5 Minutes with... Rich Pring

Within his 20-plus year career so far, Rich Pring has produced over 2000 commercials and worked with brands including Apple, Nike, Target, Song, Amazon, and ESPN, and agencies including Media Arts Lab, Leo Burnett, BBDO, The Martin Agency, McCann and more. After 15 years heading up production at Green Dot Films and then a successful stint at Psyop - where he set up the live-action and branded content production departments in LA and New York - Rich went on to found REVERIE Content alongside Cathleen O’Conor Stern in 2019. 

At REVERIE, Rich embraces the ever-changing nature of creative collaboration and works to cultivate a diverse family of filmmakers, collaborators and artists with distinct voices, such as Walter Thompson Hernandez, Mimi Cave, and Philippe Andre. 

LBB’s Ben Conway caught up with Rich to discuss his career journey and how REVERIE is overcoming the modern challenges of production to create work for soulful brands and agencies.

LBB> What creative content inspired or interested you most when you were growing up? Do any TV shows, films and ads stand out to you?

Rich> Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' Moonwalk at the Grammys was mind-blowing. It was the first thing we ever recorded on our family's one and only VCR. That will always be imprinted in my brain. SNL commercials spoofs like ‘Colon Blow’ with Phil Hartman, ‘Soul Train’, Bruce Lee films, and anything Motown. I loved my parent's Motown records and album art, the Stevie Wonder album covers stand out the most for some reason.

The Mars Blackmon 'It's Gotta Be the Shoes' Nike Commercial with Spike Lee and Michael Jordan was the coolest collaboration between a revolutionary filmmaker and a basketball god. It felt so different from anything else I remember in advertising at the time. I had all the posters in my bedroom growing up. And Apple's 'Think Different' campaign [see below] was just genius. It associated ‘the crazy ones’ with simple and powerful black-and-white photographs of revolutionary people at a time when Apple didn't have new products in the market. Still, it swayed popular culture toward their brand and message. Mike Nichol's ‘The Graduate’ too - a disillusioned, aimless and playful coming-of-age movie. I loved the pacing, exploration of identity, the California vibe and the film techniques used throughout. As a kid growing up in New York, it felt foreign and familiar to me at the same time.

LBB> When did the possibility of working in the advertising world appear to you? How was your journey into this industry?

Rich> In high school, I joined an after-school program called Deca which introduced me to the world of marketing and advertising as a potential career, and it opened up a new world. My parents immigrated to the U.S. when they were 17 years old in the early '70s and landed in Manhattan. They worked hard for the American dream. 

I was immediately drawn to the creativity, psychology and strategy that marketing and advertising require to persuade and influence popular culture. Discovering an industry where art and commerce intersected drew me in, especially living in New York, as I felt that was the epicentre of the world as a kid and the perfect place to be inspired by both.

Still, I started my college career with a major in business at Northeastern University in Boston. After my sophomore year, I moved to LA, where I landed at Loyola Marymount University and transferred to become a communications major. I was very close to switching, once again, to a film major but decided I didn't want to delay graduation. Luckily, LMU was very flexible, and I could take plenty of film courses without switching majors again. Looking back, I think focusing on business, communications, and film while at college helped me with what I do today.

LBB> What’s the most important lesson/piece of advice you received early on in your career? How does it influence you and your work today?

Rich> The owner of the first production company I ever worked at was one of the most intelligent and well-read people I've ever met. Leading by example, he taught me to be kind, hire smart people and put trust in them. He was among the most loyal people I've ever worked with/for. I owe a lot to him. Filmmaking is a very collaborative process, and it's important to hire well, trust your team, be open to all ideas and build an atmosphere where the best idea should win.

LBB> You founded REVERIE Content with Cathleen O’Conor Stern in 2019 - what was the catalyst for making that leap? What did you set out to do differently?

Rich> I'd wanted to start my own production company for some time, actually, but I also wanted to make sure I had a clear understanding of all the elements it takes to run a successful production company. Before REVERIE Content, Cathleen and I worked for a brief time together at a bi-coastal production company where we had great success, in terms of bringing in new talent, winning work and campaigns that evolved our directors’ reels in an impactful way, and rebranding the company (and website) to feel fresh and forward thinking. 

Then, shockingly and suddenly (making a long story short here), the company was forced to close. While this was wildly disappointing, Cathleen and I will always look at the silver lining and see this experience as the impetus for creating our own company and culture that we were 100% in complete control over. 

It's my nature to pour everything I have into whatever company I've committed to professionally.  Cathleen and I had worked at many reputable companies prior, and we've taken what we've learned – all the successes and relationships, missteps and failures – and tried to bring all of what worked and didn't work into building a culture at REVERIE. I've seen the industry shift several times through the dot com boom, a SAG strike, a recession, technology shifts, and creators of all kinds having different tools easily accessible to go out and make films. Whatever's currently happening with the shift in the world of advertising, commercial and social filmmaking, I think it's important always to push forward using the experiences I've gained to ground me. 

At REVERIE’s core, we support a roster of diverse talent that can bring fresh POVs to the industry, helping shape culture and the stories we tell while keeping an open mindset of how to approach and execute different forms of advertising and entertainment in this ever-evolving world of mass content. 

LBB> As a producer, you’ve worked at and with some of the industry’s biggest names; Psyop, BBDO, Media Arts Lab... and with some of the biggest brands; Apple, Nike, Amazon... What are some of the productions that still stand out as key learning moments for you? 

Rich> The Apple Store Milan project was a crazy ride. Apple was in the process of transitioning the design of its stores worldwide around 2015/2016. The Milan store was designed to have a new outdoor amphitheatre which was quite spectacular, as we discovered in their blueprint of the location while the transformation was still in its early stages. Apple was looking to create spaces that would become the new modern-day town square, with the Milan store being one of the most epic examples. Our job was to create a film that would showcase the soon-to-be-transformed space. 

The final design of the store was still being worked on in parallel with our production, so as you can imagine, there were a lot of adjustments that were needed along the way. To be the best partners we could be, I felt the most important thing was to communicate as early and often as possible to all parties involved; client, director, crew and VFX team. I find asking the right questions to the right people and keeping composure in intense situations can become your most valuable tools. 

Shooting the new ‘Sesame Street’ opener for HBO in 2016/2017 was also a fun moment in my career as I got to meet the creators of the characters that I grew up with. It became challenging at one point because ‘Sesame Street’ was a non-union television production at the time, and we were producing the project through a union production company I was executive producing with. One of the local New York unions showed up the morning of our first shoot day and tried to shut it down. Can you imagine being partly accountable for potentially taking down one of the greatest kids shows of all time? Yeah, I was pretty nervous about that, but we made it through. Phew! 

We shot a Kia Telluride spot for the Emmys last year at Imogene Pass in Telluride, Colorado - 13,000 feet high, traversing unkind and dangerous weather conditions to prove the Kia Telluride's capability. The terrain and altitude made it immensely challenging for the crew getting up and down the mountain, which we had to do several times while director scouting, tech scouting and shooting.

The icing on the cake was having to bring in a new DP within three days of the shoot and a new 1st AD two days before the shoot due to covid. Fun times! At the end of the day, the spot turned out great. On a shoot like this, keeping a level head and ensuring everyone is safe working at challenging locations, under treacherous weather conditions is important. The key is to be kind and supportive to everyone while also communicating early and often with your agencies and clients.

LBB> Diversity, both in front of and behind the camera, is being discussed more than ever in the production and wider creative worlds. How do you and REVERIE ensure that your talent pool is diverse and representative of society? And also, how do you ensure your casting process has a diversity focus too?

Rich> When we launched REVERIE Content, one of the founding principles was to work with talented and diverse directors. It was not only a big part of the vision for our company but who we were currently surrounded by when we founded REVERIE. As a minority-owned company, we're excited by directors with fresh perspectives in our industry. We're also finding that the more we create and succeed with diverse directors and talent new to the industry, the more we can hire and support up-and-coming crew positions from all backgrounds, as the directors are passionate about hiring crew with fresh perspectives as well. It's a domino effect. 

Regarding talent in front of the camera, we see agencies and brands provide casting briefs that are open in terms of casting for different ethnicities. In addition to greater diversity in commercials, TV and feature films, I hope each medium will develop more original storylines that feel genuine and groundbreaking to each culture.

LBB> What are the biggest challenges that production companies are facing today? How have you adapted and evolved to these challenges recently? 

Rich> There are a lot of challenges; reduced margins on creative demands that keep growing, union strikes, labour increases, inflation, creative and budgetary competition from every angle and last but not least, agencies and brands producing in-house. It sounds impossible when you list it all like that, but honestly, I don’t spend too much time worrying about all that. I try and focus on who we are at REVERIE and what we’re passionate about. 

We aim to create with brands and agencies who care about the soul of their company and their place in the world while being the best collaborators and partners we can be in helping brands and agencies solve problems. Every project can’t be a dream project, but again, surrounding yourself with talent, artists and producers you enjoy creating with helps tremendously. As a new company, we’re enjoying maintaining relationships with directors we’ve worked with previously while also discovering new talent we’re passionate about building our brand and their brand.

LBB> What are some of your favourite recent REVERIE projects? Tell us a bit about why you’re especially proud of them!

Rich> I was pretty proud of the Kia Soul spot [see above] we produced last year, where we brought DASK NFT characters to life. We wanted an organic combination of in camera and post, so we cast the characters in real life and put them in full-body grey suits to deliver the performance we wanted. Our wonderful VFX partners at KEVIN then referenced these while animating the NFTs. It was important to our director, Philippe André, to show our NFT characters truly having fun together - giving the Skeletons a soul, if you will. We wanted their unique journey to be as thrilling as possible. We were the first team to take a few NFTs for a ride through LA. Philippe also discovered and played the Easy Life ‘Skeletons’ track on set. The entire thing just came together so nicely.

I’m also excited about a film we’re producing for one of our directors, Walter Thompson-Hernández, called ‘Spaceships’. We shot in Barcelona at the end of last year, with more pickup shots this past May. We’re in the process of editing, but it’s really exciting to see it all come together. I love the narrative and characters Walter crafts in his films, oftentimes with a sense of magical realism and levity.

LBB> Outside of work, what do you do to decompress or stay fresh? And what do you think it is that drives and motivates you in work and in your life?

Rich> If I’m not working on REVERIE or coaching my kids in basketball or baseball, I love finding time to play tennis. It’s an incredible sport that requires skill, technique, and mental toughness. I find having something away from your day-to-day worlds of work and kids is great for challenging yourself, having fun, and blowing off steam.

My wife and kids motivate me. My co-workers motivate me. Our directors and creative collaborators motivate me. Good ideas motivate me. Kind and caring people motivate me.