Editor’s Note: In 2020, the world changed right before our very eyes. Ad agencies, production companies and post houses were forced to adapt and begin a “new normal” working, living, exercising and entertaining out of home. Now that we have just entered 2021, we asked around our industry friends to reflect back on the year and how it changed them.
Jeremy Pinckert is an Emmy Award winning director of commercials and branded content. Time and time again, Jeremy has proven that he has the eye-catching vision for monumental shots and performances.
Jeremy is also the founding member of Explore a commercial production company creating award-winning commercials & digital content for advertisers. Located in a dynamic new media space at 311 W Superior St. Suite 218, where traditional broadcast also includes digital content, cutdowns for pre-rolls, stills, gifs, and cinemagraphs, with over 70 industry awards along the way.
We sat down with Jeremy and asked how 2020 affected him, both personally and professionally.
1. How did you adapt to working remotely? Do you prefer it, or can’t wait to get back into the office?
Working remotely was suprisingly easy to adapt to when it came to pre-production and post-production. However, being around the energy and creativity of fellow production professionals can’t be replicated remotely. Those moments of collaborative spontaneity are what I miss most.
2. What was the most challenging project you worked on this year?
The most challenging project we worked on was definitely our DeLorean Delivery production. The shoot was in late May. Chicago, as were most production hotbeds, still was not giving shooting permits and we were up in the air on the location until 2 days before the shoot. Our location managers were calling bureacratic local government employees at home trying to get the official OK to move forward. Everything came together in the 11th hour and we successfully pulled of what turned out to be one of the first original Covid-era productions to be released.
ALSO READ: 2020 in Review: Top Chicago advertising campaigns
3. What project are you most proud of?
Personally I’m most proud of a :30 campaign we produced for Teacher’s Credit Union. This spot would eventually need to be cut into :15 versions and a :06, so when shooting we had to shoot different versions of each good take because the in-camera transitions needed to match the transition of the scene coming before or after, which were different than in the :30. The challenge of shooting during a Covid summer with talent who were separately cast, and also figuring out the tricky in-camera transitions points, made this finished project that much more rewarding.
4. All things considered, was 2020 a good year or a bad year for your business?
All things considered, I consider surviving 2020 in business while still working on some elevated creative, as well as some meaningful projects with a message, a successful year. But I’ll take a pass on repeating please. 🙂
5. Do you think 2020 changed us permanently?
I think 2020 absolutely changed our work culture, our willingness to give up some control on in-person requirements, and definitely changed on-set safety forever.
6. What goals have you set for 2021?
We’ve set a goal to work more with our Chicago agency partners in 2021. We’ve got some really established people, products, food/bev, and comedy/dialogue directors, and with a push towards real people storytelling we’ve produced more projects helping real people deliver amazing performances than we can count. We’ve also got a network of the best producers, crew, post editors, colorists and finishers you could ask for. Don’t be surprised when we reach out directly in 2021, just a warning! We’re good people who like to work with other good people, like we find in Chicago.
Barbara L. Roche is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Reel Chicago and Reel 360. She can be reached at Barb@reelchicago.com