It's not everyday that you get an extra chilly December helicopter ride over Manhattan and get to consider it work. . . but in this case, I was so lucky and in addition sat atop the highest point in the Empire State Building at sunrise the day before. Renan Ozturk and I were chasing Sasha DiGiulian (http://www.sasha-digiulian.com) during a couple of days in the life as a Columbia University senior and busy Manhattanite. The adventure continued at the King of Pain spire in Indian Creek, Utah for more chilly weather and sand stone towers that compare to even the tallest New York skyscrapers; all for Camp4 Collective, GoPro & Ford Motors. Major props to the GoPro ninjas, Shon Bollock & Ben Williams, for taking the adventure with us and countless hours of rigging cameras, charging batteries and swapping memory cards.
From 100 degree temps in Arizona to -30 degrees in Alaska, this project for Yeti's new Rambler Bottle (http://yeti.com/rambler-bottle-36-oz/) had us flying all over the USA from desert landscapes near Scottsdale, Arizona to the great Ruth Gorge in Denali, Alaska. Following Wild Cow Catchers and a Search and Rescue team, the temperatures and characters along the way could not have varied more. Adrenaline was flowing throughout this journey with Renan Ozturk at the helm, dodging rattlesnakes and getting caught in a week long spring storm in Denali. In the end we learned that the product could live up to all conditions and what a great time with Camp4 Collective, McGarrah Jesse and the always fantastic clients from Yeti.
I'm not the kind of Producer who gets star struck easily. I was at East High School in Denver when the Denver Broncos won back to back Super Bowls with John Elway. And I was able to relive that high when the Broncos again won Super Bowl 50 with Peyton Manning at Quarterback. So even though I normally keep my cool and maintain a level of professionalism with athletes and stars, I have to admit I was more nervous with Peyton than anything. As his car pulled up to the entrance of a new UCHealth facility, I hurriedly walked through the sliding glass doors to be the first to greet him. I extended my hand and said, "Hi, Danny Taff, Producer." Peyton looked me dead in the eye and replied, "Hi, Peyton Manning." Of course he is. This was a fun one with Daniel Junge directing for his LA based production house Collector Media Works and with the famously effective advertising giant Grey.
Tyler Stableford's been creating beautiful pictures for a while and the style he learned early with still photography shines through when translated to motion. The budgets for these spots weren't huge, but the stories and images are. Horses, kids, fathers, rodeo heroes. It's all here and set at the yearly 4th of July events held in Ellensburg, Washington. Kudos to Ryan Johnson, Creative Director and Tyler Stableford for creating and bringing to fruition these lovely spots for Cinch Jeans.
Wow, Cabela's, wow. What a run we had. . . The World's Foremost Outfitter. Based in Sydney, Nebraska, I had the extreme pleasure of working on every National and Retail spot for Cabela's from 2012 through the end of 2016. You never know who might be on the other end of the line when the phone rings and you don't recognize the number from previous gigs. One of the exciting parts of being a freelance Producer. In this specific case, it was Tyler Stableford, a Carbondale based Owner/Director of Tyler Stableford Photography & Films (http://www.tylerstableford.com). Tyler had heard of me through various channels and I was humbled to hear that my name kept popping up when he'd inquire about Denver based Producers. Long story short, we travelled the US and produced close to 20 spots over the years on behalf of Cabela's. These shoots were known for long 17 hour days, remote locations, heat, cold, bugs, swamps, you name it. Often I'd find myself on the phone looking for live fish, horses, turkeys, deer; wrangling local contacts in many far out locations, begging for someone who could make breakfast burritos and coffee for our 3:30 AM call times in places like Uncertain, Texas. What exciting times and I'm very proud of what created over the years.
Tractor porn. We travelled to El Centro in California's Imperial Valley, where most of the veggies come from for US consumption. Working hand in hand with local farmers, this project pushed the boundaries of what an agricultural equipment commercial could be. Anson Fogel of Camp4 Collective crafted some very cool spots with a great crew from Los Angeles. Tim Kemple, also of Camp4 ran the stills potion of the shoot. It wasn't an easy gig and I hate to admit going a tad over budget (with fair warning of course), but over the course of a week we made some fantastic images and made the New Holland client extremely happy. I also have to admit, Keith Rose from Mullen Lowe is one funny fucking guy.
