A son of the stage and lover of the arts, Kieran Walsh displays an unusually deep empathy for his thespian comrades. "They live in a world so wrought with rejection that encouraging an emotional connection is something I enjoy," says the Miami-based director. "If you nourish them, make them feel they've done their best and that they've chosen the right road, the performance reflects that. I strive to make the experience special for actors."

His efforts aren't in vain. "Kieran is Cassavetes-like in his style and is very open and spontaneous with actors," observes Steve Wax, executive producer at LA-based Chelsea Pictures, who first met Walsh two years ago. "He's been known to improvise on set, and gets the cast to play along and experiment."

It's not surprising, considering that Walsh almost went into acting himself. A keen participant in university theatre workshops in New York at Columbia, he arrived in LA seeking work as a stage actor but landed a PA gig instead.

Then it was on to LA prodco MJZ, where he worked on music videos and learned valuable lessons such as "how to craftily make things happen on a budget". By 1994 Walsh's career as a director was crystallizing and his first spot, produced by David Zander, had started airing.

After six years with MJZ, he began seeking opportunities in a smaller, more intimate setting. Chelsea seemed a sensible choice.

Two years on, Walsh has honed his reputation in spots - "Everyday" for Jameson Irish Whisky, "Memories" for Choice Hotels and "Life" for HSBC - that explore human foibles and resonate with the bitter and the sweet.

Like a method-schooled actor, Walsh isn't afraid to draw on personal experience to recreate real moments. During the "Life" shoot, "there's a scene [between two lovers] where there's this uncomfortable silence, and I drew on that horrible feeling you get right before you know it's over." He was well able to recreate the sensation. "I was two months away from my wedding but I was up until 2 a.m. fighting with my [now] ex."

More recently, in ESPN's "The Gathering", Walsh explored a family feud in which two families get together to witness a clash between football archrivals. Created by Wieden + Kennedy, NY, the spot was intended for Argentine teams. Walsh had other ideas. Repped by Vaerla Lopez Productions in Madrid, he had shot extensively in Spain, spoke Spanish and, in his treatment, changed the clubs to Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. "I wanted to draw on [the actors'] experiences of growing up in a Catalan, post-Franco world and what happens when they come upon the fascist Madrid."

W+K liked what they saw. "Kieran knew all about the [football] clubs, the fight songs, how the fans treated each other," says senior agency producer Brian Cooper. "He had completely fleshed out the piece to the point where it could have been a brilliant short film." This was exactly what Cooper, originally on the hunt for a feature director, had been looking for; the agency even allowed for a full day of casting in Barcelona and Madrid. Lensed by DP Daniel Pearl, the spot captures the air of tension and drives home ESPN's "Without Sports" brand message, illustrating how sports can bring together the most staunch adversaries.

Walsh's own background furnished him with scant fodder for such family drama. Growing up as the second youngest of five children on the austere Maine landscape, he was the only son of Irish doctor parents. From an early age, though, they taught him to appreciate the arts: his mother by introducing him to the works of painter Andrew Wyeth, while his father encouraged Walsh to view the work of fellow countryman and Quiet Man director John Ford.

Today, Walsh lists Mike Nichols and Woody Allen as his favorites. But where does he see his own directorial career going? "In the toilet," he jokes. "I definitely want to do longer form because I can develop relationships and characters more fully - but I'm picky about the script."

Information:
Representation: Chelsea Pictures (US), Vaerla Lopez Productions (Spain)
Years directing: Eight
If he weren't directing: "I'd be a full-time dreamer." - Spinal Tap
Work philosophy: Discord emanates from fear. Nothing good ever comes from fear. Love and understanding makes everything work
Who'd direct Walsh: Mike Nichols or Woody Allen
Who Walsh would love to direct: Salma Hayek - for a lot of reasons
Film he'd like to take credit for: My Left Foot, directed by Jim Sheridan