Why Your Brand Needs a Director Who’s More Than Just a ‘Hired Gun’

Let’s just call it like it is. Most ads out there? Beautifully lit, painfully empty. Like a Rs500,000 handbag that can’t even fit your phone. Slick visuals, slow-motion product shots, dramatic VO… and zero emotional punch.

You’ve seen them. That shampoo ad that looks like a perfume commercial. That car ad where the car doesn’t even drive. The snack ad where no one actually eats the snack (because chewing is not aesthetic apparently).

And you know why this happens?

Because someone handed the keys to a “hired gun.”

What’s a Hired Gun Anyway?

It’s someone who shows up, reads the brief, shoots the boards exactly as scripted, delivers the file, and ghosts harder than your last Hinge date. No questions asked. No real connection to your brand. Just point, shoot, and invoice.

Sounds efficient, right? Sure. It’s also exactly how you end up with work that no one remembers five minutes after it airs.

Hiring a hired gun is like asking a Tinder date to help name your baby. Technically possible. Probably not a great idea.

Let’s Be Real: Ads Need Soul

We’re not making wallpaper. We’re not here to fill time between episodes of “Succession” reruns. We’re here to make people feel something. Laugh. Cry. Pause. Think. Text a friend. Share it on Slack with a “THIS!”

Ads, good ones anyway, are mini-films. And films—yes, even 15-second ones—deserve a director who gives a damn.

So when I step into a project, I’m not just asking “what’s the product?” I’m asking:

• What’s the tension?

• Who’s the hero?

• Why does this matter?

• Would anyone actually care about this if it showed up in their feed?

I’m Not Here to Play It Safe

Safe is overrated. Safe gets scrolled past.

A few years ago, I worked on a campaign for a startup snack brand. The brief said “show people enjoying the snack.” Wow. Groundbreaking. Revolutionary.

Instead, I pitched: “Let’s create fake therapy sessions where people confess their unhealthy obsession with the snack like it’s ruining their lives—but make it funny.”

Was it risky? Yes. Did legal panic? Absolutely. Did the campaign blow up? You bet it did.

Because we didn’t follow the brief—we followed the truth. People don’t want another sanitized montage of smiling actors. They want realness. Relatability. A wink that says, “We see you.”

Brands Deserve a Partner, Not a Technician

Think of your brand as a band. Now imagine showing up to record an album with a session drummer who’s never heard your songs, doesn’t care what genre you play, and hits the snare the same way no matter what.

That’s the hired gun.

Now imagine a collaborator. Someone who listens to your sound, understands your audience, and helps shape the rhythm of your message.

That’s me. I’m not just hitting record—I’m shaping your voice.

The Strategy-Creative Combo

Here’s where it gets spicy. Some directors love to say, “I’m not a strategist.” Translation: “I don’t want to think about why this ad matters.”

Not me. I care about the strategy because otherwise, I’m just making content for content’s sake. And let’s face it, the internet has enough of that already.

I’ve worked with brands who came to me with ten-slide strategy decks that said absolutely nothing. I’ve helped reshape entire campaigns from “meh” to meaningful by asking a few blunt questions.

Sometimes the most important role of a director is to say, “Hey… this doesn’t make sense.” Not in a rude way. In a “let’s actually make this good” kind of way.

Directing ≠ Button-Pushing

Directing is not just knowing where the camera goes. It’s knowing why it’s there.

You ever see an ad with drone footage for no reason? Like the camera just floats over a sandwich like it’s the Grand Canyon?

Yeah. That’s what happens when the director’s just checking boxes.

A good director will tell you, “We don’t need a drone shot here. We need a close-up of someone’s face when they bite into that sandwich and realize it’s the best thing they’ve tasted since they dumped their keto diet.”

Pop Culture Proof

Want examples? Let’s talk culture.

Remember that Apple “Misunderstood” holiday ad? The one with the teen on his phone the whole time who turns out to be making a video for his family? That’s storytelling.

Now compare that to a tech ad that just lists features like a robot with a megaphone. Snooze.

Or the Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign. That wasn’t just directing. That was world-building. A vision. A tone. A movement. (Also a complete flex.)

That’s the kind of thing that doesn’t happen when you hire a “just-do-what-you’re-told” director.

The Human Factor

Here’s something wild: crews work better when the director isn’t a jerk. I know. Shocking.

I don’t scream on set. I don’t pretend my job is harder than anyone else’s. I treat crew like collaborators. Because they are. You want magic on camera? Start by building it behind the scenes.

True Story (and Yes, This Happened)

Once, a brand wanted to do a campaign that involved talking animals. No problem. The brief said, “Make it heartwarming.”

What they got from me? A pitch where the dog wasn’t just talking—it was a former therapy dog with deep emotional baggage narrating the ad in the tone of a Wes Anderson film.

They almost said no. Until we showed them the test footage.

Not only did they greenlight it, the campaign ended up being their highest-performing digital ad in a year. Because we didn’t just aim for cute—we aimed for clever.

Safe Doesn’t Sell. Smart Does.

I’m not anti-brief. I’m anti-boring.

You can be strategic and daring. You can be on-brand and unexpected. That’s the balance I fight for in every single shoot.

Because at the end of the day, your audience doesn’t care about your KPIs. They care about how your ad made them feel. Or laugh. Or cry. Or hit share.

TL;DR (but you should read)

If you want a director who blindly follows your deck like it’s the Ten Commandments—there are plenty of them out there.

But if you want a creative partner who’s obsessed with making work that’s not just “done” but effective—I’m your person.

Because your brand deserves more than a technician.

It deserves someone who will help it speak. Loudly. Clearly. And memorably.

Final Thought:

The next time you think about hiring a director, don’t ask “Can they shoot this?” Ask:

• Will they challenge this?

• Will they elevate this?

• Will they care about this like I do?

That’s not a hired gun.

That’s a collaborator.

That’s what I do.