shots Unsigned: Drew Vaughan

Director Drew Vaughan first came to our attention back in March when they featured in the News section of shots. 

The Climb Higher series of films for Robinson Helicopter provides viewers with an exclusive look at how operators do more with Robinson helicopters. They feature a thrilling mix of documentary style filmmaking, incredible locations, and aerial action in perfect harmony. We find out more about Vaughans journey, and the filming process below.

Can you tell us a little about your background and your route into directing? 

I used to be an emo/hardcore kid touring with bands in the Southeast as a photographer, sleeping on couches, eating Waffle House because it was all I could afford, and trying to figure out what to do with my life. I was able to stumble my way into an ad school called the Creative Circus, learned graphic design and got a job as a web designer. 

Then I stumbled my way into a job at 72andSunny as an art director. Then I stumbled my way into directing a music video for a band in LA. It's been a lot of "let's see where this road takes me" and I'm grateful it's brought me here. It's the first time in my life that I feel like I'm doing the thing I was put on the earth to be doing. 

Would you say you have a directing style? How did you arrive at it?

Right now I've got two directing styles that have both served me well in different ways. One of them is this intense, visceral, cinematic, visual storytelling. I think I came to that because that's more of the world I came from as a younger photographer in the scene. 

The second is a more absurdist comedic POV. That one was a muscle that was built through working in advertising and trying to tell the best story at the bar to get a laugh. Through the types of brands and campaigns I worked on, mixed with the weirdos I've been lucky enough to work with throughout my career I've found a real knack for timing and subverting expectations. 

It's been good having both of these zones to explore and create in. It's allowed me to experiment a ton, work in all sorts of unexpected ways, and grow quickly as a director. 

ABOVE: Drew Vaughan and legendary director Werner Herzog.

Did you study filmmaking? How did you learn your craft?


My film school was working on commercial sets as an agency creative. I never understood how films were made, so once I got on set I would cozy up with the crew, director, and DP and have them talk me through what they were doing. I remember being on set as a junior art director, walking up to our DP Robert Yeoman, and sheepishly introducing myself to him. He was so kind, grabbed me by the shoulder, and gave me a 15-minute masterclass on how and why he does what he does. Not a bad first lesson. 

I've been lucky enough to work with some of the best directors of our time on commercials, and every time, I've tried to be a sponge soaking up how they walk, talk, and think. That got my feet wet, then I just started making things. And making things led to getting accepted to a two-week film program with Werner Herzog in the Canary Islands. It was unreal getting to learn from a living legend, and that put more of a fire in my belly to keep making great things and not waiting around for someone to give me permission. That lesson has served me better than anything else. 

What was the story behind the Climb Higher series?

Rye Clifton, CMO at the agency Multiplier, is an old coworker of mine when I was a Creative Director at GSD&M in Austin. He called me up one day with the idea of telling these amazing stories of the people who pilot these Robinson Helicopters. He wanted to highlight these stories and have Robinson take ownership of all the amazing, innovative, and genius things operators do with these aircraft. 

I knew we had something special, and I love telling stories of regular people doing extraordinary things. From there I put together a team of friends and people I'd worked with before and we were able to put a plan in action to make these shoots happen all around the globe. 

I love telling stories of regular people doing extraordinary things.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in pulling this project together? 

Honestly, this shoot went a lot smoother than you'd expect a multi-continent shoot to go. A lot of that I attribute to the production company that I brought on for this, Hometeam, and their model of having production crews all over the world ready to go at the drop of a hat. 

Weather ended up being our biggest enemy. As the agency was boarding their flight to Australia, we got a call from the guy we were supposed to be filming with there. He had to cancel because a cyclone was about to hit where he lived and we were filming. That meant he had to do flood rescue and repair work and couldn't accommodate a film crew following him around. We aren't saving lives making our films, but he actually was, so I don't blame the guy. 

We had to pivot our entire shooting idea, concept, location, and logistics in 24 hours. That was probably the most difficult part, but again, the team was so tight, and on top of things, and we had been working so closely for so long at that point, that we all had a clear sense of what was right, what was wrong, and what was needed. 

How long was the shoot and what was the most challenging aspect of the project?

We shot this over two months. We were in Arizona for a week and shot for a couple of days. Same for Sao Paulo. We were in Australia for about two weeks and shot for five days. I was able to bring the same DP Steve McCord with me on all these shoots which made my life a lot easier. We've worked together a bunch over the years and have a great shorthand. 

 I was never in the helicopter seeing the footage when we were shooting helicopter to helicopter.

I think one of the most challenging parts was that I was never in the helicopter seeing the footage when we were shooting helicopter to helicopter (not enough room in the bird for the pilot, my DP, his AC, and the rig). That and building out rigs to shoot heli-to-heli that worked in different scenarios was also a hard thing. We were able to do it one way in Arizona, a very different way of shooting in Sao Paulo, and even more different in Australia. 

We've got a great system now and I'm excited to show that off when we head out to make more of these.

What have you learned during the process of making the films?

You have to work with collaborators that you trust. Even though I was never up in the air with Steve McCord while he was filming these helicopters, I never worried about him getting what I asked him to get. He'd land from filming for an hour or two, we'd watch down some footage, I'd give notes, and he always came back with exactly what I was looking for. 

I also had to trust these three vastly different crews I was working with all around the world. Arizona crew was super different from the Sao Paulo crew was super different than the Australia crew, but being able to talk to them all in a way that allowed them to do the things they're excited about, and want to do, really opened up the experience to begin to experiment with things. 

Letting people feel ownership of the project and what they were doing. I wanted to positively activate everyone, thus elevating the work that much more. There's magic in letting go of tight control as a director and empowering your crew. 

There's magic in letting go of tight control as a director and empowering your crew. 

ABOVE: BTS photographs from the Brazil shoot.

What other directors' work do you admire?

I've always been a big fan of Denis Villeneuve and after Dune 2, he's on my Mount Rushmore. The way he crafts amazingly personal and human experiences and performances, even against a space opera, I don't think anyone else could have done that. I love David Lynch and his commitment to his weirdness and experimentation. Hiro Murai has been a big inspiration. I think how he deals with humour and human experience works in an incredibly nuanced way that no one else does. 

I think commercial and music video directors get overlooked a ton, but I love what The Blaze does. Their work is so fun, and personal, and makes you feel big feelings. Which I think is a really hard thing to do these days when what most agencies and brands are looking for is a camera technique to keep people's attention longer than six seconds.

ABOVE: BTS photographs from the Australia shoot.

Where do you find the inspiration for your projects?

It sounds corny, but most of my inspiration is pulled from life experiences. I made a short last year about a scammer scamming another scammer on Craigslist. I wrote that after I got scammed on Facebook marketplace, and after some deep googling, cross-referencing phone numbers, and a couple of stern phone calls, I was able to get my money back. 

For the Climb Higher Series, I wanted people and the places to lead the inspiration for the stories. Sao Paulo is such a vibrant and unique place that when I got there, I knew that the relationship between the pilot and the city had to be its own character. I try to pay attention to the things that pop up that I'm not used to, and let my curiosity take me down the road. From there, I have to trust that my collaborators will either go down that road with me or tell me it's a dead-end and look for a different path together.

I wanted people and the places to lead the inspiration for the stories.