Former DDB Chicago
Senior Vice President
brings top-notch
comedy and celebrity
experience to
LA- and Chicago-based
production house
Greg Popp has joined Backyard Production’s roster, bringing his seasoned comedy and performance skills to a smart, enthusiastic team.
Popp and Backyard CMO Roy Skillicorn have had a strong personal and professional relationship for more than twenty-five years. They first worked together when Popp began working at DDB, eventually becoming a Senior Vice President before embarking on a successful directing career.
Popp’s groundbreaking and intensely funny work for Head & Shoulders, Burger King, and Anheuser-Busch secured attention from the community. His most recent work for Atlantic Union Bank follows suit, once again tapping into undeniably viral humor.
BURGER KING ‘GASOLINE’ DIRECTED BY GREG POPP
Skillicorn rejoined Backyard last year under its new ownership with a mandate to expand the roster, and he had Popp in mind from the start.
“Greg’s work bridges many established boundaries of comedy, from subtle to broad, from simple visual gags to complex clever dialogue, and often involves celebrities or top sports personalities,” says Skillicorn. “Greg gets performances that are so well crafted that they simply demand a response from the viewer; whether it’s a hearty laugh, a smile or just a thought provoking grin.”
“I find this magic in all of his work,” he adds.
Backyard EPs Kris Mathur and Emily Malito are equally excited to start working with Greg, whose comedy chops, optimism and natural instincts combine to serve as a perfect corner stone to the roster.
“To describe Greg as just a comedy director is limiting,” says Mathur. “Greg is a true comedic storyteller, incredibly intuitive and hardworking. He enjoys directing big productions like we do, but he is also more than willing to consider and offer up solutions for projects that are creatively interesting, yet financially challenging. Greg’s agency background helps him create a highly collaborative environment on set, which is evidenced by a high volume of repeat business,”
Backyard has a long history of establishing and elevating numerous comedy directors, which is in part what drew Popp to this team.
“Backyard has been a go-to production entity for humor work since Roy founded it,” explains the director Popp. “I have always admired their culture, familial atmosphere, business acumen, aggressive sales and marketing, and insistence on high-quality production. Everything about Backyard’s promotional strategies, sales teams, and EP/production support is what has drawn me to them again today.”
Backyard CEO Kevin Allodi adds, “Greg is the consummate pro. His attitude, attention to detail and genuine enthusiasm toward his work is contagious. I love that he is so buttoned up; when a director is that together going into a shoot, it allows space and time for intuitive artistry to emerge on the spur of the moment…precisely what it takes to elevate the work to award winning levels. We’re delighted to have Greg at Backyard and look forward to seeing him flourish here.”
At press time Greg has just confirmed his fifth celebrity driven Head & Shoulders project with Saatchi & Saatchi NY.
ABOUT BACKYARD PRODUCTIONS
Headquartered in Culver City, CA, Backyard produces commercials and content for some of the best ad agencies and top brands in the world. Our team of talented directors and seasoned producers deliver a collaborative creative process for clients who’ve come to expect sophisticated production teams and high quality results.
