The Directors: Jenn Shaw

(Photo: Nicole Mondestin Photography)

Jenn Shaw is a New York-based filmmaker raised in the beautiful bluegrass of Lexington, KY. After graduating from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, she has established herself as a writer/director with a captivating vision for developing coming-of-age and sports-related stories. An alumna of Fox’s ‘Diversity Writers Program’, she is also an award-winning producer and led production at ESPN’s Creative Works before starting her directing career. Now she plies her trade at Tinygiant, a female-founded and run production company in the Big Apple, which focuses on bringing a boutique attention to detail with large-scale scalability and ambition.

Her film '$15 Kicks', was executive produced by Spike Lee and earned her a place in Shoot Magazine’s New Director DGA showcase, and she has been nominated for an American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Award at Cannes Film Festival. Recently, her spot for Children’s Aid won Gold and Silver Anthem Awards and was shortlisted at the 2022 AICP Show.

Name:  Jenn Shaw 
Location:  NYC area 
Repped by/in: Tinygiant (US commercials) 
Awards: Gold and Silver Anthem Awards - Children’s Aid, Black Reel Award - $15 Kicks

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

Jenn> I’m a director that always looks for the opportunity to weave character work into a great script. A script that presents emotional range leaving an opportunity for levity or quirkiness is always going to get me really excited. Overall, I enjoy being challenged and finding those extra elements in a performance that I can enhance as a director and make leap off the page.

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

Jenn> With every treatment, I take the time to listen and digest as much information as possible before I start typing away. I want to feel the brand, understand the goals of our client and really make sure I’m considering my strengths as a director with every treatment. I tend to personally connect on some level to every commercial that I direct. I invest and really dig into that special something that connects the spot with its audience. I stay open, flexible, and brainstorm freely until I land on the vision that serves the creative the best. 

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?

Jenn> Research is super important, and even when I know the brand, I never skip this step. I keep in mind that by the time a commercial campaign reaches me, there has been a team of smart individuals that have dedicated their time to build a thoughtful, creative piece. It’s my job as a director to elevate the work and to make sure I’m contextualizing their commercial within their marketing strategy and making directorial decisions that will help them stand out from their competition. It’s a collaboration, and in order to be on top of my game, I have to understand their brand from a business point-of-view as well.  

In order to prepare myself, I ask questions, do my own research, look at previous references of their company's work - and go back and ask more questions if required. It’s a combination of everything I need to do to feel like I am grasping the brand messaging and am comfortable creating something that will undeniably fit their commercial.  

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

Jenn> Having a director of photography who easily moves and grooves with me through prep and production is like magic. That positive energy resonates on set and gives me the freedom as a director to know that my vision is safe and that we are going to find even more ways to nail the aesthetic. I view my DP as a partner that also comes up with ideas but is also willing to execute your creative style along with the insight you’ve gained from discussions with your client. When my DP and I have a visual shorthand, it results in a concentration of strengths that allows me to also focus on performance while we both continue to push to make the framing and shot selection as beautifully composed as possible. 

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?

Jenn> I’m passionate about any genre that tells a great story… period. Commercials often tell amazing stories, and I don’t think our industry gets enough credit for that. I’m certainly drawn to stories that centre around young people, sports, cars, and family - with notes of comedy. I can command a flashy sneaker ad and then turn around and do a heartfelt spot with families. It’s all within my capabilities, and I’m proud to be such a versatile director that can bring my energetic style to a lot of different genres and subject matters. I have some specialities but no limits. 

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

Jenn> There’s a misconception that some commercial genres, such as sports and cars, aren’t for female directors or that we can’t excel in that space. It’s wrong because, as someone that used to work at ESPN, has a passion for sports, and has directed car spots, I’ve seen many women, including myself, trailblaze in these fields. It’s unfortunate that I’m still having to explain to clients that I truly love sports and cars in a context where I’ve done the work and clearly have the expertise. Let’s stop putting female directors into a box. 

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Jenn> We were filming a campaign for Hershey’s in Los Angeles, and our production was shut down in the morning due to police pursuing a fugitive on foot and by helicopter. We lost several hours of valuable production time. We were also filming kids with limited hours. Without a time machine, you can’t solve the issue completely. In this case, we weren’t going to go schedule another day in production, so we had to make decisions and stay focused. You just rally your crew and client and prioritise your shots to make sure to make your day.  Luckily, we were able to make up time and have a fantastic day. 

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

Jenn> I always bring my ideas back to a place of character and story. The idea isn’t the core of what I’m usually protecting, it’s usually hidden in the desire to protect the character or make sure our actions within the commercial are authentic to our overall story goals. I do my best to be a good listener, use patience, and always try to discover the note behind the note so that we can land on solid ground. At the end of the day, we all want a successful outcome: finding a balance where the client understands my perspective helps us all get to a place where we are making the best decision for the production, while leaving our egos at the door. 

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?

Jenn> Diversity in our industry continues to be a key disparity. All positions - rather being above-the-line and below. We need more programs and more mentor opportunities for underrepresented voices. I also think we need to understand that super-talented Black, Brown, and female directors need to be judged on their potential rather than the volume of work. A lot of times, we haven’t been historically allowed in rooms or in creative spaces, so maybe we’ve got outstanding work, but there is less of it, or we’ve only done a few productions. That still counts! We don’t need to lower our standards, but we need to make sure we aren’t moving the goalposts and making it harder for talented, diverse people to break into the industry.

I have a few mentees as we speak! It’s been tough during covid restrictions, but I absolutely love to have shadows on set. As a Black female director, I realise how important it is to lead by example and mentor others, especially in the commercial world. Mentoring new talent is how we allow fresh ideas to continue to innovate our medium. 

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? 

Jenn> The pandemic changed our workflow. In some ways for the better, and in some ways, you had to learn new communication skills. I don’t have to travel for meetings as much. I can just do a video call. That’s nice, and I hope things stay that way. Overall, the pandemic has helped everyone worry less about the east-versus-west battle between New York, LA, and ATL for production. As a director, people don’t seem to care as much about where I live, which can open the door to new opportunities. I did a lot of remote directing over Zoom during the pandemic and was able to flex my skills as a director in a different way. When you are not able to physically show someone their blocking or be in the room to give them your energy, you realise you have to be super expressive with your words and facial expressions. I’m certainly carrying those new skills into my current toolbox on set. 

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work?

Jenn> I’m one of those directors that is continually educating themselves on new technology and capabilities of my work. I take classes. I read articles and will test new technologies in my spare time. Yes, I want to be in the metaverse. In my narrative work, I’ve played around with interactive storytelling and animation and would be excited to have more clients that want to go in a future-forward direction in the commercial business. 

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

Children’s Aid - You Holdin’ Up?

This was just a fun ad! My skills were allowed to shine: directing kid talent, writing music, and doing something ultra unique (letting a kid do spoken-word throughout Harlem). I was able to pour a lot of my style and creative decisions into the piece which makes it stand out on my reel. 

Hyundai - Leading by Example

This cool car spot had a story with a lot of heart that I think resonated with viewers. It’s polished, beautiful and just goes the extra mile to add layers of character and importance in the relationship with uncle and son that’s not your average car ad. It shows how I can handle the story and product in a crafted integration. I’m proud of that. 

Hershey’s - Dog Days

This campaign captures the authenticity of family moments that don’t feel staged. That’s just a nod to my ability to direct a performance that’s rooted in natural character movement while allowing our Hershey’s to be the star of the show.