The success story of Danny Maas

Danny Maas is one of our Brandfighters. The first time he joined a contest at Brandfighters was for the Hi Commercial Contest. Danny immediately was a hit! He won the contest, his winning commercial has been shown on national television and after that BALSAfilms offered him a job as commercial director!
Let’s see how Danny feels about this unexpected and amazing career boost…

Danny, how did you become a Brandfighter?
Danny: I saw an ad on the internet (nftvm.nl) that Brandfighters was looking for directors for the new Hi commercial. I went to the Brandfighters website and signed myself in.

Why did you join the video contest for Hi?
Danny: At first I thought it was not fair that a large company, such as Hi/KPN, asked young creative’s to make a video for a to low prize, especially compared to what the company gets in return. But I was still interested in the contest and suddenly there was the idea. I became more enthusiastic. Finally your passion for films wins and you join the contest. Joining Brandfighters is a great opportunity to put yourself in the picture, to meet new people and to get the opportunity to do what you love doing the most!

What kind of experience did you have before you became a Brandfighter?
Danny: I studied at the Art Academy in Rotterdam. After graduating I started a job as an assistant editor. After that, I became a director for business communication films. This year I started as a freelance commercial director.

How did you proceed to make your commercial?
Danny: After the concept was born, I asked Pieter Colombijn (camera) if he was interested to make this commercial with me. After a brainstorm about our ideas, I made a short script. Together we created the concept. The shooting day came closer, so I had to find a producer. Eventually I ended up with John Langeveld and Othmar Sweers from BALSAfilms. They were very enthusiast about the idea and they have produced the commercial. This was ideal for me, because I could focus only on directing.

You’ve made the winning video! What were the success factors of this commercial?
Danny: I have chosen to make a more risky commercial than usual. A commercial that touches people in a emotional way. Therefore I searched for an extremely embarrassing moment where a homosexual football player is being interrogated by a team mate about his sexuality. This conversation is during an intimate celebration in the shower. Naked under the shower between his friends makes the main character vulnerable, which makes this situation even more embarrassing than it already is.
Meanwhile there has been a discussion on the YouTube page. Most people find the commercial very funny but some people say it is “very easy to make fun of homosexuals”. Of course it has never been my intension to make fun of homosexuals and I think a majority of this group has no problem with the commercial.

You are the first Brandfighter whose commercial has been on television. How does that feel?
Danny: It is still a bit a strange and funny when you see your own commercial on television. Many people have seen the commercial on television, and that is your ultimate goal. It feels great! Unfortunately, I missed the moment where the commercial was shown on television, but luckily I already knew what they were going to play..
 
What positive effects did winning this contest had for you?
Besides from the very nice shooting day and the champagne we drunk to celebrate our victory?
After the very pleasant cooperation with BALSAfilms, they offered me a job at their company. From now on I represent the company as a commercial director. So hopefully more fun challenges are coming my way soon.

How do you see yourself in ten years?
Danny: Hopefully I’m still making films, because that’s what I like doing the most. And hopefully I have made some nice and funny commercials and video clips. Next to this, I also have the ambition to make a film about a certain book. This film should really be made! The shooting place will be in Cambodia, so I absolutely going to need the ten years to get this far. Well, you never know how things work out! The Hi commercial contest is a great example: sometimes you get an unexpected career boost!

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