home at Damast Gordon

When Damast Gordon and Associates signed director Danny Izzard last month, it bought shares in more than two decades of filmmaking experience and a director with ’90s sensibilities.

From propman and scene painter in the early ’70s, to lighting and dolly grip operator, production and set designer and ad/pm in the ’80s, Izzard began directing in 1985, logging more than 250 commercials to date.

Sitting relaxed in a chair at the head of dga’s boardroom table, the veteran director is quick to point out that the ability to play different roles and knowing how to juggle them is part of being a director in this market.

‘A director has to be a diplomat, a psychologist, a cheerleader, and a baby-sitter, but ultimately focus on his craft,’ he says.

Izzard’s single-minded focus on making the commercial at hand was a reason dga signed him, says director/dop Steve Gordon, a partner in the Toronto-based production company.

Gordon, who worked with Izzard at the former TDF Film Productions in the late ’80s, says Izzard has an edge and a drive that sets him apart from other directors.

‘He’s always been a little different from the norm. When I worked with him, I just loved his involvement. Whether it was a $20,000 job or a $60,000 job, he gave 100% total commitment. He always tried to make the shoot better.’

Izzard has earned a healthy reputation in the commercial industry with spots for General Motors, Procter and Gamble, Mazda and American Express, among others.

A generalist, his reel runs the gambit from still life and tabletop to people and dialogue, with memorable images including thousands of lit candles forming the shape of the Phantom of the Opera mask in an ad for the play of the same name.

Like many commercial directors, Izzard dabbles in long-form and has acted as director, writer and producer on television documentaries. Currently in the can is footage of Toronto’s 3-on-3 street basketball tournament, which he shot and is writing a script for en route to making a documentary.

Izzard fell into the directing business ‘by accident,’ after realizing that his broad experience in all areas of filmmaking gave him the skills he needed to be a director.

Today, he marvels at the range of technology available to filmmakers.

‘The visual medium is becoming so diverse – as a director, you’d be mad not to take advantage of it, or at least know all the tools,’ he says.

Adjusting to the latest technogadgets and knowing when and, more importantly, when not to use them is part of directing today, says Izzard.

He has no illusions about what it takes to land commercial projects these days. He is, above all, a pragmatist.

‘I have an aversion for the establishment but a respect for the process. It’s like bank machines – there’s a weird kind of institutional thing about them that bothers me, but they’re a necessary means to an end and you use them,’ he says.

Izzard’s versatility will be key to his role at dga, says Gordon.

‘Boris (Damast) and I each have our specialties but we needed someone to do the other stuff, and Danny fit in perfectly. He’s a very accommodating director with his own following who’s going to bring a lot to us too.

‘It’s going to be a marriage that works both ways,’ Gordon says.