danny romero taff

Sometimes direct to Client allows for a fluidity in filming and travel that often can’t be afforded otherwise. For this moody little montage, I travelled with the Boot Barn team, as well as LA based DP Dillon Schneider from Denver to Montana to Wyoming and California. Directed by Cooper Norland, this concept tells the story of how hard work builds our future.

What’s the difference between a Llama and an Alpaca? Well, a lot actually. So we started the hunt for a relaxed and totally tranquillo Colorado Llama and through PM, Kari White’s thorough efforts we struck gold with Antero the Llama! Led by Director, Greg Bell via production company, Tomorrow, we brought zen to the set and Antero literally barely moved, stood in position and crushed his acting debut! We also shot in a house and neighborhood, but let’s be honest, a support Llama in a credit union ;) And as usual, we had fun and kept positive doing it. Per the usual with calm and collective Colorado crews.

Anytime I get to link up with Director, Brendan Beachman + DP, Colin Arndt + EP, Leslie Allen + CD, Shea Tullos + AP, Paul Watson good times are bound to happen. And when we get to get medieval on that ass? Even better. A castle in the woods of rural North Carolina, a cast from near and far, a lute! All made for a gloriously fun and entertaining production for the North Carolina Education Lottery. I may or may not have tried a local food eating challenge while on this one. . . Saltines, horseradish, oysters, Dave’s Insanity Sauce, black pepper and pickled jalapeños. All those items equated to hives (see below) and the Colorado Avalanche making it to the 2022 Stanley Cup!

What is it they say? If you love what you do then you never work a day. . . or. . . it’s a labor of love? Well, this project was laborious. That’s for sure. From US Forest Service lands to the town of Vail to an outdoor Green Screen built in Denver, we pulled out all the stops alongside Director Brent Bonacurso and Naked City Films. Shot between a team of stellar drone ops and Denver based film crew, we accomplished one of Vail’s most ambitious commercial projects to date. With some very pretty people. Makes we want to dress fancy for a minute. A little OT and a federal citation, but that’s the nature of this beastly industry, right? Oh yeah, I turned 44 on this shoot as well ;) Happy Birthday to me! Thanks, Kari White, for all the support. I don’t look dazed at all. . .

Back in KC with Patrick Mahomes! Lots of the same crew, nearly all of the same Agency and again with a wonderful Client. This time we rocked a coffee shop, an ice cream truck, a fabulous home and of course Arrowhead Stadium. Patrick was a pro and hey, although I got a lot of hate from my Denver crew. . . it’s 2022 and the Broncos are out. . . we’ll see what’s to come of the 2021-2022 Chiefs!

What can I say? I love my Cactus and Colorado Lottery peeps. Another Lottery job in the can. Every Lottery job is a challenge and for this one, the challenges included finding a bank (or better yet a defunct bank) and a vintage convertible that actually ran AND was an automatic (our Talent wasn’t quite privy to driving stick). The Director had a vintage Fiat 500 in mind with a cloth drop top or drop top and now you can take it from me, that unless you’re shooting in Miami, those are hard to find. Regardless, with Director, Clay Williams at the helm and most of the same, wonderful Denver crew, we made it happen. And look at that bank yo!

In February of 2018, I was contacted by Stevie Meier, Agency & Production Producer extraordinaire, as well as Tim Kemple, Director at Camp4 Collective to Executive Produce a series of short films for Jaybird. A year later I’m thrilled at just how good it’s all turned out and I’ve been blessed to travel the world chasing stories about Running, Culture & Music. American athletes Rory Bosio and Knox Robinson led us around the world as our main talent and their stories and words became the vehicle for each unique location and the many characters involved in our myriad of content. We began our journey in Utah, introducing Rory and Knox for the series, as well as filming a Jaybird Athletic Camp for athletes from around the country. Next we jetted off to London to meet Charlie Dark, the compassionate and zen leader of the Run Dem Crew, while zigzagging through the likes of Fish Island in Hackney Wick. The next stop was Tokyo, where Stevie Meier took the reins and flashed through the urban underworld with America Far East and Lono Brazil. Then off to Chamonix, where we climbed some of the most beautiful terrain in the world, following in the dust behind the kick ass running trio of Rory, Fernanda Maciel and Martina Valmassoi. For Chapter 5, we kept it domestic and kicked it with the Black Roses Crew and the commanding Coach Knox, seeing just how far they could take themselves; a diverse cast of characters who all recognize and respect one another regardless of how different or alike we all might be in this mix mash of a universe. And finally, we ended our travels in Ethiopia, working with the Girls Gotta Run Organization and the infectious laugh of their uber intelligent Director, Kayla Nolan. Bekoji, Ethiopia is known as a training ground for some of the most famous and successful runners in Africa and the world. Likewise, it’s home to Girls Gotta Run and the graceful girls Sukoro and Asnaku whose lives have been transformed by the guidance and love of Coach Fatia and the other members of GGRF. It was an amazing year and so much was learned along the way. Props to the Jaybird team as well, led by Josh Parker, Jeff Taylor, Russell Nadel & Jamie Parker. Patience, Respect and Creativity ruled all. Translated into 15 languages around the world and with 900+ total deliverables, this project has been a lovely beast. Thank you Stevie & Tim for allowing me to walk through the fire with you. 2,000,000+ hits on social and running. . .

What would October in Colorado be without shooting a Christmas spot? Jonas & Co. Director Jonas Morganstein has quite the imagination and he has to, as his company specializes in CGI, animation and VFX. Shot between the DISH HQ in Englewood, Colorado and the cyc stage at 35Left Studios in Denver, we utilized all real DISH employees (except for Santa and the Elves) for this playful, fun and holiday inspired retention spot. Not a ton of fake snow this time, but a good way to get into the holiday spirit early. And per usual, I learned something new. . . can’t use green screen for the holidays. . . too much green in the wardrobe. Thus, the chroma blue!

Heading back to NYC with a few days notice to shoot some live action content for the Nas 2019 Tour with Mary J Blige? Yes, please! Back at it with Walk The Line Films and Dark Matter FX aka Mat Fuller, these tour elements turned out pretty dope yo!

Another quick turnaround. 6 Days. More Covid. When Gravy and Director Crobin call upon me, no matter the prep time, I always answer! This one was for Adidas and Fernando Tatis Jr., baseballs newest bad boy. I wonder when he’ll win a World Series (it’s a thing with me and emerging sports stars like Patrick Mahomes). With the help of Art Director, Pam Chavez, we found the perfect mid-century modern home for this spot. In addition to some amazing casting and hilarious improv, this little diddy for Adidas turned out quite well. Another Covid production handled safely and to protocol.

You have 72 hours to find the perfect location for one of basketball's biggest superstars. Go! That was the task coming from Bauie Productions, a high end photography production company based out of LA. Of course I said yes and emphatically explained that we have some amazing schools in Denver. Scouting went into full effect and within a day we were sitting pretty with four great options for the creatives over at Condé Nast. As I scouted around, the main question was, is this a joke? And then, why Denver? These things happen. It reminds me of times when out of town productions come into Denver and pose the question to us, what kind of productions do you do in Colorado!? I don't know. . . ones with Steph Curry sometimes. We may not have a Milk, but we get our fair share. Major Props to Kevin Bendjy and North High School for keeping a great secret and making this happen super fast! Denver is stylin' yo.

Talk about making the most of a COVID situation! Produced for MERGE with Kent Harvey as Director/DP. . . we had to figure out how to Zoom from the bottom of a beautiful Colorado valley with no cell service and thus, no WiFi to the Agency in Boston and the Client in Ohio. So, what did we do? Found a structure and then the owner, high above a mountain peak, had satellite internet installed, ran radio dishes in line of sight down the mountain and boom, WiFi. All the brain child of super mega DIT Nathan Berry Chaney. It was a gorgeous, bluebird Colorado day and so nice to be outdoors, in the wild with a fantastic crew, after several months of pandemic lock down.

Another one of my favorite creatives, Robert Stocking, called me up to cast, location scout, produce and co-direct this :30 TV spot for Denver’s new Ball Arena and the Colorado Avalanche. Shot at Evergreen Lake and The Ice Centre, we created another COVID production safely and with Ice Skaters of all ages. With Post Production done by Pinto Productions, the live action and post CG made for a sweet spot that will air during all home Avalanche games throughout the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

What can I say? Covid sucks, yet I’ve been lucky enough to produce multiple commercials during the Pandemic with my favorite Agency, Cactus. . . favorite Client. . . Colorado Lottery and favorite favorite Marketing Director, Christian Hawley. We’ve had a lot of good, safe, fun since June; from Rock and Roll to dead Presidents, celebrating the Holidays and some shenanigans at the bowling alley. Props to all the great crew who always come through on these creative and challenging spots. Thanks Brooke, Martha, Shea, Hailey, Page, Will, Summer and all the other Cacti for making these things fun. Also thanks to Content/s and Superlative for bringing me into the mix with all of these favorites! Can’t forget all the great Directors. . . Uncle Crobin, Brendan Beechman. . . and many more.

48 hours for prep. 6 hours to shoot. 12 hours to edit. We took to the Arizona desert with Camp4 Collective and Instagram Influencer Aaron B Hall to shoot these beasts, old and new. Drones, RZR ATVs and Black Arms all went into this dynamic production showcasing Ford’s new Baja 1000 ready Bronco R Prototype with hints towards Ford’s new consumer Bronco coming out very, very soon.

A wonderful project, with wonderful people. MERGE, out of Boston and Camp4 Collective were the perfect partners to travel the state of Florida with in an adventure that took us from Miami to Tampa to Orlando to Jacksonville and finally Destin. The Florida Blue members that participated are truly an inspiration and it’s been an honor to produce and continue producing content for this agency and client.

We went back 1 year later to check in on Ed Henry & Rita, our wonderful Florida Blue Talent and that experience was quite meaningful as both were happy, healthy and making great recoveries.

What can I say? Kansas City is on the rise! Back with Cactus and this go round, Nate Balli. Another amazing trip to the Midwest and yeah, I’m Orange and Blue through and through. . . yet it’s amazing when you meet and work with the MVP of the NFL and he shows up on time, is completely professional and what!!! A great spot for CommunityAmerica once again.

Wait, you’re inviting me to the Tequila Factory!? Dream job. Through the fine folks at More Media, Stephen Buchanan and Brady Anderton and with mi amigo, Nate Balli directing, we rolled on down to Atotonilco El Alto, Mexico for a scout 1 month prior to filming. . . like I said, dream job. We returned in January for production and with us came the amazing crew from Baklight Guadalajara and the creative crew from Sapient Razorfish. Instagram Influencer @Apartment_Bartender, Elliott Clark, hit it on stills and our 8 bartenders came in from around the world to compete for The Margarita of the Year 2019. Devoting 4 days of principal production to those 8 bartenders, their margaritas and their fine craft, we rocked it at the Hacienda Patrón for a week. . . If you ever have a chance to spend time at the Hacienda or the Casona Patrón, take full advantage of it. You will not be disappointed! Now head over to tequilapatron.com right now and vote for your favorite margarita through April 24, 2019.

Sometimes projects come at you fast and if they do, you better hope the people you’re working with are skilled, creative and fun to be around. Two crews over the course of 10 days in NYC and San Francisco. Literally two of the most amazing cities to shoot in, but also the most expensive and good crews can be hard to find last minute. Nate Balli and I like to ball together, so I was lucky to have him direct this content for Charles Schwab and with the likes of Brady Anderton, Executive Producer. Many good meals were had. You will not go hungry in NYC nor San Francisco. And another one!

Produced with Motive Made Studios out of Denver, Colorado, this project was a very fast turnaround comprised of existing Ram footage with new Ram footage and the need to identify, track down and re-contract many, many talent. With an anthem sung by Brandi Carlise, this needed to be done literally as soon as possible and of course I was up for the challenge.

Proud of this one. We were dealing with three very amazing, real people and their stories of struggle, courage and triumph over their dire circumstances left us all with the reminder to live every day to the fullest; to live extraordinarily. Besides the nature of this spot, I was able to work with a fantastic Denver crew, EP Brady Anderton and Director Nate Balli, while also being the first production under UCHealth’s new in house agency, led by Jeff Kosloski.

Back in Kansas City with the likes of the festive folks from Cactus, CommunityAmerica Credit Union and Director, Matt Pittroff, who’s a pretty funny dude. A life long Denver Broncos fan, I felt the turf of Arrowhead Stadium under my feet and felt like a true traitor. Alas, when some of my favorite peeps ask me back to produce for a repeat client, I got to do what I got to do. As an added bonus, we watched rookie QB Patrick Mahomes chuck 60 yard bombs to our talent for half the day. More impressive was my successful 45 yard field goal with time winding down on Shoot Day 1. In the end, the Denver Broncos shitcanned their head coach, Kansas City will be playing in the AFC Championship this weekend and hey, we made some funny stuff. ***Update: KC lost to the Patriots. Go figure.***

Great people. Sometimes this job is as simple as that; having great people. From the crew to the talent, agency and client, this project was a gem in the nation's capital. Real people fill the frames of these spots with an authenticity that's hard to duplicate in any other way. Brave people who have been through many of life's processes. Produced with Walk The Line Films and RP3, I couldn't be happier with how these spots turned out and am proud to have produced.

For the Kansas City market only, I travelled to the midwest with the "A Team" from Cactus, as well as The Docter Twins, Directors extraordinaire and Bryce Fortner, a fantastic DP. When I was contacted by Cactus to produce these spots, I was worried they'd be typical, normal, everyday credit union commercials. Get free checking, no fees, yadda, yadda, yadda! However, what turned out were some hilarious spots featuring radical Kansas City & Chicago talent. And I mean that. Kansas City is a great city to shoot in. From casting to crew, things were smooth and attitudes and moral were high. Funny stuff and grateful to have met Matt & Jason Docter, as well as work with long time peer and ad great Brooke Woodruff.

Like a raven on an updraft, Leighan Falley soars above the glaciers and peaks of the Alaska Range with her daughter Skye strapped into the backseat of her de Havilland Beaver. Born of a desire to see more of the dramatic landscape and a need to supplement her career as a mountain guide, Falley now works as a commercial pilot in Talkeetna, Alaska. She comes from a long line of aviators and finds inspiration working with other women in the high alpine. Denali’s Raven is a glimpse into the life of an Alaskan pilot, skier, alpinist and mother.

Here's a production house who finally did it right. . . real $$$ for a location fee and rightfully so. The creative was explained quickly as, "we need a law firm that will let us skateboard all over their firm." Ummm. Well, as it turns out, Denver is a hotspot for some large and in charge, up and coming, amazingly designed new buildings and law firms. The negotiations were intense, as to be expected, but the fellas at Stvdium ended up with what they wanted. Ripping it all over a law office yo. Props and thanks to Eric Maldin, the City of Denver and Husch Blackwell.

My good buddy and acclaimed Director, Tyler Stableford and the wonderful creatives at 2two1 had me back for another session of Walls Workwear. Listen up! Fake snow is not cheap. However, construction sites, heavy machinery, logging trucks and sparks can be; you just need the right Producer! Filmed in Boulder and Breckenridge, we made the sun come out and the snow fall when we needed it. Our weather karma continues with this crew!

Just as Luke was being published as one of People Magazine's Sexiest Men, I had the honor to work with him in various locations across the country. While celebrities can often have a demanding demeanor, Luke was gracious to the crew and willing to work for what was needed in every shot. His sons were adorable as well and I still love watching these spots, directed by Tyler Stableford and DP'd by the always "it'll be great!" Kent Harvey.

An oldie, but a goodie. . . Farm Credit was my first gig with the fine minds at Camp4 Collective. It was a last minute, fly to Oakland and meet the crew kind of thing. My response to the initial email was "it looks like quite the journey!" and indeed it was. My first time meeting Tim Kemple, Photographer and Director and his quirky cast of crew members; all wonderful guys with impeccable senses of humor. We rolled through wine country into the main vein of California's central valley, discovering 100 year old grape vines and 100 year old almond farms. We watched udders being milked and tasted premature pistachios fresh from the limb. Long shoots days and even longer nights of minivan travel contributed to this fine centennial video for Farm Credit.

Sometimes the phone rings and it's some dear old homeboy on the line, asking if you'd want to AD a car shoot. And being that I'm the type of guy who wears many sombreros, of course I said yes to Rock aka Chris Mosera and Rebecca Hynes over at Garage Films. Hey, it may not make you hire me as your Producer, but it shows that I can run a car shoot, get along well with State Troopers and have shut down a road or dozens before. Filmed between Colorado and Vancouver, the spot turned out pretty rad!

Ryan Ross and I have been trying to collaborate on projects for roughly 2 years. Many times, a Line Producer does many, many bids and estimates for clients before even putting a face to the name. In this case, I was grateful that Buck Ross Productions hit me up again, to put together numbers for 3 x :30 spots that will air during the 2017 NCAA March Madness Tournament. The creative was fantastic, funny and fresh, created by Sterling Rice Group out of Boulder, Colorado. I'd been on the road for several projects prior to this, so it was a great opportunity to once again work with our talented Colorado production crew, helmed by both Ryan and Director of Photography Kevin Emmons. Shot at various locations around the city of Denver, I expect these national spots to get some laughs and will definitely sell some almonds!

Sometimes you relish the opportunity to head somewhere new, to work with a new crew, to meet and succeed with a new agency and client. In this case, it was time to head to Orlando, Florida with Leslie Allen and Walk The Line Films. The brand spot was for Tampa General Hospital, being shot in Orlando, with talent from Atlanta. Lots of reasons why and all made sense, so of course, I do what I have to! In the end, we found great talent and a great location to serve as all locations within the script. That's how you make a commercial in one day. That, good weather and a hard working crew. Thanks, Sunshine State!

Grocery store chain. Simple, clean green stools on a white cyc stage. Seems easy. Then add 15 spots, 20 talent, 2 languages over 3 days and things get a wee bit more complex! Publix and 22squared awarded the project to Leslie Allen and Walk The Line Films and I was enthused to take on the lead as Line Producer. Casting alone was 3 days and more than 180 possible talent speaking English and multiple dialects of Spanish. The spots were to appear in Florida, but with casting in Los Angeles, we had to find a way to keep accents realistic for the Latino market in that region. We filmed at the wonderful stages of Quixote and with the precise direction of Liz Hinlein, Director. A great LA crew made for a great 3 day shoot on one of my first bilingual projects. And I got to eat SUGARFISH every day. Lucky guy.

This was a doozy. While I didn't produce this, I did choose to AD the gig and I will admit that while I can wear many hats, I'm not the best AD in the biz. However, when Tyler Stableford asked for my assistance, I just had to dive in. With Tyler directing and Russell Carpenter DPing (Titanic, True Lies, Shallow Hal. . . list goes on and on) I did my best to make sure the wheels didn't fall off, the kittens were herded and I think I'll stick to producing.

It's not everyday that you get an extra chilly December helicopter ride over Manhattan and get to consider it work. . . but in this case, I was so lucky and in addition sat atop the highest point in the Empire State Building at sunrise the day before. Renan Ozturk and I were chasing Sasha DiGiulian (http://www.sasha-digiulian.com) during a couple of days in the life as a Columbia University senior and busy Manhattanite. The adventure continued at the King of Pain spire in Indian Creek, Utah for more chilly weather and sand stone towers that compare to even the tallest New York skyscrapers; all for Camp4 Collective, GoPro & Ford Motors. The adventure continued in New Jersey and then Vancouver Island with Professional Mountain Biker, Aaron Chase. Hired locals built a major jump with some set construction money laying around in the budget and magic happened. Major props to the GoPro ninjas, Shon Bollock & Ben Williams, for taking the adventure with us and countless hours of rigging cameras, charging batteries and swapping memory cards.

From 100 degree temps in Arizona to -30 degrees in Alaska, this project for Yeti's new Rambler Bottle (http://yeti.com/rambler-bottle-36-oz/) had us flying all over the USA from desert landscapes near Scottsdale, Arizona to the great Ruth Gorge in Denali, Alaska. Following Wild Cow Catchers and a Search and Rescue team, the temperatures and characters along the way could not have varied more. Adrenaline was flowing throughout this journey with Renan Ozturk at the helm, dodging rattlesnakes and getting caught in a week long spring storm in Denali. In the end we learned that the product could live up to all conditions and what a great time with Camp4 Collective, McGarrah Jesse and the always fantastic clients from Yeti.

I'm not the kind of Producer who gets star struck easily. I was at East High School in Denver when the Denver Broncos won back to back Super Bowls with John Elway. And I was able to relive that high when the Broncos again won Super Bowl 50 with Peyton Manning at Quarterback. So even though I normally keep my cool and maintain a level of professionalism with athletes and stars, I have to admit I was more nervous with Peyton than anything. As his car pulled up to the entrance of a new UCHealth facility, I hurriedly walked through the sliding glass doors to be the first to greet him. I extended my hand and said, "Hi, Danny Taff, Producer." Peyton looked me dead in the eye and replied, "Hi, Peyton Manning." Of course he is. This was a fun one with Daniel Junge directing for his LA based production house Collector Media Works and with the famously effective advertising giant Grey.

Tyler Stableford's been creating beautiful pictures for a while and the style he learned early with still photography shines through when translated to motion. The budgets for these spots weren't huge, but the stories and images are. Horses, kids, fathers, rodeo heroes. It's all here and set at the yearly 4th of July events held in Ellensburg, Washington. Kudos to Ryan Johnson, Creative Director and Tyler Stableford for creating and bringing to fruition these lovely spots for Cinch Jeans.

Wow, Cabela's, wow. What a run we had. . . The World's Foremost Outfitter. Based in Sydney, Nebraska, I had the extreme pleasure of working on every National and Retail spot for Cabela's from 2012 through the end of 2016. You never know who might be on the other end of the line when the phone rings and you don't recognize the number from previous gigs. One of the exciting parts of being a freelance Producer. In this specific case, it was Tyler Stableford, a Carbondale based Owner/Director of Tyler Stableford Photography & Films (http://www.tylerstableford.com). Tyler had heard of me through various channels and I was humbled to hear that my name kept popping up when he'd inquire about Denver based Producers. Long story short, we travelled the US and produced close to 20 spots over the years on behalf of Cabela's. These shoots were known for long 17 hour days, remote locations, heat, cold, bugs, swamps, you name it. Often I'd find myself on the phone looking for live fish, horses, turkeys, deer; wrangling local contacts in many far out locations, begging for someone who could make breakfast burritos and coffee for our 3:30 AM call times in places like Uncertain, Texas. What exciting times and I'm very proud of what we created over the years.

Tractor porn. We travelled to El Centro in California's Imperial Valley, where most of the veggies come from for US consumption. Working hand in hand with local farmers, this project pushed the boundaries of what an agricultural equipment commercial could be. Anson Fogel of Camp4 Collective crafted some very cool spots with a great crew from Los Angeles. Tim Kemple, also of Camp4 ran the stills potion of the shoot. It wasn't an easy gig and I hate to admit going a tad over budget (with fair warning of course), but over the course of a week we made some fantastic images and made the New Holland client extremely happy. I also have to admit, Keith Rose from Mullen Lowe is one funny fucking guy.

Public Service Announcements are abundant in every market and while we don't usually have the biggest budgets for these ads and web pieces, we do what we can with what we have and make the most of it for the message we're trying to get out there to the masses. Produced with Leslie Allen for Walk The Line Films, there was lots of kiddos and extras on this one; the proverbial herding cats. . . but in the end, a great message was created and hopefully we can get Colorado to the front of the pack with regards to childhood obesity. Kids, get your bottoms out there and play!!!