Seven months selling the boards, first to the suits, then to the client. Congratulations! Your concept made it through the first gauntlet. Now, with the right director, it'll be everything you hoped. You'll put it on your reel! But with over 7,000 people calling themselves directors, how do you keep from getting confused and derailed by the plethora of reels that make it to your tired, old three-quarter-inch deck? How do you go about finding the right director?

Start by asking yourself, your creative team, and your broadcast producer some questions. Do we all share the same taste and vision for the commercial? Have we communicated this vision to one another? How much pre-screening goes into the cut down? Are we seeing directors that are affordable, available, and really interested in our boards?

Next, review where you get your directors' reels. The agency library? Better check the expiration date. Directors' reps? Reps will send you only reels from which they can earn a commission. Call the wrong reps; get the wrong reels. Search the Web? Few of the 7,000 directors have their reels available on the Internet, and QuickTime(r) movies are a lousy way to judge lighting, composition, and the quality of a director's work.

While in Florence, Italy, I learned of a psychological phenomenon that affects many tourists. Faced with so many choices of beautiful art and architecture, and insufficient time to view it all, these tourists become clinically depressed. They can't enjoy what they can see because they lament missing so much more. Sound familiar? Too many directors; too little time?

Are you looking at so many reels in an attempt to find your exact spot? I call this the "Wet Dancing Dog Syndrome." If your board features a wet, dancing dog, it's not enough for a director to have wet dogs or even dancing dogs on his reel. He needs to have it exactly: wet, dancing dogs. This practice is flawed in two ways. First, we overrate specialization to the exclusion of innovation. Second, if your spot is already on someone's reel, where's the originality?

So what is the solution to finding the right director? Focus! Instead of looking at 50 to 100 reels for every job, spend more time getting to know three or four of your favorite directors. Take the time you would have spent in front of the 96 other reels talking to your short list of directors about your creative ideas and listening to theirs. In short, develop a relationship. Don't ever feel like you're wasting a director's time because he might not get the job. Realistic directors know that they can't get awarded every job. I look at being bid, the conference call, and especially my treatment as the greatest sales opportunity I can get.

Look for a talented, experienced, well-rounded director with great ideas for your commercial. Don't pigeonhole. A director who hasn't already done the same creative treatment many times over brings his best effort, enthusiasm, and fresh ideas to the table. That'll make your project sing (or dog dance, as the case may be).