Chris Mottola is in his fifth decade as a Republican media consultant, with nearly 400 campaigns under his belt - including seven presidential campaigns and working with eleven US Seantors and six governors. His client list includes the highest echelons of GOP names like Bush, Dole, McCain, Giuliani, Specter, Rubio, Pataki, Sununu, Frist & many more. In this conversation, we talk his nearly lifelong passion for film, the non-political techniques he's brought to his political work, what drew him into campaigns, lessons learned from some of the smartest operatives who preceded him, and the stories behind some of his most memorable campaigns and effective TV ads.
IN THIS EPISODE
Chris’s roots as a Philly kid…
The movie that ignited Chris’s passion for film at age 7…
Chris breaks down his embrace of “formalism” in filmmaking…
A memorable first press conference in his first real political job…
Handling over 50 spots in one cycle as a young NRCC production staffer…
Chris tells lessons learned from legendary admakers Bob Goodman and Charles Guggenheim…
Chris on the influence of “his favorite person on campaigns" , pollster Arthur Finkelstein…
Chris talks some of his signature wins in Wisconsin and Florida as he establishes himself as a media consultant…
Chis explains how a narrow loss to Patty Murray in the 1992 Washington Senate race that spurred his growth as a consultant…
Chris’s work for longtime PA Senator Arlen Specter and the drama around his 2009 party switch…
Chris’s time riding the campaign bus with Bob Dole in 1996…
Chris on his work for colorful Montana Senator Conrad Burns…
The story behind Chris’s creation of the first gay rights spot for a Republican Senator…
Three techniques that make Chris’s spots a little different…
Chris’s 1970s moonlighting as an offensive football guru…
How Chris embraced women voiceover artists…
Why Philadelphia over-indexes on political media consultants and production talent…
AND 80/20 questions, Adagio for Strings, JJ Balaban, the barbers’ union, Brian Bellick, Ed Blakely, Don Bonker, Bertolt Brecht, Tom Brokaw, Buckely v. Valeo, the C&S Club, the Capitol Hill Club, Jimmy Carter, Alex Castellanos, Ronald Castille, Rod Chandler, commuter schools, Gary Cooper, Earl Cox, Mouse Davis, Dickens’ novels, Fund for a Conservative Majority, David Garth, Tony Earl, Wilson Goode, Rod Goodwin, Bill Green, Gary Hart, Jesse Helms, Bernard Herrman, Edward Hopper, the Houston Gamblers, Asa Hutchinson, Peter Jennings, Andi Johnson, Ted Kennedy, laundry lists of grievances, Connie Mack, Buddy MacKay, Joseph Mankiewicz, David Marsden, George McGovern, Sally Mercer, Michealangelo’s Pieta, Jack Mudd, Mike Murphy, Patty Murray, Neil Newhouse, old auctioneers, Neil Oxman, George Pataki, pearl clutching, potato peelers, Hester Prynne, Jerry Rafshoon, Dan Rather, Resonance Theory, the run-and-shoot, Tony Schwartz, Doc Schweitzer, seersucker suits, Judy Shepard, Matthew Shepard, Saul Shorr, Don Sipple, Gordon Smith, Bob Squier, Greg Stevens, stick time, Temple University, Tommy Thompson, Pat Toomey, the Voight-Kampff test, Bill Walsh, the World Football League, you bet....& more!