Advertising Alchemy
Deb Mayo07 May 2007
It just so happened that in 1973 Dave Laden started his creative career in the womb – ultimately coalescing into an actual physical appearance a mere nine months later. Although the Laden family would enjoy the fruits of their labor immediately, it would be years before the rest of the world would be privy to his talents. With that said, the time is now upon us – and the creative prowess of said director from Teak Motion Visuals in San Francisco is making his presence known.
After four years at the University of Delaware in the Visual Communications Program, Laden emerged gainfully employed at Ogilvy and Mather in New York City as a junior art director where, among many things, he found himself writing television commercials with Jerry Seinfeld for American Express. After a five-year stint, Laden traded East coast for West coast and landed at Goodby, Silverstein and Partners in San Francisco where he spent another six years working with such clients as Saturn, Got Milk and Comcast. Based on this success, Laden once again moved on, however this time to directing full-time.
With his agency background, as well as the Laden family influences serving as a professional rudder, the young director today points to a methodology of honesty and reality as setting him apart from the herd. “My parents always told me that they wouldn’t punish me for telling the truth,” muses Laden, “and that approach, coupled with my desire for realistic beauty, is what propels me today.” It is exactly this combination that inherently infuses Laden’s work with the internal ‘smirk’ factor: taking the terribly mundane, placing the topic and subject matter in a pleasing setting, and letting the action point to the futility of the human condition. Mind you, this approach is a desired effect, complete with product message that has the tendency to ring true for all of us as we catch a glimpse into our own intricacies. “I’m not big on laughs – gaffaw type laughs,” states Laden. “But I also don’t want things to be flat and boring. I like to embrace the idea and allow for the subtleties of the sell to emerge. I love to turn the camera on before we’re ready to shoot – without anyone’s knowledge - and capture the moments that are truly real. For me, that’s magic.”
Magical it must be as advertisers are making inroads to his door. Alchemy was at its peak when client Comcast via Goodby came knocking with boards promoting their high speed internet access. Subtle, quirky, and oh-so-smirky, the commercial entitled WebVideo, manages to point with astute precision into the mind of Laden. The spot, classic in style and tone, takes the viewer on a highly amusing, yet simplistic foray into the basic act of logging onto the internet. The end result sings with references to British sitcom humor and old time comedy routines, and even has a bit of Jay Ward’s Fractured Fairy Tales narration thrown in for good measure. “I’m a very thorough guy,” says Laden. “I try to think through all of the shooting options available to me. As much as I want to make the work mine, I also want to work in collaboration with all those involved. Bottom line: I’m good at simplification – at cutting the fat – and finding the nugget, so to speak.”
That ability – that panning for gold - will undoubtedly come in handy as the world of advertising picks up even further momentum with the evolution of the 360-degree model. The director is not only excited about the endless opportunities that await him, but loves the idea that the paradigm allows for anything. “The 360-degree approach is exactly how I think,” enthuses Laden. “I love being surrounded by brands that are not afraid to identify themselves. The beauty of all of this is that there are no wrong answers.” With the adage that ‘more is better,’ so too is the competition in this new, untapped territory. “As I see it, this attitude is a way to develop your own brand: namely yourself. Not only is there a lot of money at stake, but reputations as well.”
Laden is currently extending his personal brand by shooting commercials, short films, and music videos at Teak. His reel-to-date sports such notable clients as Coca-Cola, HBO, Minnesota State Lottery, Saturn, Stagg Chili, Specialized Bikes, Can-West Comedy Festival and Youth Speaks, to name but a few. And just to make things interesting, his short film, The One recently won the Best Short Film at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival.
It therefore seems redundant to ask what’s next for the talented director, but ask we did. “There was another director at Goodby who gave me some excellent advice when I decided to set out on my directing career. He told me to develop patience. Taking that into account, I want to get extremely good at my craft; I want to make time to explore and experiment so what I put out there is an accurate reflection of me. I want to foster the ability to challenge myself constantly. And as long as I keep my patience about me – and things push me in interesting ways – I’m good to go."
