Art & Copy

Premiered October 26, 2010

Directed by

Doug Pray

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About the Documentary

You may thank (or curse) the creative people in Art & Copy for such familiarly evocative slogans as “Just Do It,” “I ♥ NY,” “Where’s the Beef?” “Got Milk?” “Think Different,” and brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents. Love them or loathe them, they have mastered the art of persuasion through hard work and seemingly boundless creativity.

Art & Copy reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time — people who’ve profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Exploding forth from advertising’s “creative revolution” of the 1960s, these artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney and others featured in the film led the way in the creation and constant redefinition of the ad business. They managed to grab the attention of millions and truly move them. Visually interwoven with their stories, TV satellites are launched, billboards are erected, and the social and cultural impact of their ads is brought to light in this exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.

The film serves as a history lesson in a time when we celebrate advertising entrepreneurs in TV shows such as Mad Men, but also are increasingly concerned about privacy issues and the sheer volume of spam, junk mail, and targeted marketing messages we are bombarded with daily. What does the crush of advertising do to our psyches? What makes truly good advertising both effective and entertaining? How do advertising creatives exploit the human brain to manipulate us into wanting things we might not even need? And most of all, what would we do without them?

The Filmmaker

Filmmaker Doug Pray has directed a number of highly acclaimed feature-length documentary films about American subcultures and maverick characters. His best-known film, Surfwise, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was released in theaters nationwide by Magnolia Pictures. Doug’s first film was Hype!, a candid look at the emergence and explosion of the Seattle rock music scene, featuring Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden.

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