Sam Welch got his first taste of directing at a young age. It was Christmas time, and with a Super 8, a toboggan and a frozen turkey, he shot his first short featuring the festive bird zooming down a hill plowing into trees. While his mother was mortified, the rest of the family were in hysterics and he knew he had found his calling.

What has been the high point of your directorial career so far?

Getting a board from Wieden & Kennedy, selling my first short film, and winning a Gold Marketing award were great moments. However, nothing came close to receiving my first invitation to the Command Post party with my name on it. No longer did I have to persuade security that I was Janet Kestin. I had arrived.

What has been the low point?

Having Wieden & Kennedy pull the project due to some crazy idea that Nike should spend their money dealing with that little public relations problem of Indonesian child exploitation rather than shooting a pool of spots.

What is your favorite TV commercial of all time?

The first time I saw Baker Smith’s Nike skateboarding-is-not-a-crime campaign, in particular the :60 of ‘Runners,’ I was amazed. It gets away from the notion that advertising must look big and expensive and focuses on content. It really reflects how advertising is changing. That bizarre Ricola spot is pretty cool too.

What advice would you give an up-and-coming director that you wish someone had given you when you were starting out?

Commercial directing is about selling a product. Be it Levi’s or Pogos, there’s a long deliberate process of developing a script before a director sees it. It’s collaborating to produce the best creative. Also, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get out, shoot your own work, make mistakes and evaluate what you could have done better.

If you follow these words, you’ll be shooting Oliver Jewellery spots in no time.

If you knew when you started out in the business what you know now, what would you have done differently?

I would have motivated myself to make the jump to directing sooner. I saw my work as very personal and the fear of rejection kept me from knocking on doors. The truth is not everyone is going to like what you do, but there are those who are going to love it. I would have swallowed my pride and not stressed about it so much.

Who, or what, influences your work?

I love directors like Spike Jones, Rob Pritts and Phil Morrison. Documentary film is fantastic for moments that could never be recreated, despite your resources with narrative film. I also spend a lot of time observing the real world. There’s as much to be learned about comedy in watching a Queen St. Vampire-Goth argue with an old drunk about the Quebec sovereignty issue as there is in watching the Cannes reel.

What’s next?

I look forward to moving out of my parents’ basement.