narrative work around the world. Along the way, he discusses his passion of storytelling, the creative influences that have shaped his filmmaking, and how folklore, myths, and legends continue to inspire his writing.
Russell is a true Filmmaker in Advertising, and one to keep an eye out for!
Links:
Russell’s IMDB
Shepherd | Feature Film Trailer
Kindred Pictures
If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcasts. 

From CRY, a Creative, Production, and Post house based in New York City.
Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com 
Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com

This week on FIA, Justin is joined by Creative Director Christine Taffe, and Executive Creative Director Heather Larimer, both at Orchard Creative. Also, making her first appearance on the podcast, is Michelle Mundt, Associate Producer at Cry.
In this episode, Christine and Heather discuss their collaborations at Orchard, with stories from award winning projects with Ocean Spray and Etsy. They dig into their approach to collaboration, feedback, and crafting emotionally true campaigns that have lasting impact.
They discuss pitching by closing an “imagination gap,” and finding the “truth under the truth” in the context of products & brands. They also talk about how they create manifestos as a point of view that can become campaigns and how that helps them trend toward confidently useful, profound brand work over just adding to the noise. 
Overall, their discussion is full of wisdom, laughs, and great stories you don’t want to miss.

Links:
Christine’s Site
Heather’s Site
Orchard Creative

“Jiggle” | Ocean Spray - Power Your Holidays
"Who's Waldo" | Etsy
"Little Drummer Boy" | Etsy
“Celebrate Being Human” | Etsy

Commercials That Inspired Christine & Heather:
“Balls” | Sony BRAVIA
“Find Your Gratness” | Nike
“Nothing Beats a Londoner” | Nike

CluesBySam.com (Justin’s recommendation

If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcasts. 

From CRY, a Creative, Production, and Post house based in New York City.
Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com 
Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com

Justin welcomes Head of Branded Entertainment Adam Milano and Creative Director Christina Connerton from SuperBloom, an independent creative company built around the concept of unearthing the unexpected. Together this dynamic duo has collaborated with major brands including Uber, Colgate, and Corona, bringing their distinctive off-beat approach to commercial storytelling.
In this episode, Adam and Christina discuss the collaborative nature of building fresh concepts that are both odd and weird but at the same time relatable and true. They remind us that art and commercials are not exclusive of each other, noting that the two are interconnected and often pull from and inspire each other. 
They both share practical advice on breaking into the industry, along with stories from how they got started in advertising. 
We also examine:
Adam and Christina’s creative influences, which include re-visiting old classics and keeping up with the latest Academy nominated works
The notion that every idea is worthy of being on the table - and the weirder it is, the better
Why a tactile approach is gaining more clout with successful brands
Passion projects, including Christina’s History Dolls, a series highlighting women innovators whose contributions were historically taken or overlooked
Join us in exploring the weird, eclectic, and unexpected on this edition of Filmmakers in Advertising.
Links:
Superbloom’s Site
Christina’s Site
Colgate - Adventures in the Molar System
Shoutouts:
Coinbase | Your Way Out (live action commercial imitating retro graphics)
If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcasts. 

From CRY, a Creative, Production, and Post house based in New York City.
Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com 
Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com

This week, Justin chats with Ben Steinbauer, Emmy award-winning film, television, and commercial director, and cofounder of The Bear, a production company and creative studio based in Austin, Texas.
Ben shares his journey on becoming a documentary filmmaker with the breakout hit, Winnebago Man, starting a successful production company, and navigating the industry from Austin to LA, and back. He shares about his deeply collaborative philosophy on filmmaking and his commitment to giving to back to the next generation of filmmakers.
We dig into:
How a mixture of ambition, timing, and the early days of YouTube helped shape his creative path
His own podcast, Doc Walks, which he co-hosts with Keith Maitland. (We highly recommend it.)
Why building a core team and growing together over time is essential to a sustainable creative career
Humility as a key ingredient in the creative process
What it really means to create stories that resonate beyond trends

Ben also reflects on how the most impactful work doesn’t come from chasing what’s popular, but from exploring what is personal, specific, and deeply interesting to you.
If you’re looking to make richer, more layered work and build a creative life that lasts, this episode is for you.
Links:
Ben’s Work
The Bear | Production Company
Doc Walks Podcast 
Winnebago Man | Feature Documentary
Documentary Subjects Wanted - James Wagner

Shoutouts from Ben & Justin:
Brooklyn Coffeeshop
Subway Takes

If you want a shoutout in a future episode please leave us a written review on Apple podcasts. 

From CRY, a Creative, Production, and Post house based in New York City.
Brought to you by CRY www.filmcry.com 
Intro mixed by Micheal Hartman - michaelhrtmn4@gmail.com