On February 10, at 6pm PST, Stageit presents Confessions of a Commercial Filmmaker, Jordan Brady’s 30-minute intro to spotmaking. Part seminar, part Q&A, the show is Brady’s way of responding to the many requests for guidance he receives from young and aspiring spot directors. “It’s hard to get from doing specs and local spots to real commercial directing,” said Brady, who for his part has helmed hundreds of national TV spots. “Ever since I started my podcast, people have asked me to do something like this, so I’m gonna pay it sideways.” Brady’s approach is to infuse humor into the show, effectively making “Confessions” as much performance as advice or instruction. “Any platform that allows me to share a bill with (fellow Stageit showmen) Jon Bon Jovi, Rick Springfield, and half of Hall & Oates, has to involve joke-telling,” Brady explained. “I have a 50-year-old pelvis and great hair, too, but that’s never been the main draw.”
With its unique platform via Stageit, “Confessions” allows Brady to present his insights with a vibe that is lo-fi and intimate, delivering a one-night-only show that is neither recorded nor archived. Fans can chat with each other in real time and interact with Brady, as they learn about making TV commercials for a living.
Before Jordan Brady discovered his true passion in commercials, he was a standup comedian, touring nightclubs and colleges in 49 states across America. Brady directed the 2010 cult hit feature documentary I AM COMIC (Netflix, Showtime), launching a filmmaking journey through the current standup boom that has made him the definitive biographer of the medium's modern era. In Brady’s 2014 follow-up, I AM ROAD COMIC (Hulu), Pete Holmes, T.J. Miller, Marc Maron, Doug Benson, Maria Bamford, Judah Friedlander, Jim Norton, Alonzo Bodden and others discuss the nuts and bolts of working the road. The film also followed Brady on a hell gig with co-headliner Wayne Federman, and Brady continues to perform, including a January 24 show at The Ice House. He also hosts the popular Sideshow Network podcast RESPECT THE PROCESS, described by Special Teams film editor-turned-director Mark Nickelsburg as “The Rosetta Stone of filmmaking.”
“It’s hard to say which has been the source of more laughs, the road or the set,” said Brady, reflecting on his adventures in advertising. “Having a client ask, ‘Why can’t we use a real unicorn?’ was a stranger-than-fiction moment, the kind I draw on in the show.” While the initial broadcast is a “pay what you can” event, Brady is open to doing more shows, “on a ‘pay through the nose’ basis,” he mused. “What I’d really like to do is take this show on the road,” Brady concluded, “from the comfort of my own home.”
About Jordan Brady
Jordan Brady began as a stand-up comedian, touring nightclubs and colleges in 49 states across America. Mr. Brady’s true passion is commercials. He has directed over 719 national TV spots to date. Through his commercial production company, Superlounge, he directs ad campaigns for brands and agencies all over the world. As host of the popular podcast RESPECT THE PROCESS, Mr. Brady interviews a wide range of ad bizzers and filmmakers on a weekly basis.
