Description

Outstanding Arts & Cultural Programming Emmy Nomination
Best Director, Documentary Atlanta Film Festival

Official Selection
Sundance Film Festival
Hot Docs Documentary Festival

“An embracing glimpse into big industry, pop culture and the creative process” -The Hollywood Reporter

“An addictive tour of 50 years of adspeak!”
– Seattle Times

“A richly entertaining glimpse at the American ad world’s dream factory” -The Stranger

Synopsis

I Want My MTV. Think Small. Just Do It. Got Milk? Where do these phrases come from?

ART & COPY introduces the cultural visionaries who revolutionized advertising during the industry’s golden age by creating slogans to live by and ads we all remember. You may have never heard of them, but pop pioneers Lee Clow, Hal Riney, George Lois, Mary Wells, Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein, Phyllis K. Robinson, Dan Wieden and David Kennedy have changed the way we eat, work, shop, and communicate often in ways we don’t even realize. From the introduction of Volkswagen in America to the triumph of Apple Computers. ART & COPY explores the most successful and influential advertising campaigns of the 20th century, and the creative minds that launched them.

Directed by Doug Pray (SURFWISE, HYPE!, SCRATCH), ART & COPY captures the energy and passion of the individuals who have defined and redefined American popular culture for more than four decades. Featuring rare interviews with industry legends, the film reveals the stories and personal odysseys that have shaped some of the most profound and influential advertising messages of our time. ART & COPY opens a window to the creative process, and identifies the critical elements that can transform a singular idea into a global phenomenon.

Director

Director

Doug Pray

Filmmaker Doug Pray has directed a number of highly acclaimed feature-length documentary films about American subcultures and maverick characters.

His best-known and most recent film is “SURFWISE” which tells the inspiring, humorous and often tumultuous story of legendary surfer Dr. Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, his wife Juliette, and their nine children. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival and was released in theaters nationwide by Magnolia Pictures. Some of Pray’s other films also include, HYPE!, SCRATCH, SURFWISE, BIG RIG, INFAMY and RED DIAPER BABY.

In between his documentary production, Doug has worked as a commercial director. In 2006, he won an Emmy Award for an HIV-AIDS awareness campaign he shot and directed in El Salvador. He also directed a highly regarded series of short films about London workers for Dr. Martens, and a national TV campaign for gay rights in the workplace for the Gill Foundation, which won a Clio and Lion awards at the Cannes Advertising Festival. He has directed ads and short films for ESPN, Ford, Kodak, Adidas, Nike, Sprite, PBS and Kaiser Permanente, among others.

After majoring in Sociology at the Colorado College, Doug received an MFA from UCLA’s Graduate School of Film and Television. He has served on the documentary juries of the Sundance, Silverdocs, AFI Fest, AFI Dallas, and SXSW Film Festivals, and is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He was born in Denver, Colorado, grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and lives in Los Angeles.