Comedy Specialist & Saturday Night Live Editor Adam Epstein Joins P.S. 260
Some of the most talked about ads in the country aren’t ads at all: They’re the parody commercials on NBC’s 'Saturday Night Live.' Outlandish, outré and provocative – not to mention blisteringly funny – they’re the subject of massive social media buzz within minutes of airing, followed by fawning coverage on the talk shows come Sunday morning.
Now one of the key creative talents behind most of the show’s recent parody commercials and shorts is making a renewed commitment to working with agencies and brands. Editor Adam Epstein has joined P.S. 260, the independent New York-based creative editorial boutique.
Epstein’s work on 'SNL' has turned the California native into a focus of industry attention and praise. His contributions on things like the show’s Justin Beiber Calvin Klein parody ads, starring Kate McKinnon, or its hilarious series of Lincoln parodies with Jim Carrey channeling Matthew McConaughey, have been documented everywhere from Fast Company to NoFilmSchool.
Now residing in Brooklyn among what he describes as “similarly bearded people,” Epstein says he’s making the move to P.S. 260 as a way to increase his presence in the advertising community and add more brand content to his portfolio. “They’re really plugged in to the ad scene, particularly in New York,” he says of his new home. “I’m looking to find more balance in the work I’m doing, which is what appealed to me about P.S. 260. I like having a mélange of projects to work on, and I got my start with advertising work. As far as I’m concerned, good work is good work, no matter the format. And it allows me to say ‘mélange’ from time to time.”
Epstein’s deft touch with SNL commercial parodies should come as no surprise. He came up through the ad biz, starting on the West Coast as a Producer and Editor at Stun Creative before moving to the iconic post house Red Car and then Hybrid Edit, where he was lucky enough to work with some of the best editors, directors and creatives in the industry.
During his career he’s cut commercials and long-form ad content for a range of clients, including Adobe, Google, Hampton Inns and others, as well as broadcast promos (many of which he also writes and produces) for networks such as Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Sundance Channel and BET. Recent projects includes his first feature, a Paramount Pictures comedy that was directed by SNL Film Unit Director Rhys Thomas titled “Staten Island Summer,” as well as the acclaimed IFC show “Documentary Now!” which stars former “SNL” talents Bill Hader and Fred Armisen.
“Adam is a comic genius who works under incredible deadlines,” says P.S. 260 Managing Partner Zarina Mak. “He’s a well-rounded creative talent with a broad insight into what makes things work from a comedy standpoint. We’re thrilled to have him.”
Epstein’s connection with SNL grew out of his friendship with Director Rhys Thomas, a P.S. 260 alum, who invited him to work on a short for the program when Thomas was producing for the show’s Film Unit. Together with DP Alex Buono and Producer Justus McLarty, the team has elevated the look and feel of the show’s parody ads, making them at times almost indistinguishable from more traditional broadcast ads in terms of production value and finish.
“We purposely wanted to get away from the fake look that you often see in commercial parodies,” Epstein explains. “Our belief was that the ad parodies should look and feel as professional as something we had a lot of time to work on.” The result is that SNL parodies often end up being covered by mainstream ad trades like Adweek or Ad Age almost as often as regular ad campaigns.
“Adam is a profoundly sharp and funny guy – the type of editor you look forward to being locked in a room with all day,” says P.S. 260 Editor and Partner Maury Loeb. “Besides being technically solid and having an amazing understanding of comedy, his great talent as an editor is his ability to establish the perfect overall tone of a piece. Whether it’s creating a pitch-perfect parody or inventing a particular feel for original material, Adam does a masterful job of establishing a brilliant look and feel for everything he does. It's a testament to his creativity and wonderful sensibility.”
In addition to his work as an editor, Epstein is also a sought-after pundit and thought leader, writing and speaking about editing, comedy and other weighty issues of daily life. He was a guest at this year’s NAB Creative Masters series (courtesy of Adobe), where he sat for a one-on-one Q&A, and in 2014 conducted a two-month, 32-city tour dubbed “The Cutting Edge Post Production Tour,” where he ran full-day seminars on the finer points of post production. He also proudly points out that he may be one of the only editors working in advertising today to have lost on “Jeopardy.”
