It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who You Are
When I first sat down with Ben he had just returned from a shoot in the desert after working on a Romanian comedy, which he jokingly referred to as a ‘rom com’. ‘Ah’, I thought, there’s a little glimmer of his dad. Ben, you see, is the son to one of our favourite directors, Jordan Brady. Jordan has featured regularly across our channels and with his background as a comedian, is never too far away from a casual joke or 12. I’ve gotten to know Jordan over this past year in a way that feels personal - writing about him and his life feels like a treat. When the opportunity arrived to speak to Ben, it was an obvious ‘yes’.
But see, what started off as what I thought would be a conversation speaking to a director's son, quickly transitioned into a conversation with an incredibly talented young director, whose individual style is completely different to that of his father. Having worked on national spots from Apple Music and Chrysler, to music videos for Kid Cudi and Radiohead - it really isn’t Ben’s first rodeo. He shares the qualities of Jordan that make him such a lovable character; most prominently, the fact he’s a great storyteller - but he also comes upholstered with bucketloads of individuality.
LBB> So, your dad, let’s talk about him for a second. What a guy.
Ben> Isn’t he fucking awesome? I mean, I’m just like one of the luckiest kids in the candy shop. Look, I know he’s my dad, but he’s actually just this really special human.
Rewind the Tape
When I meet Ben, he’s wearing an old cap and some thick-rimmed glasses. He’s sat on the sofa, slouched and relaxed. He’s a man at ease with himself and by default, makes you feel the same. It’s funny, that’s how I felt when I first met Jordan. Ben has always felt he had a bit of an eye for film. After buying his first camera with his Bar Mitzvah money, he completely fell in love with photography. It would become his way of being able to express himself without actually having to use words to articulate the thought. “Half the time when I was trying to say something, I felt misunderstood. Now, I’m leaving it up to the interpreter to feel how they want to, within the limits of the image” Ben tells us. After pursuing photography in high school he asked his dad for advice on how to become a production assistant. He worked on a shoot where he met an art department representative who brought him on as a PA. When he hit 19, he quit his regular job and decided to join the camera union full-time. He remembers asking his dad to let him start shooting; he was met with a swift ‘nope’ - “he laughed at me in the face and said, ‘do you know what I had to do to get here? Do you know that all of these guys wouldn’t take you seriously?’”
He would have to do the work.
Crafting His Own Name
“I knew even as a PA I would have to work twice as hard,” says Ben. He reminisces about always walking around with extra batteries and making sure he had four bottles of water in his hand at any given moment to give out to crew members. After a few assistant directors took him under their wing, he began to grow with them. People were wondering, “who the fuck is this kid?” but Ben never cared. He never let that get to him, because he knew what his goal was. He knew he wanted to be a DP and a director - “I wanted to figure out how to prove myself to whoever I had to, no matter how long it was going to take, until finally meeting someone who would give me an opportunity in the camera department.” And at last, that happened. “My goal was to learn every single aspect of the camera department, both creatively and technically, so that when I was DP, I would know what I’m asking the crew for. Or, when the director is describing or trying to design a shot, that I know what we are capable of given the tools we have access to.”
Ben used his dad as a study tool, watching him in his office on phone calls, doing pitches, treatments, script notes, back and forth with his producer, production designer, DP, stylists, casting - he observed every single aspect of the whole production lifecycle with intent.
Connection & Style
A few months ago, Ben found himself in a position where he wanted to make something that was entirely his own, shot in the style he felt most at home with. Another quality he and his father share is a love for tequila - but not just any regular tequila, proper tequila. I can’t tell you the amount of times Jordan has tried to convince me to try some ridiculously expensive tequila - assuring me it wouldn’t ignite the trauma of my student days shotting it with a salt and lemon chaser, leaving behind a scrunched up face and wincing eyes.
Ben found inspiration looking at the Cava de Oro brand. “I sat there with my eyes closed and thought, ‘okay, what would be cool to do with the resources I have?’ I’m not a drinker, but when I drink, I drink tequila. So I thought, in an ideal world, what am I doing when I drink it? I’m at home with my wife, I’m loosening up and tuning out the rest of the world. I just have my mind, and all I can think about is one thing. And that’s my wife, here with me. She’d be here, and there would be one thing we both wanted.” After enlisting his actor friends and some other creatives, he thought it was time to bring this idea to life.
LBB> What would you say is the main thing you want to communicate with your work? What was it you wanted to communicate with the spot?
Ben> Well. That’s a tough one. (A few silent seconds pass). Well, actually, no it isn’t. The first word I want to say is ‘vulnerability’. Because in any situation, whether it’s a boxer in our backyard or these people drinking tequila, that’s what I want to connect with. That’s what resonates with me and draws me closer to not only the artform, but to people.
You could say Ben is a no-bullshit kind of guy. Not in an intolerant way, but rather, he longs for deep connections and considers small-talk, the enemy. In his day to day life, he’s quite a spiritual soul; always looking for the connections that go beyond the surface and reveal the entirety of what we as human beings have to offer. That is the very thing that is distinct about his directing style.
The spot begins with floods of pink light turning into red as a dashing young man wearing leather makes his way through. If you’re wearing headphones, you’ll hear the beats of music dance through your ears in hums and rises in a way that builds anticipation. There’s a look in his eye; what is it? Is it searching? No. It’s longing. There’s a beautiful woman whose side profile looks sharp behind draping locks of loose curls, as she contemplates the cold glass of tequila in front of her. She finally locks her lips around the glass to take the sip, as he continues to search with determination. He finds her, she swallows, and looks up to catch his gaze in a hungry glare that feels as if it transcends the screen. You’ll have to watch the rest yourself to see how it goes.
The main takeaway from viewing is this: watching in isolation, you’d swear this had been made by the brand itself. Even coming from the position of not knowing the brand - this somehow, feels like it’s them. Ben has hit the nail on the head with this one. The same commercial style that he was scolded for by a college when he was a youngster, is the very thing that makes his directing footprint identifiable. It’s gorgeous and moody and sexy and has you feeling tantalised. Heck, it has you wanting a glass of tequila. The brand must have noticed this themselves given that they shared it on their own socials. What began as an act of self expression has turned into a lesson - work in a way that fits your heart and the dividends will follow.
Like Father Like Son; and Sometimes, Not
The pair share a love of “saying stupid shit” and of course “the really bad, cringy dad jokes”. When things are getting a little stressy on set, they both take a step back to remind themselves that they do this job for the love of it. They are firm believers in treating everyone with respect; but their baseline of similarity is the shared belief that there are only solutions. “That’s my foundation, and that’s his foundation. And then every day on set is a good day because we get to do what we love.”
When Jordan speaks about Ben, he does so with the same kind of pride you would expect any father to. But there’s something more than that too. He speaks about him with an air of admiration unusual of a senior to a junior. Ben matches that same pride for his own kids. They really are his life. He beams, speaking about his son, Sal, and his daughter, Angela - boasting about their creativity - “their curiosity and imagination inspires me daily”. For Ben however, little compares to the love he has for his wife, Shelby - the muse for his Connection and his forever biggest cheerleader.
This is a family who loves family.
It seems to me that Jordan's gift to Ben has been teaching him some of the ‘how’ and then giving him reign to decide the ‘what’. Because of this - and a lot of hard work off his own back - Ben has become a man of skill, individuality and above all else, is a pretty great guy. And by God, does he love his Dad.
Earlier this month, Ben welcomed his third child, Otto, into the world. Jordan, being the proud granddad he is, is certain Otto will be a third generation filmmaker. If the Brady’s have anything to do with it, I’m sure Otto will turn out to be a directing force to be reckoned with. Just watch this space.
