Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andy Kelemen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Andy, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic has always come from a place of doing what you say and saying what you’ll do. I strongly believe in following through on that phrase, and it will take you far, no matter what industry you’re in. I also think for people who work in the freelance industry, strong work ethic is a habit developed out of necessity. In film production, if you don’t get yourself out there, form great connections and relationships, and sell your skills to the world, you won’t generate any work, You really are your best champion, so being in a field where you seek out work forms healthy work habits.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Since 2014, I’ve been a full time commercial director, and owner of a boutique production company called Dessert Before Dinner. Because of my goofy personality, we specialize in comedic and playful content. Thankfully, I’ve had the privilege of art, passion, and business intersect in what I do every day.
Based in Pittsburgh but working all over the country, we help brands develop their creative strategy in a number of ways. Executing large and small scale productions, developing creative in conjunction with various ad agencies, and even sometimes just consulting are a few high level services we complete.
The most exciting part of this career is how different every day looks like. On a Tuesday you can be writing pitch decks in a coffee shop during a snow storm, and on Thursday you’re filming in sunny Florida for a national brand. There are so many hats you have to wear in directing commercials and running a production company, but it always keeps things interesting.
One of the biggest challenges is of course the feast or famine mentality. You can go for weeks without landing a single job, and then be slammed in work for months at a time. But if you know that in advance, you can be ready for anything within a freelance market.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I’d say the three most valuable skills that have been most impactful in my journey are:
1. Treat every job like the Super Bowl. A former college professor gave us that advice and it rings true in any industry. If you give 150% on any job no matter what – that resonates with people. Even on the not-so-glamourous jobs in the film industry, if you aim to hit the spot you’re creating out of the park, it shows.
2. Hire people smarter than you. A lot of service industry professions (and really – that’s what we’re in with commercial making) benefit from realizing this is a team sport and you’ll thrive with successful collaboration. But being aware you aren’t the best at every job, and you need people who elevate in their specialty skill set is key. I’ve always taken the adage of hiring people smarter than me, so as a team we excel.
3. Don’t be a jerk. This should go without saying, but in our volatile world, niceness and ease of working together will get you really far! People are on edge, anxiety filled, and stressed. So be the person who approaches jobs, collaboration, and interactions with niceness at the forefront of your mindset. In customer relations, it goes such a long way, and your clients will truly remember what a nice person you were to work with.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
For me, my favorite clients are the ones willing to take a risk on their own brand and image. Brands…agencies…production companies…and people in a lot of other industries are very scared of being cancelled for one misstep. But in doing so creative risks are avoided.
A client who knows their brand inside and out, and knows when and how to pivot for a smart creative reason, is the best type of client. They are there for you to lean on since they know their brand best, but also see this process as collaborative, and enter into work with you because they want your expertise.
We’ve been in situations where we’ve won jobs just to have the clients dictate exactly what they want to minute detail. Then why bring us on? In a lot of service industries, everyone has something to contribute, and the best clients enter into work relationships with that front and center.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dessertbeforedinnercreative.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dessertbeforedinnercreative/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dessert-before-dinner/about/?viewAsMember=true
- Other: https://vimeo.com/dessertbeforedinner
Image Credits
Photos by Matt Shuck / Brett Wagner
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
