Five People. Two Commercials. One Very Full Day.

Oct 13

2 min read

Big Production. Small Crew.

No Compromises.

Some of the best opportunities in this business come from relationships built years before the cameras start rolling.

A while back, my friend and director Wes Armstrong called me about a Febreze commercial production at Kevin Hart's Hartbeat Studios in Canoga Park.

Wes and I had worked together on several projects over the years, a relationship that originally grew out of my relationship with Ron "Boss" Everline, Kevin Hart's longtime trainer and business partner.

One relationship led to another, and eventually, another opportunity to work together.

The assignment was two commercials, one production day, multiple sets, and a lot to accomplish.

The first commercial featured a fictional call-in radio show and podcast where "Dr. Fresh" dispensed relationship advice with a Febreze twist.

The second was a fully constructed three-wall apartment set. A young guy living in a complete mess gets an unexpected text from a woman he's interested in.

Enter Dr. Fresh, who transforms the apartment from disaster zone to date-ready with a little help from Febreze.

Two completely different concepts, each requiring its own lighting, camera setups, and production approach.

Five People. A Lot of Hats.

Here's where things got interesting.

Our crew consisted of five people.

Not five people for camera and another five for grip and electric. Five people handling all of those departments.

Gaffers, grips, camera operators, first ACs, and swings. Everyone brought multiple skill sets, understood the production process, and knew how to work together.

There was some initial concern from the production side about whether a crew our size could handle the scope of the shoot.

And I understood why.

But I also knew our people.

We weren't showing up with five people because we were trying to cut corners.

We were showing up with five people because we knew exactly what those five people were capable of.

By the end of the day, we'd completed both commercials, executed multiple looks, and received some incredible feedback from the production team.

What initially seemed like a potential limitation became one of the most impressive aspects of the shoot.

The Right People Change Everything.

I've learned something over the years running Create Your Own Path Productions.

More people don't automatically make a better production.

The right people do.

Experienced crew members who can anticipate problems, move between responsibilities, communicate clearly, and genuinely enjoy working together can accomplish an extraordinary amount.

That doesn't mean every production should have a small crew. Some absolutely need larger teams.

It means crew size should be determined by what the production actually needs, not by what a traditional crew list says it should look like.

We recently took a similar approach on a multi-camera instructional production with Keke Palmer. Different creative, different challenges, but the same philosophy.

Build the right team. Give them the right tools. Trust them to do great work.

And maybe the bigger lesson is this: Invest in good relationships, surround yourself with talented people, and take care of both.

Those investments have a way of paying dividends long after the production wraps.