Commercial directing becomes more lucrative when agencies believe in you: Spike Lee

Spike Lee, CEO, DDB Spike Lee, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker whose body of work has left an indelible mark on the film and television industry, shared his creative journey at Cannes Lions 2023 in a discussion with Barry Brown, Editor/Writer/Director, BA Brown Inc.

Brown said, "Lee directed his first feature film called 'She's Gotta Have It' which came out in 1986. In that film, Lee wrote a character named 'Mars Blackmon' and played it. After the success of that movie, Nike came to Lee and said they wanted to do a series of commercials for Michael Jordan." 

Lee said that Bill Davenport and Jim Riswold who worked for Wieden+Kennedy, Nike's long-time agency, came to me and said they liked the film and wanted me to do a commercial for Michael Jordan in which they wanted me to play the role of Mars Blackmon. This series of commercials did really great and everybody profited from it and that started my relationship with Nike."

These are the commercials that were done by Lee in 1988. 

Nike brought back Mars Blackmon for its 50th anniversary in 2022. 

Our new film starring & directed by Spike Lee will leave you guessing. #nike50

Watch Now!

— Nike (@Nike) May 15, 2022

"A little bit afterwards we made 'Do the Right Thing' commercial. After that, Levi's 501 Jeans approached Lee saying they wanted to put a team together for a series of spot around the world," Brown said. 

Lee said, "We did commercials that we wanted to see and it was very rare that we were given that type of freedom but we did it. So, I always read about the run of the bulls, so we went to Pamplona and decided to run with the bulls while wearing Levi's jeans...There was no script for this commercial and that's a rarity where an agency or a company is going to give you the money and the freedom to just go and shoot."

Lee discussed his extensive experience directing numerous commercial shots throughout his career. He shared insights not only as a feature film director but also as a commercial director.

"Directing commercials is very lucrative especially when you join forces with companies and agencies that believe in who you are. I wasn't calling up people, rather they were calling me because they were seeing my work in documentaries, feature films and the commercials that I directed. So, it is a beautiful thing where we are all there together to do the best work possible, to make it creative and to have fun," Lee said. 

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