The Work That Made Me: John Semerad

At eighteen John Semerad attended Pratt Institute to become the next great American illustrator. The fine art career quickly gave way to a career in computers and special effects.

QuietMan was started a few years later. An innovative company with many firsts. The first Beatles music video, the first primetime Emmy for a tv commercial, the first five second tv commercials. QuietMan has won virtually every advertising award, Emmys and even a Grammy. The collective has worked on over 100 Super Bowl commercials.

QuietMan don’t really keep track but it has won multiple Cannes Lions including best of show. Multiple One Show pencils including best of show. Dozens of Clios. QuietMan has been in the AICP Show which means its in the permanent collection at MOMA.

Recently John Semerad did an animated short that has gotten into over 100 film festivals, won over 30 awards and become academy award eligible. It’s been seen all over the world. Feel free to call me 'an international sensation.'

The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Johnnie> As a child, I have distinct memories of two films that made a significant impact on me - Ray Harryhausen's works and 'Planet of the Apes.' While I'm sure I watched other movies during my childhood, these two remain etched in my memory due to their lasting influence on me.

The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…

Johnnie> During my time at Pratt Institute, I was studying fine arts with a focus on drawing. I had high hopes of becoming the next great American illustrator and was working on an illustration for a greeting card company, American Greetings. The card was an unconventional one, designed for Father's Day and aimed at grandfathers.

At the same time, I was also involved in creating the special effects for a music video for the band, The Police, in collaboration with the filmmakers, Godley and Creme. As I worked on both projects simultaneously, it became increasingly clear to me that the pace of my career prospects in special effects was much faster than my progress as an illustrator.

After weighing my options, I made the decision to focus on special effects as my chosen career path. It was a choice that enabled me to further develop my technical and artistic skills in new and exciting ways, while working in a dynamic and constantly evolving field that was crucial to the film and television industry.

The creative work that I keep revisiting…

Johnnie> Currently, I am re-reading ‘Lone Wolf and Cub,’ a Japanese manga series that seems to have an impact on modern media.

My first professional project…

Johnnie> I was entering my senior year at art school and part of my scholarship was that I had to do an internship. There aren’t a lot of internships for fine artists. I showed up at a place that was so busy they would have hired anyone with a portfolio. I worked nights on a Quantel Paintbox. Schools couldn’t afford equipment like that so it was on the job training.

The piece of work that still makes me jealous…

Johnnie> The ‘Love, Death & Robots’ episode titled ‘Jibaro’ reignited my passion for animation. This episode, with its stunning visual effects and immersive storytelling, served as a powerful source of inspiration, motivating me to create my own animations once again.

The creative project that changed my career…

Johnnie> Joe Pytka, a renowned director, was working on a Pepsi commercial featuring Shaquille O'Neal. The commercial showed Shaq running between televisions and interacting with classic television shows. Although another effects company had already been awarded the job, Joe had a creative vision that would require Shaq to be flipped and run in the opposite direction. This would mean that the number on Shaq's jersey would have to be reversed and then flipped back, a task that the original effects company claimed was impossible.

Having previously collaborated with Joe, he reached out to me to see if I could solve the problem. I took on the challenge and successfully flipped the numbers on Shaq's jersey back to their original orientation. Joe was thrilled with the outcome and as a reward, he gave us the opportunity to work on the Beatles' ‘Free As A Bird’ music video. Additionally, Pepsi was impressed with our work that they awarded us multiple Super Bowl commercials.

We won six Clio awards, solidifying our position as a leading effects company in the industry. The success of those commercials proved to be a turning point for our company.

The work that I’m proudest of…

Johnnie> Our company has had the privilege of working on a number of award-winning commercials over the years. One of our most notable achievements was creating the effects for the first-ever commercial to win a prime-time Emmy. Recently, we also had the opportunity to work on another Emmy-winning spot, which was a tremendous honour. Among all of the projects we've worked on, I am particularly proud of the over 200 :05 second commercials we produced for Pepsi. From start to finish, the result was a highly successful campaign that resonated with audiences.

It's a privilege to be part of an industry that has the power to entertain, inspire, and captivate, and I'm grateful for every opportunity to contribute to that legacy.

I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…

Johnnie> Using the term ‘cringe’ might be a bit overstated. However, what I've become most well-known for in recent times is being involved in a lawsuit. It all started when my daughter, who was in law school at the time, emailed me about a Pepsi commercial featuring a Harrier jet, and asked if I had worked on it. The incident has gained such notoriety that there is now a Netflix documentary dedicated to it.

The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…

Johnnie> We've recently wrapped up our work on two major campaigns - AmLactin and Eliquis - and most of our clients are return clients. There's something satisfying about reuniting with a creative team and continuing the momentum of our previous successes.

In addition to our commercial work, I'm also carving out some time to work on my own animation projects, which is always a passion of mine. But what gets me excited is looking ahead to the next project, and the endless possibilities it holds.