Jerry Brown

Good taste is hard to define, but you know it when you see it.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with so many talented people over the years, and one of the very best is director Jerry Brown, who’s great skill and good taste took many of my nascent ideas and brought them to life on screen. After writing the script, or better yet getting one from the late Bill Baily Carter or the great Bonnie Garmus, then turning over the production to producer pros such as Jeanne M. Harris, Michelle Bagnato, or Shannon Garbaccio, Jerry would work is magic on set with crew mates Kyle Carver, kerry flanagan, Dana Thompson-Carver, Charles Tomaras, Tammy Baker and many more, creating films that were clever, imaginative, and better than I had ever imagined.

Jerry and I hadn’t seen each other in over 10 years, but my recent road trip to Portland made this reconnect a must. We caught up at St. Honoré Bakery in Lake Oswego. I was thrilled that Jerry is still a busy first-call director of commercials and corporate films, working and hustling and creating as much as ever. He just has a few more stories to tell.

Here’s some of what I took away this time:

1) Airport scenes are trickier: Jerry and I recalled the days when Seattle Tacoma International Airport would close an entire section of the airport for our little corporate film shoots. Today, municipalities and government agencies are a bit less enamored with film production. As an example, last year I was part of a project with The Garrigan Lyman Group that dressed up a Microsoft building lobby to look like an airport waiting area because it was easier than shooting at the nearly empty Sea-Tac during early months of the pandemic. Hmmm.

2) Nail your story: In the director’s world, you are pitted against other directors offering their vision of the agency’s creative treatment. While each project is unique, knowing how to tell your personal story as a director is as important as your creative approach. People resonate with stories and you gotta sell yours to earn the trust of the people hiring you. As with any job interview, that takes preparation and practice.

3) Say yes (almost always!): Jerry has said yes to every single project he’s ever been offered, all except one. In that instance, the agency had pages of scenes it wanted shot with NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal. But Shaq only had four hours of availability. Jerry said yes to reason and no to that one. But in all other cases, he’s found a way to work with every budget and crazy creative ask. He’s inventive and resourceful. That’s how you stay a busy working director for so long.

It was great to catch up with Jerry and I can’t wait to work with him again. He’s a quadruple threat who directs, shoots, edits, and can fine tune the script. Plus, he has impeccable taste. I can't define it, but I know it when you see it.

#commercialdirector #filmproduction #videomarketing #creativedirection#coffee #thankyou