Sundance 2009: Doug Pray's "Art & Copy" acquired by Arthouse Films

A graduate of the UCLA Producers Program, Pray spoke with us before the festival, sharing his thoughts on creativity and his UCLA experience.

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“At the close of Sundance,” reports Variety, “Arthouse Films grabbed worldwide rights to "Surfwise" director Doug Pray‘s ad world doc “Art & Copy,” which debuted in the fest’s doc competition. … Arthouse plans a theatrical and DVD release this year.”

Praised by the Los Angeles Times as offbeat and entertaining, the feature documentary is an exploration of the great creative minds behind the very best advertising. In this videotaped interview, Pray discusses how the tough job of selling products is similar to his approach to a documentary — and to a short story author who strives to make great art as succinctly as possible.

The film had its world premiere at Sundance and audiences responded positively to Pray's illustration of the wide-reaching effect advertising and creativity has on modern culture. "Just Do It" is a simple phrase that caught on like gangbusters and changed how we motivate ourselves, Pray argues.

The filmmaker credits the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television for teaching him everything he knows about great storytelling and documentary filmmaking.