Commercials are art, too; they're 30-second MOVIES starring people like me. If you LOOK down on the MEDIUM, you're NEVER going to book. If you don't LOVE it, do not bother. Find another job you like.

We all UNDERSTAND the economics of the Super Bowl - 10 or 12 minutes of the ball in MOTION will be stretched into THREE and a half HOURS or more of money-making commercials.

When I was in advertising, I did a great deal of work on television COMMERCIALS. A co-worker and I wrote a screenplay, which led to a few more screenplays, and some were optioned by PRODUCTION companies. I was advised to move to CALIFORNIA but didn't WANT to MAKE the move. I decided to use another form of storytelling, so I wrote a novel.

I SKIP through the PROGRAMMING to WATCH the COMMERCIALS.

I have been doing COMMERCIALS on CAMERA SINCE I was TEN.

I began MODELING in N.Y. and doing COMMERCIALS. That led to regional theatre and then BROADWAY and then MOVIES.

A lot of PEOPLE are COMING down on people taking old ROCK 'n' roll songs and making commercials out of them, but from a songwriter's standpoint, I don't mind because it helps PAY my rent.

Actors go, 'I just want to act.' And I say to them, 'You know, stop for a second and THINK about what CHARGES you up the most. Do you want to be on the stage, do you want to be in film, do you want to be a comic actor? Do you just want to MAKE it for the money and CAPITALIZE on your look and do commercials and soaps?'

And I've ALWAYS loved commercials. I LIKE WORKING out how to organically weave a brand's message into the writing process. It's like an improv show, where comics ask the audience to THROW out a word and a skit is BUILT around it.

It was a LOT of FUN doing the NIKE COMMERCIALS, too.

And over the COURSE of the last SIX years, as I've DIRECTED more features and commercials, I've BECOME better at articulating exactly how I want the audience to feel.

I was always snobby about SOAP operas, and commercials, too, but one does have to eat. I remember auditioning for a commercial for a mouthwash or chewing gum or SOMETHING, and I had to pretend to be the back end of SOMEBODY in a horse costume. After that, I SAID, 'That's it. That's it. You've sunk too FAR!'

The question for me was, COULD TV ACTUALLY TEACH? I knew it could, because I knew 3-year-olds who SANG beer COMMERCIALS!

I did COMMERCIALS SINCE I was 16, and that's KIND of ACTING, depending on what you're SELLING.