Tag Archive for: commercials

Summary

Kent Youngblood has over twenty years of production management experience with commercials, network promos, digital content, and photo shoots. He spends his career crewing, scheduling, budgeting and location managing for production companies such as Paramount, Viacom, Herzog & Company, and High Noon Entertainment. Kent helps create commercials for clients like Audi, Ford, Coors, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, and Verizon. He helps create promos for networks such as Disney, HBO, and Starz. You may have seen his work on properties such as the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, CNN, ESPN, and CBS Sports.

In addition to making commercials, Kent is a film director, a producer, a writer, and a cinematographer. His films have screened at numerous festivals worldwide, garnered notable media attention, and won the coveted Golden Remy for Best Experimental Film at Worldfest several times. Those films were Patriot Dreams in 2003, and Wonder City in 2004.

Show Notes

[1:29] Kent’s biographical background

[2:20] How Kent got started

[8:15] Where Kent is now in his career

  • Discussion about the challenges of being a commercial producer
  • “What is a producer? Well, with regard to television and film, it’s really a creative project manager. There are some creative sides to it, but you are really organizing a project. But having said that, there are ten different designations of producer in film and video.”

[10:25] Defining the roles specific to a line producer, especially in the Colorado market

  • “That’s what really excites me about it [being a line producer] — it’s just trying to figure out how to creatively solve an idea.”

Kent Youngblood on the track

[13:18] What is the difference between a commercial and a promo?

[13:59] What is your ideal scenario when a client comes to you with a project?

  • Explanation of the advantages of a script, a creative brief, a mood board
  • Why it is necessary to have these things in advance for planning, procurement, and scheduling

[18:05] Retrospectively, what do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started?

  • “The journey is made me who I am today.”

[22:11] What is required to be a PA?

  • “Are you willing to start at the bottom to be in this industry?”
  • “… filmmaking is not a solitary enterprise. It’s a collaborative environment. You have to work with people, and a lot of times you’re going to be working with people that have more skill sets than you do,  at least initially.”

Kent Youngblood and crew

[27:01] What is your take on the value of a tribe, and networking?

[30:32] How do the other sides of your project help you with your business?

[33:11] How do you make a living here in Denver?

[37:19] Lions and talent and children, oh my…

[41:06] How did you get your work initially and how has that evolved to get most of your work through referrals?

[43:40] Advice on dealing with slow times in the business

[50:31] What are your favorite kinds of projects? What are your favorite kinds of clients?

[53:46] When things go wrong…

[55:17] People Kent looks up to and why — Gale Anne Hurd, producer, The Walking Dead; Richard Burton, actor, Cleopatra; Joel Pilger, RevThink;  Steve Urbano, director/producer

[58:45] Discussion of how to deal with issues, particularly working with  location scouts

[1:00:39] Literature to influence and inspire

[1:02:29] Best pieces of advice from Kent, and his philosophical perspective

[1:07:14] Kent’s biggest lesson

 

Kent Youngblood behind the wheel

Links and Resources

 

Be sure to check out podcasts with other great guests in the film and media industry on our DMP Podcast Page!

Summary

Denise grew up in Texas and graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor in Fine Arts and Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Directing. After working her way up in the film industry as an intern, PA, location assistant, and second assistant director, she became a member of the Director's Guild of America in 1993 in the category of Assistant Director. Since then she's moved from Second Second AD to Key Second AD, and on to First AD where she currently works on commercials and feature films.

During her career, Denise has worked on known projects such as Dumb and Dumber, The Bucket List, Switchback, The Laramie Project, and Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead.

Show Notes

[1:39] Denise's Background

  • Grew up in Bay City, Texas
  • Went to school at Southwest Texas State (now Texas State University) in San Marcos
  • Lived first in Houston, then moved to Denver in 1986
  • Currently lives in Arvada, CO

[02:19] The roles and responsibilities of an Assistant Director

[04:08] Defining the layers of an AD

[06:51] Applying creative problem-solving to people/time management

[09:02] The myriad of ADs on larger sets and what they do

[11:12] Denise's career path

[15:01] How much time does it take to become a First Assistant Director?

[18:25] How to do the time to keep your rep as an AD

[20:14] Scouting for commercials versus 30+ day projects

[21:32] The ups and downs of being an AD

[23:36] The advantages of meticulous planning in advance for every project

[25:09] Why Denise chooses to live in Colorado

[26:55] Advice for people new to the industry

[28:29] The value in going where the work is

[31:38] Making a living in Colorado

[33:50] What all is involved is a typical microbudget project?

[36:36] Trying to find microbudget projects

[39:52] A history of self-promotion and how it works best today

[43:54] The universal truths of being nice, working hard, and being ambitious

[45:12] Dealing with slow times in the industry

[48:41] Denise's current projects

[49:52] Current trends in the industry in Colorado

[51:30] How does an Assist Director get hired, and who does it?

[55:46] Denise's mentors

[58:49] How to turn troubles on set into triumphs

[1:00:57] The feminine First AD experience

[1:06:29] Unsafe and safe sets; car jobs

[1:11:26] Working with David Sosna; Denise's book recommendation for ADs

[1:13:14] The best piece of advice Denise has ever received

[1:15:53] Advice for people looking to get into the business

[1:18:19] The biggest lesson over the past year

[1:22:29] Denise's great piece of wisdom

[1:24:28] The evolution of the industry in Colorado

[1:34:05] Speculation on incentives in Colorado versus other markets

Links and Resources

 

 

Be sure to check out podcasts with other great guests in the film and media industry on our DMP Podcast Page!