Eat’n Park TV spots 1990 to 2015

On November 26, 2023, in Uncategorized, by Glenn Przyborski

For 25 years, I directed and photographed almost every Eat’nPark TV campaign. During that time, Cliff Miller was the driving force behind Eat’n Park’s advertising. First as Creative Director at Ketchum Advertising, then as Eat’n Park’s own VP of Creative Services. It was Cliff’s idea to use Eat’n Park’s iconic “Smiley Cookie” as a key part of the company’s image & logo. (Cliff retired from Eat’n Park in 2016.)

From 35mm standard definition to HD digital, I thought it’d be fun to look back at a dozen Eat’n Park’s TV commercials from 1990 to 2015.  

John Pytka

On December 11, 2022, in Uncategorized, by Glenn Przyborski

Recently, I spent some time with my friend, director/cinematographer John Pytka at his farm in Western, Pennsylvania. John’s retired & just turned 80. We shot the bull about 35mm TV commercial production in the 70’s through 90’s. Back then, John & his older brother Joe, were Pytka Productions, one of the country’s top TV spot production companies. John directed & photographed network commercials for Alamo Car Rental, Gallo Wine, Budweiser, & many more. He was often used by San Francisco’s Hal Riney & Partners for iconic ad campaigns, including Ronald Reagan’s “Morning in America”.

His reel showcases a different style of production than what’s en vogue today. It’s slower paced, beautiful photographic images. Many of the scenes incorporate slow-motion that creates a bigger than life feel to the action. I describe them as “moving stills”.  This contrasts with today’s fast cuts, punchy graphics & rapid camera moves. 

From Youtube, here’s a link to John Pytka’s showreel from the days of 35mm, standard definition… (click here)

Excela Health Accolades 2022

On February 1, 2022, in Uncategorized, by Glenn Przyborski

Excela Health wanted the region to be aware of the many accolades they’ve received from providing excellent healthcare. For their new TV campaign, Tom Chakurda, Excela’s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, decided to use black & white for the medical procedures, combined with color for the various accolades.

Director-cinematographer, Glenn Przyborski had the challenge of shooting every scene during an actual medical procedure. There were no actors, rehearsed action or retakes. All the featured on-camera talent are the real doctors, nurses and hospital personnel.

John Moyer

On January 26, 2022, in Uncategorized, by Glenn Przyborski
John Moyer & Glenn Przyborski

Over the past 30 years, John “Buzz” Moyer has become one of the most sought after cameraman and Steadicam operators in the film & TV industry. John has shot over 70 feature films & TV series including Marvel’s, “The Avengers” and Stephen Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story”. John won the 2022 Society of Camera Operators (SOC) Camera Operator of the Year Award for his work on “West Side Story”.

He began his career as a Steadicam operator working on numerous TV commercials, including hundreds of ads for Przyborski Productions. In the mid-90’s almost every major TV project included Steadicam cinematography. In the early 90’s, John bought a used Steadicam and taught himself to be an excellent operator. Today all his camera equipment is state-of-the-art.

John’s filmed projects all over the world, but still lives in Pittsburgh with his wife Kathy and their sons, Hayden & Grady. He’s also an excellent woodworker and talented pianist.

Remembering Art Greenwald

On May 3, 2021, in Uncategorized, by Glenn Przyborski

Arthur Greenwald passed away April 30th, 2021. He was 68.

From ’85 to ’88, Art was the creative services director of KDKA-TV, the CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh. Back then, on-air TV was dominant. Cable channels were just starting. There was no internet, no social media, no X-Box, and no Netflix. It was Art’s job to successfully promote the station and its on-air talent.

From 1979 to 1996, Glenn was hired as the director/cinematographer for many of Greenwald’s major 35mm promotions for KDKA-TV. Art always created campaigns that were music driven and way beyond the station’s budget, but Glenn always made the impossible happen… Like staging the world’s longest chorus line after a Pirate’s baseball game, or a music video with 2,500 extras.

Art Greenwald eventually left KDKA and moved to the Los Angeles area. A few years ago, he was diagnosed with “end stage renal disease” and was unable to receive a kidney transplant, partially due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Spot Production During a Pandemic

On September 21, 2020, in Uncategorized, by Glenn Przyborski

2020 will go down as the worst year on record for commercial filmmaking. Pennsylvania’s governor declared that TV and film production was not an essential business. Przyborski Productions was literally shut down for months. 

Our first project during the ongoing pandemic was an orthopedic campaign for Excela Health. Production is different during COVID-19. Every morning, each crew member’s temperature was taken. Fortunately, nobody had a fever. Everyone (other than on-camera talent) had to wear a mask during the entire production.  

Another difference was crew & client meals, snacks and beverages. Instead of the usual catered lunch, each person was handed a “bagged” lunch which they ate while maintaining social distancing. There were lots of crew snacks & beverages, but now each item is individually packaged and handed to the crew. This includes sealed water bottles & soft drinks. No open trays of fresh fruit & deli items.

Thanks to the planning & detailed work of production coordinator, Tracey Kovell, the multi-day Excela Health shoot happened smoothly, efficiently… and safely. 

Greg Yost 1957-2019

On November 19, 2019, in Uncategorized, by Glenn Przyborski

Greg Yost, creative director of Lazor-Yost Marketing & Design, has passed away.

I first met Greg in the early 90’s. He was creative director of “The Kaiser Group”. Greg was the first agency art director I encountered that was sure computers would take over all mechanical aspects of layout & design in advertising. We both owned early Macintosh systems, and once a month we’d get together to swap 3.5” floppy disks of programs we either bought or borrowed.

The first project I directed and photographed for Greg was for Sheetz. Greg did much of the early creative marketing concepts and in-store signage for this family owned, Altoona based company. They were trying hard to be more than a group of “7-11 type” convenience stores. Greg created the advertising that introduced Sheetz Coffee, “MTO” food items, Sheetz Hot Dogs, “Sheetza Pizza”, “IT” Cola, “Jacks” cigarettes and Sheetz’s own brand of gasoline. When you pull into a Sheetz for coffee, food or gas… remember Greg Yost.

I also filmed many of Greg’s creative and sometimes crazy TV campaigns for Hoss’s Restaurants, HealthSouth Rehab Centers, Fruth Drug Stores, Unimart, CEI Cable & Internet and Atlantic Luggage. The projects always had limited budgets, but we always had fun shooting Greg’s concepts.

I last spoke with Greg in May and he never mentioned that he was sick and undergoing treatment for cancer. We talked about how the ad business had changed over the past couple decades and that today we’d never get away with what we used to do… He sounded positive, upbeat and directly involved in the marketing efforts of his clients.

As a remembrance, here’s a few of Greg Yost’s favorite TV projects from 1991 through 2009…RIP my friend.

Film Production in the 90’s

On July 18, 2019, in Uncategorized, by Glenn Przyborski


About once a year, clients will ask if I miss shooting commercials on film as we used to do on every project. Our last “film” production was in 2006. Looking back, my business partner, Jim DeVincentis and I had a lot of fun on film shoots in the late 80’s, 90’s & early 2000’s.

In the mid-90’s, JVC introduced a small mini-DV camcorder. We bought several of them and asked clients and crew to shoot some behind-the-scenes video during our film productions. I located several of the old tapes and edited them together with the actual footage we were filming. Of course everything back then was standard def.

Most people think of the past with nostalgia… as if things were always better in the “good old days.” Do I miss shooting film? I’ve always enjoyed working with agencies & clients to create commercials that everyone was proud to air. The specific production “medium” was never the most important part of a project.

My son John said, “Dad… If the vinyl LP record can return to popularity, movie film has a good chance of a come back.” You never know…

KDKA-TV PROMOTIONS 1979-1996

On June 25, 2019, in Uncategorized, by Glenn Przyborski


Here’s a “time capsule” of KDKA-TV promos from ’79-’96.

Friends at a retirement party for KDKA’s Drew Moniot reminded me of the many promotional campaigns Przyborski Productions produced for KDKA from 1979 through 1996. Those were the “analog” days of 35mm film production, film-to-tape transfers, and tape-to-tape video editing.

I was fortunate to work with 3 of KDKA’s creative services directors… Brad Crum (1979-1982), Art Greenwald (1985-1988), & Lorraine Sneebold (1988-1996). The promos we produced were often music-driven, high-energy spots that featured KDKA’s on-air talent and their interaction with the community.

The earliest of these promotions aired 40+ years ago. They’re a visual tribute to KDKA’s talent and staff, many of whom are retired or unfortunately, no longer with us.

Excela Health “Accolades” TV Campaign

On January 9, 2020, in Uncategorized, by Glenn Przyborski

Excela Health is the largest medical system in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Excela has three major medical centers… Westmoreland Hospital, Frick Hospital, and Latrobe Hospital, plus smaller, specialized medical treatment facilities. They’re also the county’s largest employer.

Glenn Przyborski was chosen to direct & photograph Excela’s TV campaign titled, “Accolades” which showcases the system’s health services and areas of specialization… from complex orthopedics to open-heart surgery.

Using a crew with experience shooting inside busy hospitals, Glenn Przyborski directed and photographed the campaign in 4K Ultra High Definition. This allowed hi-res “frame grabs” from the video to be re-purposed for billboards, social media, and other marketing purposes.

Excela’s Tom Chakurda created the concept and Robert Firment handled the complex logistics that allowed all the scenes for “Accolades” to be shot at 3 separate hospitals, over 2 long days.