“Do something you love doing and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Since graduating from the Lamb School in 1978, Jim Yukich has done just this. Taking advantage of the opportunities in front of him, he has worked his way up to becoming a television and film director in Los Angeles (and winning a couple Grammys along the way).
What is your favorite Purdue memory?
I really don’t have one favorite memory, it’s more of a combination of things: the lifelong friends that I made, playing in various bands through the years (Jazz Band, Variety Band, and Chameleon which was a rock band), going to football and basketball games, and serving as Vice President of Production for the Student Concert Committee.
What is your top piece of advice for current Lamb School students?
- Learn as much about every aspect of the field you choose… its history, the tools, and any technical skills you need to know.
- Always do some research on the people that you are going to be working with… know who they are and what they’ve done.
- Be prepared. If you’re lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, be ready to jump in and deliver the goods.
- Get there early… don’t be late. No one will be impressed by someone that’s not there on time.
- Dress for the job that you’re doing (don’t wear flip flops unless you’re a foot model) with a hint towards the job you want to do.
What impact have you made as a member of the advisory board?
I hope to make more of an impact in the future!
My goal would be to make the Purdue media programs a destination for students wishing to study at the highest level possible by unifying all the Purdue entertainment related studies into one department and by bringing in experts in these fields so that the students can learn the most current techniques in their respective fields.
Could you talk about your current role and how you got there?
I’m a television and film director who has done everything from variety/comedy specials to live concerts to music videos to talk shows to movies. I was a Liberal Arts student that took TV/film classes, art design classes and music classes not knowing where that would lead me. I moved to Los Angeles in the hope that I could get a job writing jingles for TV commercials or scoring movies. Instead I ended up working in the mailroom of Capitol Records in Hollywood and when someone found out that I knew how to produce, direct and edit video, I was sent out to shoot music videos for some of their artists. This led to me forming my own company and directing concerts and comedy specials for TV which led to me directing a couple of movies. I did a number of “Talk” shows over the year, my favorite being seven years of Chelsea Lately. When that ended, I directed Entertainment Tonight for 6 months before realizing that it wasn’t what I would call “my life’s work.” In recent years I have gone back to mostly concert specials (Journey, Fall Out Boy, Def Leppard, Miley Cyrus and others) which I’ve always enjoyed doing.
What moment from your career stands out the most to you?
There’s been quite a few… here’s a couple.
The first was when I first started shooting videos as an in-house director for Capitol Records. One of our artists, David Bowie, decided that he needed a video for his new record Modern Love. Everyone assumed that David was going to direct the video himself so they sent me as a producer to oversee the production and make sure it all went well. When I arrived in Philadelphia, I met with David and he gave me a sheet of paper with sketches he drew of 5 or 6 different shots that he wanted to get. He then asked if I could make a complete shot list of everything we would need to capture to make the video. The next day I showed it to him in his hotel room and he seemed pleased. During the shoot as I was telling the cameras where to set up for each take, David noticed that the slate (the clapboard used to sync the beginning of each take) had me as the producer and him as the director. He said, “We need to change the slate. It’s wrong, you’re directing this not me.” So, the assistant cameraman changed it to credit me as the director and it changed my life forever. In those days, if Bowie used you as a Director then you immediately became sought after. I went on to direct close to 500 more videos after that for every major star from Iron Maiden to Michael Jackson. And on top of that, I won my first Grammy for directing Modern Love.
The second (which thankfully isn’t as long a story!) was when I was sent down Dallas to meet with the band Genesis. They were rehearsing for their upcoming tour and needed an MTV video for their song, That’s All. They also wanted 4 more of their songs shot live on stage during their rehearsals. Being a fan of Phil Collins and Genesis for many years I knew everything about them, and as a musician I could play most of their songs. We hit it off immediately and I went on to direct 28 videos for Genesis and 25 for Phil Collins over the next 10 years. We remain lifelong friends.
And finally, I received a call one day from my agent saying that I needed to drive out to a studio in Santa Monica because there’s a show that the producers would like me direct. My agent wished me luck and closed the call by telling me that it was a full-time job – meaning that if I got hired, I couldn’t take days off to direct anything else. This worried me because I would get last minute calls all the time to jump on a plane and shoot a concert or something the next day. I met with the producers, got the job and ended up shooting over 1400 episodes over 8 years. That was Chelsea Lately…. the best job I ever had.
Any final thoughts you’d like to share?
Most students ask me how they can get into the entertainment business, and my first reply is always, “Is your dad in the business? ‘cause that’s the easiest way.” For most people that answer is a “no.” So to compensate for the lack of nepotism, they have to work hard and gather all the knowledge and expertise they can so that when that door slightly opens, they can step in and show everyone that they are hardworking and capable. You’re not always given the chance, so when you get it you need to be more than ready.