It's been quite a transformation from smoking weed and worshiping the cinema in my teens to directing André 3000 for Tretorn shoes.

I wanted to tell you a little about what a fantastic experience it was working with such a talented and creative icon...

Here's how the finished product turned out…

(Over half a million views is always nice.)

And here's how we got there…

André was both collaborative and had a vision for what he wanted to achieve. I loved the fact that he wanted to be so involved in shaping the spot and making sure we worked towards a creative outcome.

My fantastic team kicked into gear once we hit Hudson Studios. Erik Rooney lit the stage beautifully while we got the creative dialed in. I asked my production assistant @flysaiah to “sit in” to check the composition and André noticed that Isaiah had a Nintendo controller tattoo on his arm. They began chatting about how back in those days things were a lot simpler, and I noticed Isaiah immediately at ease with this quick connection they’d made. Regardless of his achievements and level of fame, André is a human being first and foremost, and that beamed through as we worked.

As we began shooting and André started drawing, he dug into his history in his signature soft voice. And while he spoke, he was candid and insightful and I was all ears. Sometimes the best direction is staying quiet. It was fascinating to hear about André's formative years and get a little insight into where his creativity comes from. As a kid I was passionate about drawing too. It was a wonderful way to communicate as a teenager, when communication wasn't always easy.

(“Nosferatu in Paris” / AKA “What the Hell is Tank Girl Doing Back There?”)

On a recent trip back to my hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, I was struck by the drawings on the walls of my childhood room, how much they meant to me. How long I sat there (in one case for hours at a time over the course of 6 months) scratching away at paper with tiny hand movements as my teenage world revolved around me. Pivotally influential times that come through quite clearly in the fraught work.

(Nosferaru's Hiroshima)

Can you tell I smoked some weed and worshipped the cinema in my teens?

So when André floated the idea of chatting while drawing for this commercial spot, I leapt at the opportunity to take his drawings and bring them to life through motion graphics, one of my favorite modern visual communication mediums.

The gorgeous and super cool Rubina Dylan took her turn being amazing on camera as André’s muse. Then at the end of the shoot, André let me know he appreciated me and how I'd gone about directing the spot which was a wonderful end to a great day on set.

Post production was a pleasure and another great opportunity to work with my longtime collaborator, friend and client, Tretorn’s creative director Jill Herman who helped guide the spot with her usual inspired hand.

I'm a firm believer that creativity breeds creativity and 3 Stack's "Renaissance Man" abilities are an amazing illustration of that. Next time I'm feeling my creative well running a little empty, I'm going to think about this experience. But to be honest my well has been overflowing lately working with the insanely creative @hardfork-series team! It was just announced today that we’ll be speaking in Lisbon at Steemfest. Couldn’t be more honored and excited!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!

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I am a Brooklyn based writer, film & commercial director, and crypto-enthusiast, my projects include @HardFork-series an upcoming narrative crypto-noir and my novel Dwelling will soon be premiering exclusively on Steemit, and you can check out more of my work at dougkarr.com, piefacepictures.com, and www.imdb.com/name/nm1512347

Please comment, up-vote and resteem and I'll gladly upvote your comments!

@hardfork-series

10% of all profits from Dwelling will be donated to Amnesty International.