The Directors: Grayson Whitehurst

Grayson Whitehurst is a writer/director living in Brooklyn, NY. Known for his darkly comedic takes and offbeat perspective, Grayson’s work is fearless and populated by unforgettable characters cast in surreal environments. An actor’s director with a track record of spot-on casting, he possesses an uncanny ability to find humor in spaces where you’d least expect it to exist. In a way, it’s all he knows…he feels that finding ways to laugh at (and through) one’s own suffering is the key to living a bearable - and perhaps even enjoyable - life.

Whitehurst and his team most recently earned a Silver Clio for BC Dairy and Alberta Milk’s ‘Make It With Dairy’ campaign - he’s also an alumni of the SHOOT Magazine New Directors Showcase, Berlin Commercial Festival, and 1.4 Awards. He’s been featured in publications like AdAge, Shots, and Directors Notes, among others. Previous clients of his include Skittles, Purple, Mountain Dew, and NBA 2K, and his narrative work has premiered on Omeleto and screened at several Oscar-qualifying film festivals around the globe.

Name: Grayson Whitehurst

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Repped by/in: Los York in USA, Dear Friend in Canada, Cream in France

LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?

Grayson> I find that strong scripts always have some sort of narrative arc; that’s to say, a beginning, middle, and end. Simple in theory, but comedy scripts sometimes present themselves as a smattering of beats or bits that, while funny or shocking, lack any real connective tissue from one beat to the next. In the same breath, I love this challenge - my job as a director is that of a surgeon: I must lead with a steady needle and suture together tissue that isn’t connecting.

I enjoy scripts wherein characters transform or find the space to turn the mirror on themselves as a result of engaging with the product. Any script that respects the intelligence of the audience and doesn’t treat characters like props grabs my attention….these kinds of scripts create the potential to raise eyes, raise questions, and subvert expectations.

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

Grayson> There unfortunately isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this…some agencies seek a slight elevation of the creative from a 5 layer dip to a 7 layer dip, while others seek a complete rewrite and creative overhaul of what’s on the page. The process is dictated by the precedent.

Generally speaking, I’ll synthesize my notes from any initial calls and do a brain dump of any/all thoughts I have regarding the creative (overall tone, camera movement, PD looks, etc). From there, I pull references (images, clips, etc) that convey the visual identity of the scripts - these references typically spark inspiration when it comes to the writing that follows. I try to make each treatment feel like a cinematic experience in and of itself with whatever devices gel well with the creative - annotated scripts, storyboards, cell phone previs edits, etc.

The most important aspect of my approach is remaining honest about what’s working with a script and what’s not. I’m just as passionate about writing as I am directing, so I love rewriting scripts quite heavily if the agency is comfortable with it. It can be constructive to be disruptive before things are set in stone - it’s fun to invite unexpected ideas that elevate a script’s conceit.

LBB> If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?

Grayson> It’s beyond important, but not so important that it should dilute the heart of the creative. I like to think that the months spent on the initial brief factor in a lot of brand nuances, so I try not to research the brand immediately. I always want to produce work that is fueled by emotion and creative ingenuity as opposed to expectations surrounding brand identity.

Once I’m done writing, I’ll do a deeper dive into the brand, their mission, their voice, etc and reel in any elements that aren’t mindful of the brand’s target audience. That knowledge shapes tone.

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

Grayson> The relationship with the agency creatives is vital in terms of exploring and expanding the potential of the worlds we’re building. I never want the relationship I have with any agency to feel contentious; rather, it should feel healthily collaborative. I want us to defy expectations hand in hand from our first calls to when we’re on set - any potential to go above and beyond the initial script starts with a living, breathing dialogue with the creatives behind it.

In terms of actual production, my relationships with both the DP and PD is critical. Most spots have a very brief window of time to communicate ideas, so it’s not enough to merely grab your viewer’s attention - you have to seize it in each frame. From a strictly visual standpoint, this naturally falls on the shoulders of those in command of the aesthetics…

…and none of this happens without a solid line producer. It takes a village.

LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about - is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?

Grayson> Material that pokes fun at the human experience and doesn’t rely too strongly on the tropes of any particular genre excites me. I love absurdity in all of its forms. Often, the best work in this realm bends genres and dismisses conventional approaches for something truly fresh and new - this is the ethos of my creative method on every project I pursue.

I also love character-driven spots that lean into dialogue as opposed to shying away from it. I’m different from a lot of my contemporaries in that I’m an actor’s director. That often feels lost in a space dominated by aesthetics and transitions…I never want audiences to lose the ability to empathize with the character they’re watching, even if that connection is subconscious or in ways that they can’t explain. The characters should have complex thoughts and feelings (just like the people that are watching them).

Broadly, I like comedy. But less ‘knock knock, who’s there, punchline’ comedy and more ‘knock knock, no one’s there, and no one ever was’ comedy. Life is strange.

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?

Grayson> I don’t necessarily think any misconceptions about me as an artist can be identified as “wrong.”

Creative work is largely subjective…I have ideas about my image and what I want people to think of me as a director, but I’ll keep those to myself in the interest of letting audiences form their own opinions about the work. Their conclusions are their own.

Regarding directing as a profession - I think there’s a misconception that the only benchmark of success is winning a job. Upholding a constitution like that is unrealistic and can be a serious detriment to your mental health; the nature of this beast is beyond competitive and you’re going to lose jobs. I think that if you’re pitching often, your work is being referenced in decks, and there’s a sustained air of interest surrounding you…you’re doing something right.

LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?

Grayson> Diplomacy is an artform in and of itself. How often do you find yourself actively listening - as in, listening with empathy, requesting clarification when necessary, using open body language - versus listening to respond? Our world moves so fast and it can feel like you’re on the defensive at any given moment, but it’s important to leave that at the door in discussions with agency and client. I try to be as clear and concise as possible with the ideas I bring to the table and I only respond with my perspective once I have a firm grasp on theirs. It’s the director’s responsibility to make sure that we’re all dreaming big while executing a plan that is both practical and achievable. Everyone needs to be heard in order to get there.

That being said, you must actively listen to your intuition as well. There’s a time and place for both criticism and compromise - criticism when it’s important to the comprehension of the spot’s central message, and compromise when it’s only important to the director’s cut.

LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?

Grayson> It’s absolutely necessary. Yes and yes.

LBB> How do you feel the pandemic is going to influence the way you work into the longer term? Have you picked up new habits that you feel will stick around for a long time?

Grayson> It initially had a widespread, devastating impact on this industry (the ripples of which still rock the boat to this day), but the rise of Zoom culture and even remote shooting has seemingly streamlined a lot of processes and made international work far more tangible. This new phase has actually leveled the playing field for me as I’ve met so many people that I work with now (in vastly different places around the world) through Zoom (or Google Meet). This obviously was always possible, but I think all directors now have a more equalized opportunity to build rapport with video calling being the new normal of how we communicate in our industry.

I’ve also found that it’s made set culture far more sensitive and empathetic which is probably a notion that was long overdue. I’m glad the physical and mental well-being of those on set is (generally) more heavily considered with each new production that I’m on.

LBB> Your work is now presented in so many different formats - to what extent do you keep each in mind while you're working (and, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)?

Grayson> You have to keep each in mind while you’re working, but it feels like the list of deliverables grows with each new project I’m a part of. With that said, it makes the conceit at the center of each spot that much more important as the most resonant ideas shine through regardless of format. If you don’t get all of the information in a frame due to a certain device’s crop, but the beats we’re hitting are all particularly emotionally striking, the spot should still impact your viewer the same way. The same goes for cutdowns - if each moment of a spot cuts deep and the story isn’t overly complicated, then the cutdowns should function just as well as the hero.

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work (e.g. virtual production, interactive storytelling, AI/data-driven visuals etc)?

Grayson> I love it in the context of pre-production and development - we’re now able to invoke remarkably clear previsualizations of set spaces, character design elements, etc. I also think virtual production is great for simulating environments that are more surreal or making inaccessible environments accessible (though my preference is always to be on location if possible). That being said, I view all forms of emerging technology as tools at the artist’s disposal and nothing more than that…any time the technology eclipses, dwarves, or erases the necessity of a particular artist’s ability is where I become radically concerned.

If you’re a company that can generate moving images with a text prompt…and the systems that we currently use to accomplish this become more and more sophisticated, to the point where these images and reality become virtually indistinguishable…and it’s quicker, more cost effective, and holistically simpler to do so…well, why wouldn’t you?

Thankfully, I think we’re still quite far from that dystopia. And truthfully, even if technology does get to that point, I think the best directors will continue to craft alchemical experiences that offer far more nuance than a text prompt ever could. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.

LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?

Grayson> The most recent campaign for BC Dairy (‘Make It With Dairy’) features phenomenal casting choices throughout all four spots. I definitely have a nose for matching the right talent with characters - I really get to know the characters as people before we’re able to meet them in real life. I also think the tone of the Skittles (‘Napoleon’), Purple (‘Life-Changing Sleep’), and Dollar Shave Club (‘Before It’s Too Late’) spots are truly otherworldly; each conceit is so silly yet the messaging and performances in each spot suggest something cosmically profound in a way that you typically don’t see in advertisements. I think conjuring that sort of magic and transcending convention is my greatest strength as a director and creative.