Silly satire is Martin Granger's forte. In fact, the sillier the better. This is, after all, the man responsible fortranslating Bud Light's zany creative onto the small screen and keeping the ever-ebullient Viagra man afloat on his daily dose. Off-set, Granger claims to entertain apes inhis trailer. This British-born helmer rarely gets serious, which is presumably why Toronto prodco Avion secures him some of the most fun gigs, both at home and abroad. It's also why we let him speak for himself.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST SPOT> My first proper commercial for Avion was a Snackwell's cookie spot in 1996 or '97. I've done some real dogs though. I was big onfeminine hygiene for a while.

JOB FROM HELL> I would hate for some poor creative to be sitting reading this in his or her office and realize I'mdescribing their favorite job as my "job from hell", so I will refrain from answering that one. But off the record...

YOUR FAVORITE SPOT EVER> I'll assume you mean somebody else's. I'd have to say "Guinness Swimmer" by Jonathan Glazer. WHY> It's about as close to a perfect ad as I've ever seen. Everything is great - story, casting, editing, music, art direction, film look, and at the end of it all, it advertises the product well. I can watch it over and over.

OTHER INFLUENCES> I was completely in awe of the great Joe Sedelmaier, the greatest and most revolutionary commercial director ever. On a contemporary level, the wonderful Traktor group are real ground-breakers and trendsetters, always an inspiration. [MJZ's] Rocky Morton is an excellent comedy director whose work I seek out and watch as often as possible.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO DIRECT> Too afraid of jinxing to say. WHY> Because!

WHO SHOULD DIRECT YOU> Roberto Benigni. WHY> Have you heard him speak English?

WHAT'S UP WITH THIS CRAZY BIZ> Almost everything is available for reference at a moment's notice via the Internet, and agencies from around the world are [now] familiar with a lot of campaigns I've worked on. It's great but it's a bit odd too. I wonder if it will lead to the end of someone being a 'Swedish', 'British', 'Canadian' or 'American' director. Or are international senses of humor too distinct?

YOUR COMIC ICONS ARE> Woody Allen, Marx Brothers, Coen Brothers, Monty Python, Carry On movies, Peter Sellers, The Simpsons, Bob Newhart, Spinal Tap, SNL.

FAVORITE DECADE> I'm in a very 'the '70s were so awesome' stage, but so are a lot of people, so I guess I'll say the screwball comedies of the '30s to make myself sound smarter and ahead of the curve. But I do love Preston Sturges and screwball comedy. Plus, the Thin Man series is so great: the copious drinking is so un-PC.

IN YOUR BELL EXPRESSVU SPOT FOR COSSETTE, WHAT WAS THE BLURRY-FACED GUY'S MOTIVATION> It was fun to direct but difficult to find an out-of-focus actor for the role - a bit of a tip o' the hat to Woody there too. Please see Deconstructing Harry.