1) There is no box for you to think inside or outside anymore. Eliminate labels. The right solution for a project can come from anywhere, not just the traditional commercial directing field, but from creators, poets, illustrators, and photographers. At Merman, we are building creative teams that work together for a holistic execution — writers or showrunners alongside directors (commercial, TV and film) to execute branded and advertising-driven projects.
2) I think media will continue to be consumed in a fractured way, demanding that clients work with an increasingly targeted approach to gain audience attention. Brands need to be part of the creative content, not just sponsors of it. Entertainment that is written for brand communication, where brands are characters and not just advertisers will be more and more the future. Partnerships and collaborations, instead of the traditional service or vendor relationships will be key.
5) We are a company created and run by women. And we launched with four out of five directors being female on our commercial roster. So for Merman, we are ensuring gender parity by adding more men to our roster in 2018. We all have to contend with unconscious bias to some degree. Instinctively, we all gravitate towards creative and characters that reflect our own personal experiences. So it is important to empower creative voices on your team that come from varied backgrounds and experiences different to your own. We constantly ask: Does our company and project slate represent a rich diversity of voices and ideas?
6) Listen, I have an inappropriate sense of humor a lot (read: most) of the time, and I would hate for my work environment to be sanitized to a point where creative expression can’t flow. Merman is known for comedy, a genre that relies on candor and openness to expose the humorous and pointed truth about uncomfortable situations. The difference between good, dirty fun and harassment is intention and respect. Your words and actions should empower your team, not diminish them. The first step is building a team that shares your values of mutual trust and respect. The second step is setting this example for your team with your own actions. The first question I ask any employee candidate is what are their long-term goals, and how can we help them get there. You help build us, we’ll help build you. It’s a mutual investment of time and collaboration. We owe it to each other to make that time well spent.