Director Shane Drake on: LP "Into The Wild"

We're excited to welcome director Shane Drake as a contributor, telling the backstory of his new LP video...

"Let me start by saying how honored I am to have been a part of this video. All personal history aside, this girl is a true artist. Her voice is one of a kind and I feel so privileged to have been able to shoot her debut video.

LP and I have been friends for a number of years now. I used to frequent a dope little club called Bardot that would showcase new talent on Thursday nights. My buddy Jason, who was responsible for the night, called it "Sessions". The first time I saw LP was on the sessions stage. She was this short little girl with a massive fro, bottle of beer in one hand and microphone in the other. When the first notes came out of her mouth I was utterly floored. She had  power and originality that belied her stature. Over the next few months I got to know her as friend and watch her grow as an artist.

LP and Shane Drake on the set

Eventually the "Sessions" moved to a new club called The Sayers Club. LP soon became the main attraction at this venue as word spread about her talent. Once she was signed I was ecstatic. We would talk casually at parties about working together on a video and how fun that would be. As things progressed we both got busy in our own rights. Eventually it came time to do a video and as circumstance would have it LP and I ran into each other the night before treatments were due. The two of us immediately realized that the opportunity to work together was now upon us. We met over the next few days and began fleshing out this Thelma and Louise idea that LP had been dreaming up. The idea originally called for a budget that we had absolutely no access to, so we decided to find other ways to make the story fun and relevant without breaking the bank.

Shane Drake directing LP with Brittany Snow and Haley Bennett

Once we had a solid treatment that both of us agreed on, we began scheduling the video. This process, due to her touring schedule and my shooting schedule, lasted about 3 months (far later than we had ever planned on shooting the video). We were also interested in casting working actors as our two main characters. I had a friendship with Haley Bennett and she along with my casting director reached out to Brittany Snow. Once we had the both of them locked in, our excitement for the video grew even stronger.

We shot the video out in Palmdale under the blistering sun. The temperature was in the 100's well before noon and many of our shots took place in a convertible on the open road. LP was a trooper though, and never complained. The both of us were so thrilled to bring this story to life that we blocked out the pain of the sun and pressed through to the end of the shoot. By the end, we were all sunburnt, exhausted and ready for a cold one.

It is rare to have a friendship first and then have a professional relationship. Many of my friends that are in bands and have solo careers are people that I first met as a director working with them on set. It was a uniquely special opportunity to pour my creativity and hard work into a person's video for whom I already had a deep personal love and admiration for. I definitely look forward to more chances to work with LP in the future and can't wait to see what mountain she climbs next!" —  Shane Drake, director

--> watch "Into The Wild"

LP "Into The Wild" (Warner Bros.)
Shane Drake, director | Ted Robbins, producer | Flamingo Films, production co | Labuda Management, rep | Simon Thirleway, DP | Marshall Plante, colorist | Sandy Haddad, exec. producer | Devin Sarno, commissioner

Shane Drake is repped by Labuda Management