For Mr. Formal, a men’s wear company in Portland, OR, I was able to pitch the concept for a commercial and direct the video as desired. At the time, languishing between narrative projects and focused on my corporate video production company, JLB Media Productions, I was trying to build a portfolio of commercial work that best suited the style that suits me — cool and funny. When I think of concepts for commercials or respond positively to commercials I see, I always want something that could be described as either or both “cool” and “funny.” For Mr. Formal, that took the form of a play on James Bond and his famous tuxedo attire. Having access to an Aston Martin, also made more famous by Bond, I incorporated his classic martini and a villain’s lair, the massive English Tudor-style mansion in the video. Ultimately, a customer’s fantasy about being “James Blonde” is interrupted by a sales woman, in his fantasy the beautiful but dangerous villain, asking if he’s made his selection. I flew in one of the company’s top cinematographers for the project from Arizona and had a great crew with me, many of whom I had met on The Phoenix Project, my short film shot in Portland as well.

Synopsis