How did you manage to get such great results with this photograph?
Everyone involved — starting with show creator Matt Weiner, executive producer Scott Hornbacher, associate producer Marcy Patterson, production designer Dan Bishop, costume designer Janie Bryant, Mad Men’s production team; Linda Schupack, Alison Hoffman, and the entire AMC marketing group; and Brad Hochberg and his team at The Refinery — worked to create the best possible and most period-appropriate shoot. This was not your normal key art shoot. Every detail was conceived and carried out — from building a tank to placing furniture and objects, from temperature-controlling the water to weighting Jon’s suits to match the meticulous Mad Men set — just for the purpose of the shoot. Most importantly, the image would be nothing without the amazing Jon Hamm, who was so open and willing to play along. Not every actor would be patient and kind enough to sit in a wet suit in chest-high water surrounded by black duvateen for several hours on a sweltering Los Angeles day.
To produce the best work for a client, what is the ideal working relationship between you and an art director or designer?
The ideal relationship is when an art director is open to collaborating fully with me from conception to execution. Brad Hochberg at The Refinery is a great friend with a remarkably creative mind.
How do you balance commercial work and personal work?
I honestly don’t delineate between my personal and commercial work. I bring my own particular vision to each project I work on and have been lucky enough to work with people who are open to my creative process.