David Popescu recently made the split from Taxi Advertising and Design to be a full-time director with Sparks Productions. Although he will surely miss his post as agency art director, Popescu looks forward to getting his hands ‘on all the nitty-gritty details.’

Why do you want to direct?

I think that I have a good understanding of what is at the heart of an idea and what it takes to turn a script into a really good commercial. I think I also understand the balance of making a funny or entertaining spot with the job a client expects that commercial to do when it’s finished.

Favorite commercial of all time?

I don’t really have a favorite, but if I had to pick one for pure ‘yee haw’ value it would be the Nike spot (surprise!) where the best soccer players in the world square off against Satan in the Coliseum in Rome. It’s pretty hard to wrong there.??

Who, or what, inspires you?

Dr. Strangelove, CBC FM Radio. Tim Horton’s, Mark E. Smith (lead singer of The Fall), tea, The Last Emperor, artist J. Otto Seibold, Psycho, the first Clash album, Lloyd’s Bank, John Fluevog, Mats Sundin, snow, my uncle’s hat and anything done with conviction whether I like it or not.

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

Every time a shot frames up perfectly through the lens, every time the talent does a perfect read, every time the editor makes it come together.

What has been the low point?

Every time the weather threatens you with rain when you want to shoot a sunny day, every time the camera needs reloading when the talent is on a roll. Each job is like a world all on its own. At those very moments, good and bad, I am right there feeling it.

What do you hope to accomplish as a director?

I’d like to be the kind of director that people are excited to work with. I’d like people to come to me knowing that I understand their idea and what it took for them to get it this far and still intact, that I can make their script into the commercial they have in their head, maybe even a little better than they hope.

And at the end of it all, I want them to have had a good time. That’s not always easy to do on consecutive 14-hour days, but I think there can be some fun between the heart attacks. I’d be very happy to accomplish that.

New Year’s resolutions?

Drive much much faster and wear more fur. Actually, I think my resolution will be to go a little easy on all the one liners.

How do you feel about giving up the agency side of the biz to be a full-time director?

There are a lot of people that I miss seeing on a regular basis. That and I’ll have nowhere to steal markers from – Fineliners, Sharpies and those fat ones with the bullet points. Those were good times.