Career Success Interview: Ed Tommasi, "Gringos for Hire" Exec Producer

By now, there’s a good chance you’ve seen “Gringos for Hire,” Universal Cargo Management’s funny new video from commercial video production. If you haven’t, you can watch at the bottom of this blog.

We caught up with the mind behind this video–Ed Tommasi, Executive Producer at FaceHead Media–to ask him about the creation of the video, film production, working with UCM, and more.

Here are the results of that interview:

Q: Ed, you and your company created the “Gringos for Hire” video for UCM; what inspired the idea for this video?

• The world business market is so different than it was just a couple years ago and if you don’t stay up with the changing times, you’re going to get lost behind. These days, we are hiring more and more from outside the US. So we tried to take a unique approach to an everyday situation.

Q: What was he process of making this video like?

• With any video Facehead Media produces we first look at the overall concept of the video and decide who on our team would creatively be the best fit. From there, we start building the production from the ground up. It’s the tiniest details that are often times MOST important.

Q: Have you received much feedback on the “Gringos for Hire” video?

• Everyone we’ve shared the video with loves it. It’s a fun storyline that’s fast paced enough to keep the audience interested the whole time.

Q: Tell us a little about your company.

• The heart of Facehead Media is outside-the-box, radically creative video content. We sincerely believe that if people are meant to watch something, it should entertain, inform and inspire… and that’s our goal. We’re passionate about creating fun, sharable content whether that be a commercial, music video or feature film. Our team works hand in hand with clients and ad agencies to deliver media that exceeds expectations and engages the potential audience.

Q: It seems you have a wide range of project types from music videos and commercials to feature films, as well as working in different genres from comedy to horror. Would you say Facehead Media has a specialty?

• We LOVE comedy. It’s the easiest way to communicate with people and get a message across. We believe in having fun, and we think it translates into our work.

Q: How did you get started in film production?

• I first started as an intern at a production company in NY and eventually was offered a position within the company. From that point I tried to learn and experience as much as possible with the production world. I’ve worked in everything from casting, feature film financing, producing, and probably every other position on set you can imagine.

Q: What is your favorite project you’ve worked on?

• I’d say my favorite project is a fitness company trailer that hasn’t been released yet. It was so big and ridiculous in size, that we were able to really have fun with the script and message. We even went out and rented a real bear skin rug, bear head and all. Here are some pics from set.

Q: Do you have any big projects coming up we should keep our eyes open for?

• We’re in pre-production on a feature film at the moment. We’re finishing up casting now and should be on set shooting within the next 6 weeks.

Q: I hear you actually used to work for UCM; what was your role here?

• I was a part of the sales team.

Q: What was the best and worst parts of working for UCM?

• 100% the best part about working for UCM was working for Devin. He is one of the most brilliant and creative businessmen I know and a generous friend and mentor. Coming into work for someone like Devin is great. It’s one thing when a company says that they care about their employees and another thing when they TRULY do… like UCM!

Q: Why did you leave?

• It was an incredible opportunity that Devin and Shirley gave me and I learned a lot, but in the end, production was always on my heart.

Q: What advice would you give a shipper talking to a freight forwarder salesperson?

• That getting the LOWEST price should not be the MOST important thing. While yes, it’s important, I think the relationship is more important. Knowing you can connect with your freight forwarder anytime you want is really important. I think the term, you get what you pay for, can apply here. So make sure prices are competitive, but also make sure you believe and trust what the salesperson is saying.

Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue a career in film production?

• Just do it! I hear a lot of people talk about wanting to try it, but not nearly as many people who just do it. Learn from experience…

Q: If a company wanted to hire you to create a video for them, how would they go about doing that?

• The best first step is simply emailing us. We can help develop a concept and then implement it. Ed@FaceheadMedia.com

Q: If you were exporting or importing cargo, let’s say production equipment, what company would you use to handle your shipment?

• From first hand experience, there is no one I would trust more than Devin and UCM.

I just had to check and make sure that was your answer.

Q: Finally, if a tree fell in the woods and no one was there to hear it fall, how would you tell that tree’s story on film?

• Egh… I’d say it sounds like a slow story that might make me fall asleep. Do you have any ideas about a hunter or meat factory? We’d also accept time travel or fan made sequels to the popular tv series LOST.

Thank you very much, Ed, for taking the time to answer a few questions for us.

For more about Ed and FaceHead Media, you can visit FaceHeadMedia.com.

Below is “Gringos for Hire” in case you haven’t seen it yet or just want to watch it again.