I suppose those early years in Eddie’s basement sealed my fate.  It was there, among the miles of orange Hot Wheels track and a retired plaid Lazy Boy recliner, that Eddie and I wrote the stupidest, most hilarious comedy bits that our 12-year-old brains could cook up.

We created everything from zany bank heists to skits like “6 Seconds: The Fastest News Report In The World” and spoof ads for products like Worm Crunchies. We’d record them on my mom’s Radio Shack cassette recorder and play them back til we nearly peed our pants.

I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. But my countless hours studying pre-med in college never stood a chance. Apparently those basement gags and all the laughs with Eddie had made an indelible mark.

Which explains why you’d find me in New York City at twenty three years of age driving a huge flatbed truck with the stiffest clutch known to man through the heart of Midtown in the thick of morning rush hour. I wasn’t making deliveries, I was chasing a dream job in advertising.

Back then agency jobs came with an office. But since I didn’t have one yet, I decided I’d set one up. Outside. On the back of that big flatbed. Which I just so happened to park right in front of the red-carpet-swathed headquarters of Ogilvy and Mather.

The only thing missing from my pop up office was a few walls. And a door. And electricity. And a working phone. But other than that I had everything—desk, chair, lamp, carpeting, computer, trash bin, dead plant, stale cup of coffee and, most importantly, a six foot tall letter to the CCO asking for a writing job. It read, “Dear Bill, Until you decide there’s room for me upstairs I’ll be right here.”

I got a lot of looks that morning. But I also got invited up. To an actual office. Then, after an agonizing nine and a half weeks and one stint parking cars at Lawrence Taylor’s restaurant, I was anointed with the greatest of titles: Junior Copywriter.

From there I was off. Wieden. ESPN. SportsCenter. Nike. Awards. Cliff Freeman. Fox Sports. More Awards. Mercedes Benz. And ultimately a big  ECD job working with some of the best young creative teams ever. 

That’s when it happened. Right out of the blue. Big client, big expectations and a project with little money. When I asked our EP who we could get to direct it she said, You. And it was with that vote of confidence that I pretty much went from filming stuffed squirrels arguing in Central Park one day to being an EMMY Award losing director the next.

I was hooked. So I left the nurturing confines of the creative department and struck off on my own for the wonderful world of production. Directing became my new passion. I saw it as a natural extension of my writing where I could bring words and ideas to life.

Comedy, cars, sports, celebs, kids, animals, travel, food, visual storytelling, stories with heart, SuperBowl spots, multi-million dollar spots, multi-thousand dollar spots…I’ve done a lot since that Emmy nod. And I’m grateful for everyone that has sent me work.

I really love what I do. And it’s that love that drives me to deliver the best and most of every job no matter the challenges.

To be continued…