Established commercial directors are the subject of this regular feature.

Each issue we will profile their careers, accomplishments and the ideas that

propel them to new advertising heights.

There’s more to Edmonton than world-class malls, oil barons and hockey. Just ask the multi-talented, multi-tasking Frame 30 director Michael Hamm. He’ll tell you "there’s incredible talent here [in Edmonton]," and challenge you to look past the 416/905 area code for your commercial production.

Hamm started off in that bloated area code as a writer of long-form scripts. In 1978, he had an offer to take his pen west. The young writer accepted, and in doing so, opened up a new world of opportunity for himself on the Canadian plains.

When Hamm moved west he was writing mostly for television and commercial productions. Before long, he uncovered a niche for a commercial producer in the area and he jumped all over it. The result is Frame 30 Productions, a company that is now 21 years old.

Even though Frame 30 opened in 1980, Hamm did not begin directing until 1985. Before picking up the clapboard, Hamm cut his teeth as an executive producer.

The transformation to director began when he was producing a project he had written. He had trouble finding the right director and one who was willing to do a job in Edmonton. The longtime writer cum producer turned to the helmer’s chair and, as he puts it, "there was good response."

For his part, Hamm "really enjoyed" the experience. He attributes his success to watching the "big guns" he had brought through his shop in the past. "You’re always learning from them," he says.

The production veteran also believes the big directors who have done jobs in Alberta have "learned from how we work out here, which I understand is very different than Toronto."

More specifically, Hamm believes the biggest difference between the markets is the window. "We give them way more time," Hamm begins. "We don’t move from one job to the other. When we work here, we’re working on that job, not 15 at a time."

Hamm describes his directing style as "calm. I’m not a screamer," he says quietly.

Hamm has opportunity to apply this style outside Edmonton through his alliance with Ottawa/ Hull spot shop Charbonneau Productions. Also, Frame 30 has a representation deal with a commercial production house called JPI in Arkansas and is negotiating with a Saskatchewan company for a similar arrangement.

Hamm says being a producer does not get in the way of his directing work. In fact, he produces most of the commercials he directs. "When I see a board that looks good to me, I will often pitch myself as the director," he says.

Currently, Hamm is in post-production on a series of spots for the Edmonton Motor Show he shot for MacLaren McCann. He is also developing a long-form project with the CBC, involving poetry videos.

Hamm thinks advancements in technology and the ever-improving Internet will increase Edmonton’s desirability as a production destination. In fact, as the producer/director spoke to On The Spot he was digitizing one of the Motor Show spots so he could send it for approval via e-mail to the creative director in Calgary, who couldn’t hang around. "We get approval and it’s online in an hour and a half," he explains. *

-www.frame30.com