Joe Pytka
Encyclopedia
Joe Pytka is a famous American television commercial director and restaurateur. He has directed over 5,000 TV commercials and owned a French Bistro called Bastide that was in operation for over 9 years in the West Hollywood area. Several of the commercial’s Pytka has directed over his 30 year career have aired on the Super bowl and he’s maintained advertising partnerships with Nike
, McDonald’s and Pepsi
, among many others. Pytka also serves on the board of an interactive digital media company called DeskSite
.
narrated by Orson Welles
and a forerunner to music videos called High Flying Bird, featuring Steve McQueen
in a four-wheel-drive truck traveling Mexican landscapes. Soon, he began shooting commercials to finance the documentaries.
and Wayne Gretsky, he has directed some 30 Super Bowl ads as well as numerous documentaries. Pytka made his first foreign speaking engagement in 1987 when he flew to Sweden
to speak at the Nordic Commercial Film Festival, on his way to Sweden, Pytka got engaged to his wife, Emmanuelle.
, Pepsi
, McDonald’s and NFL have aired more than 30 times during the Super Bowl.
infamous Pepsi commercial, “Make a Wish,” which was subsequently pulled after a fuss over a Madonna music video, a frying egg demonstrating “This is your brain on drugs”
; Ray Charles’
“Uh-huh” for Pepsi; an archaeology dig discovering a Coke bottle for Pepsi; Larry Bird
and Michael Jordan doing “Nothing but Net” for McDonald’s; Bo Jackson’s
“Bo knows” for Nike
; chimpanzees yelling out famous movie lines, like, “I’m mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!” for HBO, and Ed and Frank of Bartles & James saying, “thank you for your support.” As a filmmaker, Pytka directed Let It Ride starring Richard Dreyfuss
, and the hit Space Jam with Jordan and Bugs Bunny
. He’s also made music videos such as The Beatles “Free as a Bird”, John Lennon’s
“Starting Over”, Michael Jackson’s
“Dirty Diane” and “The Way You Make Me Feel”.
following September 11th, Pytka directed four of the NYC Miracle spots including Woody Allen
skating, Henry Kissinger
sliding into home plate, and Yogi Bear
conducting the Philharmonic. His influential branding encompasses Ray Charles’ “Uh-huh” for Pepsi; “This Is Your Brain on Drugs” PSA and superstar athletes Larry Bird and Michael Jordan in “Nothing but Net” for McDonald’s. He has earned three of the Director’s Guild of America’s Commercial Direction Awards and 14 nominations, the most for the category.
, Hallmark
, Infiniti, Apple
, AT&T
, Pepsi-Cola, Bartles & Jaymes, Polaroid, HBO (an Emmy winner), ESPN and Snickers, plus the movie "Space Jam" and the Beatles' "Free as a Bird" video. Pytka's uses of lighting, music, warm humor and emotional relationships won worldwide acclaim and established him as the most consistent master of the best in American TV commercial work.
Bastide shut down its operations several times over the last five years due to renovations and remodeling. The restaurant opened in 2002 and closed in 2006, reopened, and then closed again in 2008 to re-conceptualize. One year later, the restaurant reopened as an Assouline bookshop and French bistro combined. After 9 years of service, Bastide closed for good in August of 2010.
Pytka has also sold his Castillo del Lago mansion in Hollywood Hills for $7 million. This property was a 3-acre estate on a hillside overlooking Lake Hollywood. He bought the mansion from pop star Madonna in 1996 for $5.3 million, according to public records. In April of 2009, he had it listed at $14.95 million.
Nike
Nike may refer to:* Nike , Greek goddess who personifies victory**The Nike of Samothrace, an ancient statue of the goddess Nike* Nike, Inc., major U.S. manufacturer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment...
, McDonald’s and Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, among many others. Pytka also serves on the board of an interactive digital media company called DeskSite
DeskSite
DeskSite is a privately held media company based in Orange County, California. The company operates a video advertising network expressly designed to target television budgets from national advertisers...
.
Early Life
Pytka began his career at WRS Motion Picture and Video Lab in Pittsburgh, where he trained in editing, shooting, and recording techniques for the fledgling Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) in the 1960s and 70s. He then started shooting shows for WQED and working on documentaries including a documentary on air pollutionAir pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
narrated by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
and a forerunner to music videos called High Flying Bird, featuring Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
in a four-wheel-drive truck traveling Mexican landscapes. Soon, he began shooting commercials to finance the documentaries.
Professional Life
To date, Pytka has directed over 5,000 commercials and since his 1990 Nike commercial which featured superstar athletes like Michael JordanMichael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
and Wayne Gretsky, he has directed some 30 Super Bowl ads as well as numerous documentaries. Pytka made his first foreign speaking engagement in 1987 when he flew to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to speak at the Nordic Commercial Film Festival, on his way to Sweden, Pytka got engaged to his wife, Emmanuelle.
Awards
Pytka has won numerous awards and nominations including three Directors Guild of America Commercial Direction Awards and 15 nominations, the most for that category. Over the past three decades his commercials for clients such as BudweiserBudweiser
Budweiser is a German adjective describing something or someone from the city of České Budějovice in Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic.Beer brewing in České Budějovice dates back to the 13th century...
, Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, McDonald’s and NFL have aired more than 30 times during the Super Bowl.
Famous Work
Pytka work includes Madonna'sMadonna
-Entertainer:* Madonna , an American singer-songwriter and producer** Madonna , the singer's self-titled first album** Madonna , a music video collection-Other persons:...
infamous Pepsi commercial, “Make a Wish,” which was subsequently pulled after a fuss over a Madonna music video, a frying egg demonstrating “This is your brain on drugs”
This is Your Brain on Drugs
This Is Your Brain on Drugs was a large-scale US anti-narcotics campaign by Partnership for a Drug-Free America launched in 1987, that used two televised public service announcements and a related poster campaign.-1987 version:...
; Ray Charles’
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
“Uh-huh” for Pepsi; an archaeology dig discovering a Coke bottle for Pepsi; Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
and Michael Jordan doing “Nothing but Net” for McDonald’s; Bo Jackson’s
Bo Jackson
Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is a former American baseball and football player. He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 1985....
“Bo knows” for Nike
Nike
Nike may refer to:* Nike , Greek goddess who personifies victory**The Nike of Samothrace, an ancient statue of the goddess Nike* Nike, Inc., major U.S. manufacturer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment...
; chimpanzees yelling out famous movie lines, like, “I’m mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!” for HBO, and Ed and Frank of Bartles & James saying, “thank you for your support.” As a filmmaker, Pytka directed Let It Ride starring Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
, and the hit Space Jam with Jordan and Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
. He’s also made music videos such as The Beatles “Free as a Bird”, John Lennon’s
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
“Starting Over”, Michael Jackson’s
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
“Dirty Diane” and “The Way You Make Me Feel”.
Following September 11th
To encourage economic redevelopment of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
following September 11th, Pytka directed four of the NYC Miracle spots including Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
skating, Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
sliding into home plate, and Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually more popular than...
conducting the Philharmonic. His influential branding encompasses Ray Charles’ “Uh-huh” for Pepsi; “This Is Your Brain on Drugs” PSA and superstar athletes Larry Bird and Michael Jordan in “Nothing but Net” for McDonald’s. He has earned three of the Director’s Guild of America’s Commercial Direction Awards and 14 nominations, the most for the category.
History
Out of Pittsburgh with a blue-collar background, Pytka mastered cinema's documentary style before taking on commercial work. Applying his documentary techniques to the :30 and :60 TV discipline, Pytka's award-winning spots include TV treasures for NikeNike
Nike may refer to:* Nike , Greek goddess who personifies victory**The Nike of Samothrace, an ancient statue of the goddess Nike* Nike, Inc., major U.S. manufacturer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment...
, Hallmark
Hallmark
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals — platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium...
, Infiniti, Apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, Pepsi-Cola, Bartles & Jaymes, Polaroid, HBO (an Emmy winner), ESPN and Snickers, plus the movie "Space Jam" and the Beatles' "Free as a Bird" video. Pytka's uses of lighting, music, warm humor and emotional relationships won worldwide acclaim and established him as the most consistent master of the best in American TV commercial work.
Restaurant Business
Joe Pytka is the owner of a luxurious French bistro restaurant called Bastide located in West Hollywood.Bastide shut down its operations several times over the last five years due to renovations and remodeling. The restaurant opened in 2002 and closed in 2006, reopened, and then closed again in 2008 to re-conceptualize. One year later, the restaurant reopened as an Assouline bookshop and French bistro combined. After 9 years of service, Bastide closed for good in August of 2010.
Personal Properties
Pytka reportedly put his three-bedroom, three-bath Lloyd Wright house in The Oaks up for sale. It was a 1922 Taggart House. Pytka bought the property in 2002 for $1.195 million and at the time of selling listed it for $3.249 million.Pytka has also sold his Castillo del Lago mansion in Hollywood Hills for $7 million. This property was a 3-acre estate on a hillside overlooking Lake Hollywood. He bought the mansion from pop star Madonna in 1996 for $5.3 million, according to public records. In April of 2009, he had it listed at $14.95 million.