The Calculated Chaos of Absurdist Comedy

Andy Kelemen is a commercial director with a specialty in making over-the-top work. His style is playful and approachable, and he loves strong production design with bold looks. He fills his short spots with snappy comedic timing and well-placed awkward...pauses. He also loves casting against type in building his comedic characters.

In directing content, he's proud of the work he creates and his ability to push the comedic envelope when needed. He's consistently described as being easy to work with and a fantastic collaborator.

But don't get him started on wind. He's fiercely anti-wind during outdoor shoots. It ruins everything.

Name: Andy Kelemen

Location: Pittsburgh PA

Repped by/in: Dessert Before Dinner / Freelance

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

Andy> I’m super pumped about a branded content web series that explores hypothetical movie scenarios through an absurd finance lens. It’s weird in all the right ways, and I love getting to create longer-form branded content. Also, we’re training our puppy to be a service dog –does that count? (If not, I’m still counting it.)

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

Andy> As someone working in comedy, I’m thrilled to see the return of bold, ridiculous humour in mainstream advertising. Everything is cyclical –after covid, we saw a wave of hyper-authentic, grounded ads. Now, with the world the way it is, people seem to be craving more escapism.

I’m also excited to see brands leaning into smaller and mid-sized creative shops. There’s more risk-taking, stronger creative lifts, and overall, it leads to braver, more interesting campaigns. The weird stuff is back, and I’m here for it.

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

Andy> I love scripts that allow for bold production design swings – unusual casting, quirky costumes, loud color palettes, and even hand-made props. The phrase "practical effects" in a script makes me swoon. It’s my love language.

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

Andy> For me, it’s all about highlighting the small details that make the biggest comedic impact –showing that every choice has been carefully considered. I also emphasise how those choices serve the branding and the creative north star.

I’m also, of course, big on pitching visually. Since we work in a visual medium, I like to hop on camera, edit a quick video pitch, and cut to examples while explaining my approach. Energy is contagious, and if I’m excited about an idea, I want the client to feel that too.

LBB> If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?

Andy> If I don’t know the brand, I find people who do – friends, family, strangers in line at the coffee shop. The best product recommendations I’ve ever received have come from personal connections, so those conversations tend to spark the freshest insights.

Believe it or not, I once got pretty far with a Midol pitch by starting my deck with: "I will literally never know what periods are like, but here are some words my female friends used to describe them!" Sometimes, embracing what you don’t know leads to the best creative breakthroughs.

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

Andy> Rather than pointing to one specific person, I’d say it’s about surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you. Some directors take pride in being the smartest person in the room – I take pride in listening. Good ideas can come from anyone, even the client or creative director. Collaboration is key.

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?

Andy> In comedy, I love working in the toy and games space because I still act like a big kid. I also love directing kids, as they bring an unpredictable, unfiltered energy that makes everything more fun.

Beyond that, I’m always drawn to those WTF moments in ads – the ones that make people stop and think, "What the hell was going through their creative brains when they made this?" Those are my favourite.

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

Andy> That absurdist comedy is just randomness for randomness’ sake. In reality, every quirky visual, perfectly timed joke, and bizarre casting choice is deliberate – all funnelling back to brand messaging in some way. Comedy isn’t chaos. It’s calculated chaos. Like my life.

LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so how have your experiences been?

Andy> As a producer and EP, absolutely. As a director, I’ve been a bit more shielded from it. But I don’t see cost consultants as creative limiters – they just force you to be clever in your decision-making.

Since I love a hand-made aesthetic, sometimes they’re even on my side. "Why does this prop look like a 10-year-old made it?" Because that’s the point. And now, budget-wise, I have a rock-solid excuse. Cha-ching.

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

Andy> We once had a very limited puppet that refused to cooperate with what the client and producer wanted. Thankfully, I had a 3D VFX wizard on set who scanned the puppet, reassured me he could recreate it with the right movement, and saved us from hours of frustration.

Moral of the story: trust your crew. And always have a backup plan when working with an inanimate felt actor.

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

Andy> It’s all about having a strong creative north star – every idea has to feed into it. As a director, you will have bad ideas. The trick is knowing which ones to keep to yourself.

At the same time, this is a service industry – it’s not your money being spent. My go-to move is offering a "one for you, one for me" approach. Especially in absurdist comedy, where the spontaneous, unplanned takes often turn out to be the best ones.

LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set? 

Andy> Do some people say no to this question? No MENTORING! Absolutely to mentorships. I’ve worked with a Santa Monica-based crowdsourcing company that started a mentorship program for each shoot’s location. I’ve since adopted that model, and we often have paid PAs shadowing crew members in their field of interest.

I had so many opportunities to hop onto commercial sets in my late teens and early twenties thanks to the generosity of working directors. That "pay it forward" attitude stuck with me, and I’m always happy to grab coffee with aspiring filmmakers. Commercial directing can feel like a rich kids’ game at times, and I want to help break down those barriers.

LBB> Your work is now presented in so many different formats – to what extent do you keep each in mind while you're working (and, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)? 

Andy> Even outside of the requested formats, I always think about how footage can be repurposed. The 15-second and six-second cutdowns – especially in 9x16 – are invaluable for pitch reels, while the full-length versions work best on my site.

Conversely, if a client only asks for verticals, we still shoot full frame. They almost always come back asking for a widescreen version later. Those silly clients.

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

Andy> AI has actually been a game-changer for my pitch decks. I tend to spit out word salads, so AI helps me keep things concise and digestible. A 15-page deck with killer visuals beats an overly wordy 40-pager every time.

I’ve also used AI-generated imagery to illustrate unique hand-made visuals we’re trying to create. It’s a great tool when used alongside creativity, not in place of it.

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

Andy> Pokémon - 'Kitchen' | I’m a total reality show hoe, so being able to combine that love with puppets in a six-spot campaign? F yeah. Also puppets don’t disagree with direction, did you know that? They have no souls.

Elysian Brewing - 'Old Lady' | I created a ton of content for Elysian, but this ping-pong piece featuring a quirky old lady makes me smile. I love seniors in comedy. She showed up with that bear shirt on, and my wardrobe person said ‘Andy will like this.’ She knows me.

TBS - 'Conan' | Practical effects in the form of a drone in the shape of a talk show hosts’ head has daddy written all over it. An oldie but a goodie. One time I instructed the drone op to ‘just go crazy with it’ but told no one else. Everyone thought the drone was malfunctioning and had a bit of a panic. I was the only one laughing. 

NatGeo Wild - 'Nummies' | I still can’t believe this aired on broadcast television. Is it a commercial? No. Did we have a blast making it with little oversight? Yes. Yes We did. There’s two more episodes of this chaos - if you ask nicely I’ll send them to you.