Sara D'Alessio McCarthy

This was one of two stunning yet challenging commercials I produced between India and Germany, showcasing how international team collaboration can demonstrate remarkable resourcefulness. Working with the German team highlighted their exceptional organization and streamlined processes, contrasting with the complexities we faced in India. The distinct cultural differences presented unique challenges, including varying languages, business practices, and crew expectations, all within a limited budget. Ultimately, this experience showcased the importance of each individual's contribution to enriching the production process and enhancing overall efficiency

Key Project Responsibilities:

Facilitating international crew and equipment travel, supporting agency and client travel, managing the production budget, building creative decks for clients, leading stakeholder meetings, nurturing cultural partnerships, establishing and upholding an intimate atmosphere for the director and talent to engage in their work, and orchestrating the management of multiple and challenging location transitions for the production.

This was one of two beautiful but demanding commercials I produced between India and Germany. The project thrived on collaboration between international teams and required extreme resourcefulness. The stark cultural contrasts provided unique challenges in navigating different languages and business practices, varying crew and vendor expectations, and a limited budget. This experience highlighted the importance of the people involved and how each individual enriches the production process.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Facilitating international crew and equipment travel, supporting agency and client travel, managing the production budget, building creative decks for client, leading stakeholder meetings, nurturing cultural partnerships, establishing and upholding an intimate atmosphere for the director and talent to engage in their work, and orchestrating the management of multiple and challenging location transitions for the production.

This long and complex project was shot between Los Angeles and Big Bear, California. It involved extensive location scouting and carefully orchestrating aircraft, drones, and boats to capture dynamic air-to-air footage and stunning water scenes with an underwater Director of Photography. By prioritizing safety throughout the entire process, from pre-production through the final shoot, we created an environment that enabled us to work effectively and efficiently, achieving the creative vision without compromising the well-being of our cast and crew.

Key Responsibilities:

Pre-production bidding and budget development, managing the production budget, facilitating travel for client and crew, developing creative, leading stakeholder meetings, implementing the use of multiple cameras, securing stunt coordinators and specialty aerial and water teams, managing a large production team and crew, enforcing safety protocol for cast and crew, and establishing and maintaining an efficient production schedule.

'Bejeweled' was one of three music videos produced simultaneously within three months, and we dedicated countless hours assembling the crew, creative elements, and stage builds. Coordinating the practical elements of this shoot in tandem with the VFX team proved to be the most difficult part of this pre-production and shoot. It was truly inspiring to witness Taylor Swift's imaginative concepts come to life, and I felt privileged to support her exceptionally skilled team throughout this dynamic process.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Pre-production bidding and budget development, managing the production budget, supporting the development of creative elements, leading stakeholder meetings, negotiating and securing stage rentals, building a schedule for grip and electric pre-rigging, supervising set builds, implementing the use of multiple cameras, coordinating large groups of talent and rehearsals, liaising with celebrity talent managers, securing stunt coordinators, safely implementing practical effects work, working alongside VFX team, managing and empowering a large production team and crew, and establishing and maintaining an efficient production schedule.

The shoot was a dynamic experience as I collaborated with Taylor Swift and her creative team. 'Anti-Hero' was one of three music videos produced simultaneously over a three-month period. It was exhilarating to witness Taylor Swift's imaginative concepts come to life, and I was honored to support her exceptionally talented team throughout the process.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Pre-production bidding and budget development, managing the production budget, supporting the development of creative elements, leading stakeholder meetings, negotiating and securing stage rentals, building a schedule for grip and electric pre-rigging, supervising set builds, implementing the use of multiple cameras, coordinating large groups of talent and rehearsals, liaising with celebrity talent managers, securing stunt coordinators, safely implementing practical effects work, working alongside VFX team, managing and empowering a large production team and crew, and establishing and maintaining an efficient production schedule.

'Lavender Haze' marked the final of three music videos produced simultaneously over an intense three-month period. The most challenging aspect of this project involved the intricate modular walls and growing set elements, which required meticulous design and execution from the art department and special effects teams. I felt privileged to support Taylor Swift and her exceptional creative team throughout this process, making it a memorable and rewarding journey.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Pre-production bidding and budget development, managing the production budget, developing creative, leading stakeholder meetings, negotiating and securing stage rentals, building a schedule for grip and electric pre-rigging, supervising set builds, implementing the use of multiple cameras, coordinating large groups of talent and rehearsals, liaising with celebrity talent managers, securing stunt coordinators, safely implementing practical effects work, working alongside VFX team, managing and empowering a large production team and crew, and establishing and maintaining an efficient production schedule.

This project truly was a team effort, and the final film evidently achieved an elegant cohesiveness among location selection, costume choices, and production design. Each element was thoughtfully considered and meticulously aligned, ensuring every detail served the creative vision and effectively showcased the brand. Our collaborative efforts between the production team, ad agency, and client enhanced the overall narrative, allowing the brand's refreshing essence to shine through in a fun and inviting manner.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Facilitating international crew and equipment travel, supporting agency and client travel, managing the production budget, researching and vetting key freelance creative collaborators, building creative decks for clients, leading stakeholder meetings, nurturing cultural partnerships, supporting costume selection for a large cast, orchestrating the management of multiple and challenging location transitions for the production, and coordinating and managing a large production crew.

I recently had the privilege of producing a project with country music star Lainey Wilson in Nashville. Despite working with an extremely tight budget, the experience became an exercise in creative resourcefulness that pushed me to think outside conventional production approaches. What could have been a stressful situation transformed into an unexpectedly fun experience, largely due to a supportive client and Lainey's exceptional support. She is an exceptional human whose professionalism and kindness shone throughout the process. Her genuine warmth and remarkable talent and team made navigating the budgetary constraints feel more like an exciting creative challenge than a limitation. It was truly an honor to support Lainey Wilson.

Key Responsibilities:

Sound stage scouting, encouraging client/brand relations, managing the production budget, leading stakeholder meetings, establishing production schedule, utilizing extreme resourcefulness, and supporting a small yet mightly production team and crew.

What started as a challenging budget for a project in Des Moines became an epic testament to local creativity and pure determination. Our incredible crew turned impossible challenges into branded magic, laughing through frozen fingers and limited resources. We proved that great storytelling happens when talented people come together.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Supporting casting exploration, coordinating with University staff and schedules, filming a live basketball game, facilitating crew travel, developing creative, supervising location scouting, encouraging client/brand relations, managing the production budget, leading stakeholder meetings, and establishing production schedules for a multi-location shoot.

I had the opportunity to work on this project led by an Academy Award-winning director. The production was both ambitious and complex, involving multiple locations and requiring seamless coordination across land, air, and sea. This presented a range of tricky logistics to navigate. Despite these challenges, the project featured a layer of humor that grounded the narrative and made it relatable, allowing us to balance its grand scale with authentic moments.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Supporting casting exploration, developing creative, supervising extensive location scouting, assisting with storyboard creation, encouraging client/brand relations, managing the production budget, leading stakeholder meetings, partnering with specialty teams and equipment for air and sea work, maintaining and enforcing all safety requirements, establishing production schedules for a multi-location shoot, and managing a large production team and crew.

Filming at a live college basketball game was a high-stakes creative challenge that required precision and negotiation. Our camera crew became invisible specialists, weaving through packed stands and navigating university bureaucracy equally. Every shot was a delicate balance between capturing the moment and respecting the complex ecosystem of campus life. What could have been a logistical nightmare became exciting collaborative storytelling.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Supporting casting exploration, coordinating with University staff and schedules, filming a live basketball game, facilitating crew travel, developing creative, supervising location scouting, encouraging client/brand relations, managing the production budget, leading stakeholder meetings, and establishing production schedules for a multi-location shoot.

I was fortunate to work alongside a world-class director to bring this nuanced commercial to life. We conducted extensive casting to secure authentic, complex actors whose emotional commitment to the script made the story truly special. Each moment was crafted in collaboration with an incredibly dedicated client who worked tirelessly alongside the production team to create this short film.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Supporting casting exploration, developing creative, supervising location scouting, assisting with storyboard creation, encouraging client/brand relations, managing the production budget, leading stakeholder meetings, establishing production schedules for a multi-location shoot, and managing a large production team and crew.

This project remains near and dear to me, as the shoot took place in Atlanta, GA, just two days before my wedding. It involved numerous moving parts, with the most significant being a deeply invested client who had high emotional expectations. The incredibly collaborative crew and talent worked tirelessly to weave together various distinct time periods. This required careful planning, a keen eye, and exceptional attention to detail to ensure both continuity and a cohesive final product.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Supporting casting exploration, facilitating crew travel, developing creative, supervising location scouting, ensuring time period continuity management, enabling multiple cameras, encouraging client/brand relations, managing the production budget, leading stakeholder meetings, and establishing production schedules for a multi-location shoot.

It felt like we were designing cars from scratch! This project required extensive design and practical builds to create car components that the visual effects team later incorporated into their final digital models. The time and energy invested in car modeling proved pivotal to the project's success, enabling us to achieve the quirky designs envisioned by the director and creative team. The shoot became increasingly complex once we added the precision driving logistics layer. However, thanks to exceptional collective efforts and seamless coordination, both the design execution and car choreography resulted in a flawless production.

Key Responsibilities:

Facilitating specialty car design development, developing creative, extensive location scouting, encouraging client/brand relations, managing the production budget, leading stakeholder meetings, partnering with specialty teams and equipment for car choreography, establishing production schedules for a multi-location shoot, enforcing safety requirements, and managing a large production team and crew.

I planned and executed a complex shoot at the NFL's Super Bowl Experience in Minneapolis. I brought in a crew from Los Angeles and Chicago, hired and managed local production teams, built a secret set within the Super Bowl Experience venue, and rigged 30 hidden cameras to capture genuinely surprised reactions from talent…all within a week! Every participant was caught completely off guard, resulting in a highly successful shoot.

Key Project Responsibilities:

Delivering swift turnaround for production planning, facilitating crew, talent, and equipment travel, supporting agency and client travel, managing the production budget, leading stakeholder meetings, coordinating large groups of talent, developing a workflow for 30+ hidden cameras, managing a large production team and crew, and establishing and maintaining an efficient production schedule.