Autotrader: Deal Doers — Commercial

Autotrader’s Deal Doers Campaign marks my third collaboration with COX Enterprises and Autotrader. Like previous projects, I was able to team up with my friend, Atlanta-based director and cinematographer Chris Fenner. The Deal Doers creative concept focused on the relationship between an Autotrader Representative and a family-owned Chevy Dealership in Tampa, Florida. 

As we began discussing the desired visual style for this campaign, Chris mentioned Brandon Hoeg. Brandon and Chris had just wrapped the final season of Atlanta and had been looking for an opportunity to team up again. 

Like all out-of-town jobs, the added travel increased the pre-production complexity tenfold. My Production Coordinator Katie Kranz and I had to consider flights for key crew members, lodging accommodations, and ground transportation. In addition to capturing interviews and b-roll, the client asked us to capture photo stills. As luck would have it, Chris’s wife Julia is a fantastic commercial and portrait photographer.

Our shoot day started around 5, and by 9 am, we were all sweating under the Florida sun. The day was full and busy, but by wrap, we had captured dozens of delightful moments between the Autotrader Rep and our Dealership Owner; the day had been a success for both our crew and our client. We said goodbye to our local crew, the dealership family, and the client before heading out for an Instagram-worthy dinner spot. To our surprise and delight, we spent hours at a neighborhood sushi spot enjoying a meal that we still all text about at least once a month.