Donnybrook Production Services

With the new year off to a quick start, I found myself in Vermont to ring in ’16 with a chill.  Field Producing the television spot campaign for Governor hopeful Bruce Lisman kept me close enough to the slopes to wish for more downtime, but also busy enough to shake off the frigid temp’s that barely broke freezing during my entire stay.

Teaming with agency client Jamestown Associates, and Director/DP Kevin Hack, I was on the ground with the Lisman camp as we compiled footage for a handful TV ads.  And while initially skeptical that I’d be able to secure experienced crew locally, I’m indebted to Adam Lukens, and the entire Queen City Lighting clan, for all of their hard work and support during our shoot.

Here’s the intro TV :60 ‘New Direction’, that hits the air in the lead off spot.

While still in high school, I toiled for a short stint as an overnight stocker, courtesy of my local supermarket.  And while it’s not necessarily my pinnacle employment memory, there was something uniquely covert about having the run of a store that was completely off limits to the public.  Well in perfect #TBT, or more appropriately Wednesday in to Thursday, fashion, I recently had a chance to run amok once again during an overnight commercial shoot in the unassuming PA ‘burbs.  The obliging green grocer this time around was the Swarthmore CoOp, and the contemporary corner market proved to be an impeccable backdrop, and an extremely film friendly location.

This episode of Donnybrook After Dark was in support of the ‘Grow Up’ campaign, for non-profit Generation Opportunity.  Teaming once again with longstanding agency ally Jamestown Associates, my crew and I took to the aisles to produce a comedic commentary on the current state of the National Debt…frozen food, veggie, and organic aisles alike.  And Swarthmore’s tasteful and artistic end caps will make for a great place to vfx in a variety of GenOpp’s alarming stats to boot.

While the free-flowing caffeine, graciously sponsored by our hosts, certainly helped with the voluntary insomnia, so did the fact that the shoot ended up being a heck of a lot of fun.  Crew, client, and talent alike were energized for the duration, and by sun up we’d succeeded in capturing ample assets for an entertaining and informative spot.

A super-sized thanks to my good friend Ann Gillette, for yet another miraculous 11th hour casting assist.  May your miracle well never run dry.  And to the perpetual movers and shakers over at Expressway, many thanks for the provisioned grip heads and gear…especially given that it was none other than Philly’s own Starsky & Hutch team of Dave Greenplate & Phil Tartaglione.

I’ve always felt that what I was lucky enough to do for a living was pretty unique, and kinda cool to boot. But recently, while exploring (uhh, I mean scouting of course) a network of tunnels underneath of Central Park in NYC, it really clicked. Since last month, I’ve been teaming once again with Director Josh Mawer and agency client Jamestown Associates to develop a PSA for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. The PSA campaign will bring awareness to the ‘Water for the Future’ initiative that the DEP is undertaking, to reinforce the water supply to sections of the outer boroughs in Brooklyn and Queens, and ensure that the City of NY will enjoy fresh tap water for many more generations to come.

The water supply system in NY is one of the most extensive in the world, but with the help of geography (and more than a little gravity), it’s treatment efforts are actually one of the simplest. But they are long standing, and in need of reinforcement, reinvention, and repair. To that end, the DEP is launching the ‘Water For the Future’ campaign, which will help residents understand the efforts that are being undertaken on their behalf.

The project has not only been a chance to collaborate once again with Josh, and JA, but has also led to newfound creative relationships with Erica Palgon Casting, in New York, as well as a plethora of new on screen talent including Jodi Applegate. I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed working with my new post production friends at Buttons NY. Nevertheless, the little kid in me has enjoyed the cable car rides to Roosevelt Island and the exploratory efforts of the real ‘underground NY’ most of all. Plus, I’ve always wanted to scale those crazy acorn towers in Greenpoint…mission accomplished!

A recent move has landed me in-house for a stint with the politico-powerhouse Jamestown Associates, a consulting firm based in Princeton. And while I usually benefit from a bit of a ramp up, there’s also something to be said for the time honored tradition of trial by fire.  The embers are still glowing bright red, but I’m starting to settle in to a bit more of a groove since hitting the ground running last month.

Already in the still-early days of this run, I’ve assembled shoots in South Carolina, New York, Philly, and Hawaii.  The later would appear to be the first in what is likely to become a bi-monthly production routine in the Aloha State over the next two quarters or so…& I’m loving a few local island vendors already.  Sight and Sound Studios has been fantastic in a pinch, which is where I’ve been finding myself on most of these shoots, and seems to find just about every piece of gear I’ve needed to pull together.  And Terry over @ Pacific Prompters seems to be running a pretty healthy monopoly on teleprompters on the islands…good for you Terry (& thanks for the assist).

All in all, once you get past the inevitable rub of island hopping logistics, Hawaii ends up being a pretty nice place to film.  And as it turns out, it’s rather picturesque there as well…who knew!  Mahalo.