Who's Who: Brian Cummings
Brian is a former child actor known for his role on the short lived sitcom, "That's No Banana". After a short stint in R.E.H.A.B., a furniture restoration business he started with his fourth cousin, he began a career directing and shooting. Now, when not competing on the National Whittling circuit, he works as a commercial director/photographer.
How you got into advertising?
I lost a bet.
Actually, I graduated college with a BFA in graphic design. Professors criticized me for being more advertising oriented than design. When I interviewed with design agencies, I was considered “too conceptual”. Out of desperation, I took a freelancing gig, working the graveyard shift at an ad agency. Thatʼs when it clicked. I love advertising. A decade later, I had risen to senior creative director, yet I was frustrated. I would work on pro-bono accounts after hours, just to scratch my creative itch. I worked with numerous photographers and directors on my projects. Still, I wasnʼt satisfied. I decided that I needed to learn how to shoot my own concepts.
In the fall of 2007, I quit advertising and started over. I chose to pursue photography in order to master lighting, but my passion was to direct. Every step through my career has led me to today and I cherish every aspect of it. I have an appreciation of so many different jobs throughout the industry - designer, art director, creative director, writer, photo assistant, photographer, retoucher, editor, DP, director. I cherish my background because it shapes who I am today.
A run-down of the most recent campaign I worked on …
We will be rolling out a campaign in early ʼ18, for Ezra Brooks Bourbon (Rodgers Townsend / DDB). The assignment was to bring the brand name to life, as a real character – a 1920ʼs prohibition era, Kentucky bootlegger. We needed to cast an authentic character, 55-65 year old, who could look the part. Not as simple as it sounded. After scouring the globe, we eventually found our bootlegger in New Jersey – a semi-retired stunt man from the film industry. The campaign was presented to us in white paper form, with a style guide. This is how I like to work. Give me the genesis of the idea, and let me envision the rest. The shoot consisted of the three ads, with a series of portraits of the character in each scenario. Over the course of two days, we produced three location scenes, each with six extras.
The best piece of creative work around at the moment is ...
The best one that still lingers in my mind, from early summer, is the iPhone 7 -“Barbers” spot. Actually, the spot really pisses me off, because I wish I had made it. The spot is a perfect mix of style & sound, while clearly selling the productʼs feature benefit. Itʼs kitschy, but clever. Nerdy, but cool. This spot returns to the quirky world of Apple that made it fun back in the day. While the look and feel of the piece are rock solid, the spot really comes to life thanks to the track “Fantastic Man” by William Onyeabor – a Nigerian funk musician/singer, who recorded through the ʼ70s-‘80s. His “songs are often heavily rhythmic and synthesized, occasionally epic in scope” (Wikipedia). Sadly, Onyeabor passed away in January 2017, just as his music is experiencing a rebirth in the mainstream – I only started listening to him a few years ago myself, and I highly recommend checking him out.
The next big advertising trend is going to be …
Short Films – content marketing. Actually, this trend has probably already peaked, but I am still intrigued when I see it done well. Last yearʼs H&Mʼs “Come Together” directed by Wes Anderson, was delightful. You know itʼs a commercial, but you just donʼt care.
The piece of advertising work I wish I had thought of is …
The Adidas Originals: Original Is Never Finished spot (https://vimeo.com/199930036)
Argentinian spots for Billboard (https://vimeo.com/221293608, https://vimeo.com/220831411 )
My favourite digital tool/app at the moment …
PSExpress - Adobe Photoshop Express.
In a film about my life, Iʼd like to be played by …
Bradley Cooper (said my wife).
Myself – Anyone – as long as it wasnʼt James Franco.
A word or phrase I overuse …
“Does this look infected?”
My last social media update said …
“Compliments will get you anywhere. Have I told you how nice you look today?”
My dream collaboration is …
Grace Jones and David Letterman.
A piece of criticism Iʼve received was ...
“Your work is rather dark”. To which I replied, “so is my soul”.
A great piece of advice I received …
“The are two kinds of photographers in the world. The ones that want to own things and the ones that want to make things. Which one do you want to be?” – Jim Fiscus. I was a client of Jim Fiscus (as a creative director) before stepping behind the camera. When I made the leap to changing careers, he was one of the first that I called. His advice has helped me remember why I chose this career path. Itʼs to create the ideas no one else wants to make. Every time a new piece of “must have” gear comes out, I remember this quote and ask myself, “which one do I want to be?ʼ.
Twitter handle: @BCummingsStudio
