A Decade of Dialogue

It is estimated that 2024 will see the number of podcast listeners worldwide grow to over half a billion. That’s a hell of a lot of ears. Director, Jordan Brady, released the first episode of his podcast ‘Respect the Process’ 10 years ago. 500 episodes later, he’s still loving every minute of it. Podcasts can often be vehicles of self-indulgence, but the ones that perform well usually work to educate in some kind of way. They are exploratory and investigative and turn over stones. ‘Respect the Process’ garners over 20,000 monthly listeners and features guests who make up the filmmaking ecosystem, in all its fullness. 

Jordan does this for the love of it, but there’s a bit more to it than that. The reason he has any kind of love at all is because he knows it helps people. That’s the common-denominator that stitches together most of Jordan’s escapades. It’s the reason he dedicates much of his non-directing hours to teaching emerging directors. There’s a service mindset that comes with the podcast for him. 

Each episode begins with the small lie that the podcast is a “short” chat about commercial filmmaking. Perhaps shortness was the intention a decade ago. Today however, the conversations are long and flowing. They go down winding roads, follow twists and bends, and always seem to wrap up in a tidy bow, somehow. And isn’t that where we get the most out of a person? When they’re given the freedom to go wherever the last syllable takes them. 

Listening back to episode one, Jordan speaks about his craft with the same vigour as he does today. He begins, “Hey everybody… I’m a director, that's how I make my money - making commercials. There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. It’s like mounting an army of love, to sell some products in a creative way. You can quote me on that.” I wonder if he knew back then that he would in fact be quoted on that, after all this time. He continues, “Give me a little time to find my strut, I could suck at this.” 

It all started when he lost a job to fellow director, Nick Spooner, who would end up being a regular guest on ‘Respect the Process’. “I’d always thought about doing it one day, and now I had the time,” Jordan tells us. 

For the coveted 500th episode, he could’ve featured some of the film world’s highflyers. Instead, Jordan sat down with the person who deserved the spot most: his son, and editor of the podcast, Jake Brady. It’s a delightful listen, and one sure to warm even the iciest of hearts. The two bounce off one another in a manner synonymous with those gorgeous father and son relationships that many dream of having. They veer off script, get rid of the illusion of spontaneity, and chuckle all the way through. Jake, a writer in his own right, tells us about the not-so-glamorous side of editing, where lip smacking fills your ears in an ASMR nightmare, and why the best piece of advice he’s heard is “good enough sucks.”

Here, we take a trip down memory lane, in a curation of some of the most memorable moments, from a decade of dialogue. 

2013

Ep.002 Nick Spooner, director, Backyard

When working with child actors, finding the right parents is crucial for a smooth and successful shoot.

Ep.012 Keith Schofield, director, Caviar

The act of writing is like singing in the shower. You get an idea, and you're like, 'Okay, here's what I can do with this.'

2014

Ep.045 Perlorian Brothers, directors, MJZ

Great scripts make great spots.

Ep.0058 Adam McKay, writer/director/producer

People need to start asking the questions, ‘why aren't we teaching economics in high school? Why isn't law being taught in high school?’ It's actually crazy that it's not.

2015

Ep.119 Mike Bigelow, director, Garnter

Comedy is all about incongruity and the element of surprise. The wide shot allows the comedy to sneak up on the viewer and creates a sense of spontaneity.

Ep.129 Marcus Nispel, director (retired)

Leave it to the director and the film company to make the impossible possible. Give us the money and let us make the magic.

2016

Ep.172 Doug Sherin, sales rep, All Your Options

There is no show without the roadies. We're all a piece of the puzzle.

2017

Ep.186 Kristyna Archer, director, ArtClass

It's okay to source material and be inspired. The execution is what makes it unique.

2018

Ep.258 Kerstin Emhoff, co-founder, chief executive officer, PRETTYBIRD

There's no reason to not be doing shorts, writing a scene, shooting that scene. Because when I look at someone's reel and they're showing me a fake Nike ad or a fake Adidas ad or a music video done for their friend's band, that might suck cuz the idea is bad. You can't help but look at the ideas in that work. And if the ideas are bad, no one's gonna look at it.

2019

Ep.300 Chuck Meehan, former CCO, McCann Worldgroup, Founder/CCO Unlikely Story

We always do so many options, 'cause you never know what's gonna be the best thing in the edit. You've had it where you're on set, like, ‘oh, that's it’ but then you’re in the edit bay and it wasn't, it was something else. That's the magic from the set to the edit. The fermentation process. So you just get as many options as you can, 'cause you just never know.

2020

Ep.318 Rachel Harms, director, Harms Films

We directors are like dressmakers, we want our client to wear that dress that we made, but they're gonna have to all agree to it. Maybe they don’t like their arms showing, so you might have to add sleeves. Because ultimately if you force it down their throat, well, I guess there are some instances where it succeeds, but generally it's not what you're really hired to do. You're not respecting the process. You're sort of stepping on it.

2021

Ep.409 Steven Sills, head of production, Kaboom

We're old hunter/gatherers. We're gonna use every bit of the animal and every bit of what we acquire is gonna get taken by somebody in some department and used for a social media or a broadcast asset. More and more the former. And that's fine because it's helping monetise the good stuff. 

2022

Ep.454 Anne Kurtzman, freelance agency producer

Your first spot on the reel had better get my attention within seven seconds. Maybe 12 seconds, I mean, really, I'm not very patient.

2023

Ep.494 Rebecca Niles, managing director/EP @ Radical

I always laugh when people say “we do things differently around here.”  I say, we don't. We follow the guidelines of having a roster of directors that each has a great reel that would be right for your job. We bid the job out with you, then we produce it. The collective thing isn't really for me. I feel like it's just so overdone at this point.

Ep.492 Jeannette Godoy, director, “Diamond In The Rough”, True Gent

I'm very empathetic and I want people, actors, or real people to know that I'm there for them and that I care for them and that I have their back and I'm creating a safe space for them. Whether they're acting in a scene in “Diamond in the Rough” or I'm talking to them about these issues that they've gone through in their pregnancy. I feel lucky that I get to talk to them about these issues and honoured that I'm the one who gets to tell their stories. And so I wanna do it with the utmost respect and dignity and care that I can.

Ep.496 Greg Hahn, co-founder, CCO Mischief @NoFixedAddress

I do think agencies tend to want to put you in a box, but I like the directors that can stretch, and you buy them because of their taste, not because of one particular style.

Ep.500 Jake Brady, editor, “Respect the Process”

Jordan> What does ‘Respect the Process’ mean?

Jake> The jist of it is don’t be a dick. Remember, you have your part in the solution to any problem. 

Jordan> I love ya.

Jake> I love you too.