Bush's Beans
Brand Spot
I’m a big time fan of The Office…
…as you probably are too. So getting the chance to meet and direct Brian Baumgartner was one of those “pinch me” moments I’ll tell my grandkids about 25 years from now — probably while rewatching the show for the 300th time.
I’ll be honest: Directing a celebrity can be intimidating, especially when you haven’t done it much. But Brian made it easy by being genuine and down‑to‑earth, but also thoughtful and firm when it comes to his ideas, which I respect. He’s not there to just say the lines and leave; he cares about what he’s making and wants the final cut to be great.
Chili Magic Weeknight :30
With Brian on set, the biggest challenge was time.
We only had him for eight hours and had to knock out multiple scripts for both TV and social. By lunch, we were already two hours behind. But thanks to my AD, Sam Ibach, we regrouped, found a rhythm, and made it happen. By the end of the day, we had every script in the can and even a few extra laughs to spare.
Catching our chili spot... at a Chili’s.
The spot began airing during some pretty big sporting events — I first caught it during the basketball finals. Nothing like sitting in a Chili’s, enjoying your meal, and suddenly your own chili commercial comes on screen.
Huge shoutout to the team at Tombras for bringing me in on this one. From the start, we were all aligned: keep the blocking simple, let Brian do his thing, and let his timing carry the spot.
