Imagine a job where you need to work only 10 days a year to make $100‎,‎000‎.‎ A job that allows you to be a respected artist‎,‎ a savvy craftsman‎,‎ and a hip partygoer who hangs out with celebrities‎,‎ superstars‎,‎ and top models‎.‎ No need to wear a tie and suit‎.‎ No corporate office hours‎,‎ and no supervising department heads checking your time card‎.‎ At your command explosions occur‎,‎ cars crash‎,‎ helicopters swoop‎,‎ and you are expected to spend a million dollars in a week or two‎.‎ This job exists‎.‎ It‎'‎s called a commercial director‎,‎ the creative mind behind the production of a TV spot‎.‎ While being a commercial director may be one of the coolest jobs in the world‎,‎ it‎'‎s also one of the toughest jobs to get ‎(‎and keep‎)‎‎.‎ The 30‎-Second Storyteller‎:‎ The Art and Business of Directing Commercials teaches any filmmaker how to get work as a commercial director‎,‎ how to navigate the pitfalls of production‎,‎ and how to get clients to keep coming back to you for more‎.‎ The book is not a textbook on directing‎-plenty of other books cover that‎.‎ Rather‎,‎ The 30‎-Second Storyteller focuses on directorial challenges specifically related to creating a TV spot‎-the techniques involved‎,‎ the technologies of choice‎,‎ and the obstacles that come between you and a successful career‎.‎ It begins by teaching you how to get your foot in the door‎-creating a spec reel‎,‎ picking a specialty‎,‎ getting signed with a production company‎,‎ and successfully bidding for projects‎.‎ It then covers the production of a commercial from preproduction through the shoot‎,‎ all the way to finishing in post‎-production‎.‎ Examples from a real‎-world commercial are utilized throughout to illustrate concepts‎.‎ The book concludes with advice on obtaining work abroad‎,‎ and making the jump from commercials to features‎,‎ as TV ads are a training ground for Hollywood‎'‎s next blockbuster director‎.‎ Filmmakers like Ridley Scott‎,‎ Michael Bay‎,‎ David Fincher‎,‎ Jonathan Glazer‎,‎ Tarsem and Zack Snyder have all gotten their start in the 30‎-second world‎.‎