My last film for Ernie Ball was apt to be with an important artist to me personally, Tom Delonge. To hear him talk about how the art we made a few years ago together with “The Pursuit of Tone”, helped him on his journey to create To The Stars is pretty meaningful. Artists helping artists. Great feeling. Enjoy.
SEVEN STRINGS OF FURY: JASON RICHARD'S SIGNATURE GUITAR LAUNCH
For the last four years, the team and I worked closely with Jason Richardson to develop a signature guitar and a campaign that would add some youthful horsepower to the Music Man brand. To launch the guitar globally, we produced 6 short films and a demo run through featuring Jason and his guitar in the underground garage used by Chris Nolan in Dark Knight. Creative assets were produced in Japanese, German, French, Italian, Chinese, and Portuguese. Had a blast on this project with Jason.
MAN IN THE BOX: JERRY CANTRELL STRING THEORY
I’ve worked with Jerry Cantrell over the years, most recently having him and Alice In Chains on Guitar Center Sessions. It was great to feature him on String Theory and get an inside look at a man who doesn’t do much press. Filmed at Center Staging in Burbank, Jerry riffs thru some hits and opens up about his first guitar, moving to Seattle and forging a path of a musical trailblazer.
Over 140k organic views in 30 days. The series continues to be an owned content workhorse for the Ernie Ball brand with over 50 episodes filmed and millions of views.
LAUNCHING A GUITAR WITH HUNTER HAYES
One of the best guitar players in country music, Hunter Hayes has been an artist I’ve had the joy of working with for more than 10 years. Excited and honored to finally launch a guitar with him. Here’s a look at the launch film.
NEW FILM: JOHNNY MARR
Some of the best stories ever told come from true legends who have lived the equivalent of several lifetimes. British guitar icon, Johnny Marr of the Smiths is no exception. We traveled across the pond to visit with Johnny in his private studio and dig into the inspirations, influences, and motivations that have driven him to craft an immense catalog.
Frank Turner | Unearthed
I first worked with Frank Turner in 2013 when I booked him on Guitar Center Sessions live from SXSW. Years later, when I joined Ernie Ball, I learned of his incredible affinity for the company, most notably our white v-neck Ernie Ball t-shirts which were a staple of his wardrobe. It’s incredibly rewarding to work with artists over the course of several years and see their growth firsthand.
In this latest film, we feature Frank from his home in Meonstroke Hampshire, UK, his early work fronting post-hardcore band Million Dead, to his impressive solo work which can best be described as folk-punk and the influences that inspire the songs of one of today’s most interesting troubadours.
UKULELE IN New York CITY
A short film with YouTube superstar Mackenzie Johnson to launch Ernie Ball’s Ukulele strings. Filmed in NYC over two days the piece touches on how today’s most influential artists have found new ways to connect with their audiences through direct content platforms and the creative process they undertake to share their music with the world.
New Short Film: Larkin Poe
"At some point, it literally comes down to sitting in a room with a guitar... if you want to get on stage, then do. If you want to practice, sometimes it's going to be hard. Music is about a feeling, and it's about having fun." In this episode, sisters Rebecca and Morgan Lovell of Larkin Poe discuss their earliest introduction to bluegrass and musical inspirations.
THE STRING THEORY OF SEETHER
The latest episode of String Theory features South African alt-rock hero Shaun Morgan of Seether. Filmed in his studio in Nashville, Shaun opens up about the anger and pain that drives his songwriting. Great episode. Get it.
THE ULTIMATE GUITAR REVEAL
When it came time to launch John Petrucci’s new Ernie Ball Music Man guitar we wanted to do something completely different than had been done before in the guitar space. I called a friend who headed up content for a futurist car company and asked why don’t we film a guitar like how you shoot high-end cars. We headed north and locked ourselves in a studio with light bars and a RED camera to make some serious guitar porn. Here’s the first in a long series of videos celebrating the Art of Guitar Design….’
SNEAK PEEK - THE ERNIE BALL VPJR TUNER.
In advance of the launch of Ernie Ball’s new innovative line of volume pedals with integrated tuners, we produced a short teaser spot to showcase the products incredible high resolution LCD screen and graphic interface.
NEW FILM: STRING THEORY WITH THE WAR ON DRUGS
Grammy-Award winners The War On Drugs are featured on the latest episode of Ernie Ball String Theory. Check it.
String Theory - A Year in Review
2018 was a great year for one of my favorite projects - Ernie Ball String Theory. The idea behind String Theory was to create a new original series highlighting the inspiration deep within incredible players and the organic story of how they used Ernie’s strings to craft their sound. Music, where does it come from? Where is the passion born? What drives these artists is the same motivation we all share when we decide to pick up a guitar. Over the past few years, more than 50 episodes have been captured with artists ranging Metallica to Green Day, Kiss to Rise Against, Courtney Barnett to Tool and Mac Demarco to Clint Black. Music is the great equalizer, and I’m very proud to continue to create films that celebrate this vital element of our culture and inspire others thru artists they admire.
Enjoy the film.
New Series Debut. Unearthed featuring Rodney Crowell.
I’m proud of this new series we had the honor of debuting today through Rolling Stone. Unearthed is about pulling out the stories of inspiration, influence, emotion, pain, loss, and love that has lead incredible and moving songs from today’s most important songwriters.
Our first episode features Grammy Award-winning Nashville songwriter, Rodney Crowell. Filmed in his home in Tennessee, our aim visually was to capture Rodney in his home, surrounded walls of memories and accomplishment. The visuals are warm, milky and the shots in between the interview and performances tell as much as a story as he does.
Enjoy.
Ernie Ball Holiday 2018: Stuff a Slinky In Their Stocking
For Ernie Ball’s 2018 Holiday campaign we collaborated with acclaimed artist Kirsten Ulve, and musician/composer Blues Saraceno for a classic Ernie Ball 1970s themed creative that highlighted the world’s best-selling guitar strings as the perfect gift for musicians. Spot below.
NEW FILM: DARON MALAKIAN OF SYSTEM OF A DOWN
RollingStone has the premiere of our latest episode of Ernie Ball String Theory with Daron Malakian of System of a Down and Scars on Broadway. A rare look inside the mind and riffs of one of rock’s most influential and elusive guitarists.
Halloween Re-Imagined with Jason Richardson
We re-imagined the iconic Halloween saga with Ernie Ball artist and virtuoso Jason Richardson as the iconic slasher - Michael Myers. This was a fun project for Jason and me. Born out of a frozen yogurt excursion to dream up ideas of cool shit we can do together.
Beware of the SHREDDER.
Inspired By: Stephen Egerton
As musicians, we’re nearly all inspired by a moment, a song or artist. We exist in a hero worship driven industry. So highlighting influential artists and amplifying their stories is paramount to inspiring others to join this incredible journey which is playing music. For me personally, The Descendents were one of those bands that made me want to play music. To make films with artists that inspired me, to help encourage others, is a powerful and unique thing. I’m honored to help tell Stephen’s story as part of one of the world’s most iconic punk bands.
Enjoy.
SLASH IN "UNSPOKEN EXPRESSION"
There isn’t another artist alive that I’ve worked with more than Slash. Films, documentaries, live concerts and more. It’s been a nearly two-decade relationship that has allowed me to unearth some incredible stories and moments with one of music’s most iconic and influential figures.
In Ernie Ball’s “Unspoken Expression” the concept was to capture SLASH in his creative space, surrounded by the things that inspire him and have him share with us and the audience a common thread that resonates with us all - passion. From his horror collection to obsession with dinosaurs, to his dad’s love of British rock ‘n roll that sparked his passion for music, the guitar has become an extension of SLASH that serves as his tool to express himself.
ERNIE BALL STRING THEORY: DAVE NAVARRO
Some of the most rewarding film work comes when we can unearth an incredible story of an artist who, due to their level of fame becomes more significant than the guitar. Dave Navarro is one of those artists. Whether it’s the reality tv shows, porn conventions or tattoo shows, it’s easy to forget that Dave is still one hell of a player who is behind some of the rock’s most iconic songs thru his work with Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
In this piece, we dig into the guitarists, not the personality of Dave Navarro.
Enjoy.