Filmmaker Byron Atienza on the Paul McCartney mission that modified his life
And what a gig it turned out to be. A secret present on the iconic Abbey Highway Studios, in none aside from Studio Two, the place the Beatles recorded the lion’s share of their work. McCartney would serenade us with songs from the Beatles, Wings and his solo initiatives, regaling us with tales from his Studio Two days. It was an intimate present for household, shut pals and a handful of die-hard followers, one thing Spotify had by no means executed earlier than. And there I used to be, directing the entire shebang like a madman—seven cameras, three multimedia codecs and a coronary heart stuffed with adrenaline.
Nevertheless it wasn’t simply the gig itself that made it so pivotal in my profession. No, it was the individuals I met alongside the best way. Individuals like Amber Grimes, working artist relations at Spotify, who would go on to turn out to be a pricey buddy and colleague. She was within the room with McCartney’s instant household, together with his spouse Nancy, his children Stella and James, together with a few of McCartney’s pals: Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp and even J.J. Abrams, who left his “Star Wars” set to return and revel! Via the director’s screens, I observed Amber grooving with Johnny, and I knew I needed to get a two-shot of them. After the gig, I texted her the screenshot, and he or she replied that I had simply turn out to be her greatest man for her future marriage ceremony. Ha!
That directing gig was pivotal in my profession, not solely as a result of I used to be working with a luminary like Paul McCartney, however as a result of it led to extra work with him down the road.
Quick-forward to a yr later, and I get a name from Amber providing me a job to hitch Capitol Data to assist oversee their inventive groups. I imply, come on—a Filipino-American music govt is uncommon air, and there are only some of us. Now I get to work with a report label that has housed a few of the biggest musicians of all time. Am I dreaming?
And that’s not even the very best half. I set to work with Paul McCartney once more, main the inventive cost on the advertising and marketing initiatives for his album “McCartney III.” We ended up profitable a Clio Award for the nice stuff we have been doing on the marketing campaign, and I even creative-directed a music video the place we digitally de-aged him to seem like he stepped straight out of Beatlemania. However the alternatives didn’t cease there.
