Bold Voices Will Win the Day in Advertising

Andrew Laurich’s story starts in a high school acting class, where a report on Spielberg turned into a DIY film made on the video game ‘Steven Spielberg’s Director’s Chair’. The class lost their minds. Andrew found his fix. He’s been chasing that reaction ever since.

After studying screenwriting at a certain “unnamed prestigious university” (he’s not saying which – sports rivalries ruin lives), Andrew went straight into directing. His first professional gig? A self-funded, stop-motion spec ad of cell phones having sex. (Yes, really.) He made it, pitched it, and politely demanded $1,500 for the brand to use it. They said yes. A director was born.

Since then, Andrew’s helmed award-winning and recognised work for brands like McDonald’s, Mercedes, General Mills, Fat Tire, and Craig’s Investments. His political ad for Win America Back PAC exploded across Twitter days before the 2020 election, pulling in 5 million views in 48 hours and snagging a Webby nomination for Best Viral Video.

He’s won at AICP, been shortlisted at Cannes, and made grown men squirm with his Sundance-nominated short ‘A Reasonable Request’ – a film about a son asking his dad for… well, let’s just say it’s not safe for brunch.

Andrew currently lives in North Hollywood and is developing two feature films. He recently sat down with LBB to discuss his upcoming projects, the evolving production industry and the “inevitable force“ of AI…

Name: Andrew Laurich

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Repped by/in: FANCY in the US / Flying Fish in AUS + NZ

Awards: Cannes Lions
AICP
Shots Awards
Vimeo Best of the Year
Indie Flicks People’s Choice Award
Sundance Grand Jury Prize Nominee
SXSW Grand Jury Award Nominee
Webby’s Nominee
One Screen Best Music Video Nominee

LBB> What are some upcoming projects that you're excited about? Tell us a bit about them?

Andrew> I’ve got a cool creature feature in development to shoot in New Zealand, loosely based on my short film ‘Live Bait’. Some twisted folks also decided to turn my short, ‘A Reasonable Request’, into a feature.

That’s also in development as we speak. I’m also thinking about re-staining my deck. That’ll be exciting.

LBB> What excites you in the advertising industry right now, as a director? Any trends or changes that open new opportunities?

Andrew> Boy, it feels like the wild west right now. Traditional broadcast contraction, influencer explosion, AI… but I suppose it’s equally exciting as it is terrifying. The industry is definitely evolving, if not at an inflection point. But bold voices will win the day. And I forecast a greater premium on storytelling and comedy – things harder to replicate on a machine.

LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?

Andrew> I love grounded absurdity – ideas where humour is derived from a situation but the characters stay absolutely natural and real. Also aliens.

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

Andrew> Remember the five paragraph essay? I approach treatments kind of like that (thanks, Mrs. Feigenson). What’s my thesis, and how does my directing approach support it? But then I try to make it funny. So… five paragraph essay, but not the kind where you’re trying to mine symbols of social oppression in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. More like the letter you write to Christine DeLeon trying to convince her why you’re a good candidate for prom. God, I hope my writing’s had a better response since then.

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

Andrew> For me, it’s the creative director. They’ve lived with the creative for way longer than I have and know the landscape with the client. That kind of insight only makes the end product stronger and the shoot more efficient. Love the note, ‘we already tried that two months ago and the client hated it’. Cool, let’s move on.

LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about - is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?

Andrew> My tastes definitely lean towards comedy. But I also have – I believe – strong cinematic instincts. I’m a sucker for the image. And I suppose if I’m being honest… I love adventure filmmaking. If you’ve got a three day doc-style shoot for soap in the Amazon, I’m in. Also golf. Love golf. Titleist, Taylor Made, Callaway – come at me.

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?

Andrew> That I’m just about groundbreaking comedy or artistic masterpieces. Truth is, there’s a lot more than that. I’m great with kids, for example.

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Andrew> Ready to capture a picturesque sunrise two hours outside NYC in the country and realising we had no lenses. It’s a good story, actually (in hindsight). The entire day was structured around this one, epic shot. Thirty minutes before we’re set to roll with actors in place and stunt crew in position, the sun starts to rise over a misty lake and it’s BETTER than I could’ve dreamed. Of course, only then did we realise a PA failed to pick up the camera lenses the day prior. So here we were, everything set but no way to capture it.

Frantic, the producers tried to source a runner in the city WITH A CAR to race over to the rental house (which wasn’t open for 30 minutes), then high tail it two hours to location. But then he got into an accident. He was fine, thankfully, and eventually showed up. But not till close to noon. We had to cut half our shots, ended up flipping the schedule, had to shoot sunset for sunrise, yada yada. Did anyone ever notice in the final spot? Of course not.

LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?

Andrew> It is a balance. Ultimately, commercials are commerce as much as they are art, so it’d be silly to die on the hill of some creative idea that distracts from selling the brand. That said, a good commercial is better than a compliant commercial, so sometimes you gotta state your case.

And worse case, just shoot it both ways ; ).

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work?

Andrew> AI is an inevitable force, and it’s hard to imagine everyone’s not using it. But I don’t think it should be the primary driver of the creative process. That said, I do think it can be a great side-kick. I don’t mind using Midjourney to help sell my vision for a middle aged man parkouring through a bounce house (that happened), for example.

LBB> Which pieces of your work do you feel show what you do best – and why?

Andrew>‘AutoGlass Now’ (campaign). More recent work, but got a bunch of press and is up for some hefty awards.

Mike Rowe's ‘Prostate Exam’ (PSA). This won at AICP and continues to be a fan favourite.

‘A Reasonable Request’ (short film). It’s played Sundance, SXSW, and has made it to the front page of Reddit. If I’m known for anything, it’s this.