17 Years of Toyota - A Friendship’s Home

When we first started looking at the prospect of a 17 year span of Valley Toyota commercials - run by the same director, Jordan Brady - we thought it would look like a highlight reel. A typical piece revisiting the best bits; looking at what went well, what didn’t, the challenges, and bla blaa blaaa. Then we spoke to Jordan, and afterwards, the actor who features in each of them, Pat Finn. And something unexpected happened. We saw two men who, (unknowing of what the other was saying) spoke with the same vigour of schoolboys rushing home to tell their parents about their new friend. But this friendship isn’t new. It’s nearly two decades old. 

Toyota as a brand is a household name. And to many, so is Pat Finn. He’s been in the game since the 80’s and is renowned as one of the rarer, friendly faces around Los Angeles. It’s been a surprise to everyone (none more than Pat himself) that his work with Toyota has ended up being one of the things people love and recognise him most for. 

“I’d love to work with that guy”

The adverts began as a way to draw attention to local Toyota dealerships in Arizona, bringing about a transformation of sorts. They replaced the local dealership advertising which one might imagine being in the style of side-of-road unipoles, showcasing a middle-aged man, shirt tucked into jeans, delivering a message in a presumed thick, quintessential American accent. You know the ones. The “Come on down and get our best deals, today!” Maybe even a free pine tree scented air freshener thrown in for good measure. Years later the work would set the scene for Jordan working on rotation with Saatchi & Saatchi for Toyota national, where he would become an on-camera spokesman for the 'Toyota Creative Lens' reel directed by Jeannette Godoy.

When we first met Jordan in March of this year, he soon became a favourite to speak to. He’s funny and charming and makes work feel, well, not like work. But when we got him speaking about this topic we unlocked a whole new liveliness. In 2005 when Jordan was directing for clients like Kellogs, Eggo Waffles and KFC, out of the blue a board came in for a local group of car dealers. They sent nine scripts which would span three to four days. Pat was working on the show, The Reverse Peephole, at the time when the agency fell head over heels for him. Jordan remembers thinking, “I’d love to work with that guy.” The budget was decent given the amount of scripts involved; but at this stage, they didn't quite know if it would work - it certainly cost more than what the dealers were currently spending. The proof was in the pudding however, as the derivatives began to avalanche when the adverts led to a 53% growth in revenue. Jordan often waged against triple bids - but he’s become as closely associated with the identity of these commercials as Pat himself. It’s important to note too, that it's been the ad agency, LaneTerralever who has been responsible for facilitating the whole saga over the years.

The Reality of the Absurdity 

Jordan’s a comedian at heart. You see it when you chat to him, and you certainly see it when you look at his work. These commercials have communicated to the world the epitome of his creative signature. It’s the very reason he’ll get texts from acquaintances saying, “hey, did you do this?” about other pieces now. It’s about the heightened execution of reality in the form of an absurd situation in an everyday context. That’s what he’s been able to achieve here. 

“The reason character comedy works is because the person is a heightened version of someone we know. That’s what Pat is. And everyone around him is normal. It’s about playing the ‘reality of the absurdity’. A scene where a martian lands on earth isn’t relatable. If a martian lands and asks, ‘hey, where do I get some nice wheels?’ I’m going to play with the reality of the absurdity and send him to Valley Toyota.” When he described Pat’s style it came across as an obvious and natural fit, “Sometimes he’ll come up to me and say ‘hey, do you think it’ll be funny if I do this?’ and of course I say ‘try it’ because this is a guy who has been doing improv for the past 35 years.” Jordan calls him an improv expert, explaining that’s why scripts often leave room for his creative idiosyncrasies to manoeuvre and roam freely.

But the past 17 years have served as more than a vehicle for good memories. They’ve been the place where Jordan has grounded himself, trying to balance the ever-present ego of a director with the humility required to do the best possible job. Before every shoot he can be found sitting in his car reviewing and memorising names on the call sheet. After each shoot he’s heading to video village to ask, ‘how can we make this better?’ For Jordan, more than anything, “In an age where disposable entertainment, social media posts and low budget/ quality productions have their place; this is a testament to high production values, well thought out creative and targeted spots.” It’s a lesson in localised marketing that many could take heed of. It’s also pretty neat that it was on one of these very sets that Jordan fell in love with his now wife. 

Safe to Play

Trying to pin Pat down for a chat was a fiasco. We were like ships passing in the night. He was free, then we weren’t. We were free, then he wasn’t. But hell, was it worth the wait. Pat is an enigma. He and Jordan both share the same love of speaking in digressions in a way that doesn’t feel waffley, but instead warm, and quite heart-on-sleeve-esque. Pat’s Irish ancestry (something he wears rightfully, with pride) lends to his storytelling capabilities and ignites a richness to an already endearing disposition. 

So much of the aforementioned are probably factors that contributed to Ian Barry, chief creative officer at LaneTerralever , describing Jordan as an extension of the creative team. But if you ask Pat, Jordan does so well because he’s just a big goof. He isn’t afraid to be silly and has an eye for when something works or more importantly, when it flops. 

Pat recalls when he first started working with Jordan, “I grew up doing a lot of sports and directors to me are like coaches. The best ones help, encourage and aid. That’s what Jordan did. There was an almost instant trust there, from me.” When we asked Pat about Jordan’s directing style, he told us he was ‘an actors director’. Don’t worry, we didn’t know what that meant either. Pat explained, “directors often seem corporate; they’re just trying to get the shot. Jordan wields both swords. He makes the actor feel a part of the ensemble. That’s what creates a world of trust.” Pat tells us that the byproduct of this trust, for him, becomes creativity; “when you feel safe in an environment, you feel like it’s safe to play”. He tells us that on set, every member of the crew regardless of the area they work in has Jordan’s back. 

One of his favourite parts about the entire campaign is the rarity of it, “you know, I text many of the team from the agency on their birthdays and vice versa. That just doesn’t happen in Hollywood. Jordan is a large part of that because he makes it feel like we are all part of the same thing rather than just bits and pieces.” The spots however, are rapid fire, sometimes they’ll do four in a 10 hour day. Pat doesn’t quite know how many directors would be able to achieve that and maintain the same atmosphere. 

Bromance 

When speaking to the pair about things beyond the show, that’s where the real magic started to happen. The gorgeous inbetween the lines stuff that comes from two guys who stand in mutual admiration of one another and their capabilities. Pat says, “It’s amazing to know that somebody is in your corner with the talents that Jordan possesses, as a director, as a dad, and as a person.” Jordan explained to us that from a practical point of view, the way Pat handles his workload is unparalleled. His ability to produce remarkably comedic content, straight off the cuff, is unlike anything else Jordan has seen. 

There are so many reasons that these spots work the way they do. As the viewership watches on they can see the passage of time. A man ageing (albeit, very well). A family growing. A relationship evolving (even though they did swap out the wife a couple of times. But hey, that’s often true of the real world too). There’s something comforting about them. Yes they’re silly and yes they’re absurd. But they embody a kind of pure and innocent fun that seems lost in much of the film world today. 

Between LBB and Pat: 

LBB> What’s your favourite memory from the past 17 years? 

Pat> Whilst Jordan was filming the Toyota documentary, one of the suggestions was that they’d get a natural shot of us together. Jordan came over to my house, and we chatted in the backyard and played with my dogs. That's one of my favourite memories, even though I have a million to choose from. It’s because I don't know if many people or actors have the luxury of a director, transcending into becoming not only a friend but a trusted friend.

Between LBB and Jordan: 

LBB> Could these commercials ever go ahead without Pat?

Jordan> Impossible. Never. Pat is irreplaceable. 

LBB>  How long do you want to keep doing this?

Jordan> I wanna keep doing this forever.

Well. Here’s to that.