In the current commercial slowdown, many of the directors who continue to work steadily gratefully attribute their success to their reputations for excelling at particular genres or product types. This stands in sharp contrast to higher times when helmers did all they could to resist being pigeonholed.

Many of the directors holding on to that resistance are sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring, while those busy on the set say this type of categorization is the only thing keeping them working.

LTB Productions director Christopher Gentile provides a good example. Renowned throughout North America as a leading director of spots targeted at children, he says he has been barely affected by the recent commercial slump.

‘It is a bonus, because when it is slow there is still various stuff in the Saturday morning toy world and people will think of me,’ says Gentile. ‘The kids market is huge and it is never going away.’

It was LTB executive producer Wayne Fenske, who has many contacts in the kids sector, who introduced Gentile to the Saturday-morning market. Gentile, who says he enjoys the challenges of working with children and special effects, embraced the work and has been busy since.

‘It’s been a great living for me,’ says Gentile. ‘Every director says that they would love to do different stuff, but mainly that is because you just want to be working all the time and honing your craft. But as far as doing kids advertising and working with puppets and stuff like that, I really like it.’

Gentile says that finding his niche in the toy market hasn’t been very difficult either, given the tight community of clients for whom he directs.

‘Word travels fast when you do something,’ he says. ‘If they like you they will tell all their friends.’

Another director with an established specialty is Apple Box Productions’ Barry Meier. Known worldwide for his prowess shooting automobiles, Meier says he does not mind being labeled the ‘car guy.’

‘I’ve never pretended to be a specialist in anything but cars,’ he says from his home in Detroit, the Motor City. ‘I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet. I’ve been able to travel all over the world shooting cars. You get really comfortable doing a certain kind of work, and in this past year I’ve had a chance to work in Paris, the South of France, Spain twice and countless incredibly beautiful locations. So as for being labeled a ‘car guy,’ I’ll take it.’

One of his ABP counterparts who is not as happy about being categorized is Randy Diplock. The 2000 First Cut Award-winner has consistently been one of the shop’s busiest directors, but he has become somewhat dissatisfied with the perception of his forte being comedy work.

‘When I was a writer on the agency side, [I learned that] if you have any sense of humor at all, about 80% of your solutions result in humor,’ says Diplock. ‘A lot of people knew me from that side of the business.’

What many agency folks may not know about Diplock is that before he was an agency copywriter, he was an art director, beginning his career as such more than 20 years ago. Because of his penchant for imagery, Diplock hopes to see boards calling for stronger visuals coming his way in the future.

‘People do get pigeonholed and it is very hard to convince creatives otherwise,’ says Clare Cashman, ABP executive producer. ‘They get it in their heads that each director can only do a certain form of creative. It’s just a matter of getting [the director’s] reel out there and showing them otherwise.’

For Navigator Films director/cameraman Harry Lake, who is partially known for his tabletop camera work, being pigeonholed has never been too much of a worry, as he moonlights as a cinematographer. The director/DOP label, he says, has opened up opportunities to shoot different kinds of work, but he sympathizes with directors who want to try as many different kinds of spots as possible.

‘I like to do [tabletop work] and I’m pleased with the results, but I still feel that you can’t just rely on one thing, because you are really narrowing your options,’ says Lake.

ABP’s Meier, on the other hand, is thankful to have been groomed in such a way as to have a specialty.

‘I feel really fortunate that I have a specialty,’ he says. ‘When it comes to being a director/cameraman, having a specialty helps separate you, rather than saying ‘I can do a little of this and a little of that.’ People don’t have time for that right now. Being a specialist probably helps you survive.’