About Departure Production Company - Leadership & Commercial Production Expertise

About

Departure is the first production entity to organize hundreds of directors under one roof. The talent in our pool spans every budget level, genre, and tonality. From Super Bowl spots to social content, we match the right creative talent to every brief.

In an era where marketing leaders are expected to do more with less, we built Departure to be different. We're not a traditional production company with an exclusive roster. We're a smarter model designed to put more of your budget on screen.

Our directors get shortlisted nearly 1 in 5 times by global agencies and brands with no strategic relationship with us - proof that the work speaks for itself.

We partner with brands and agencies who want to consolidate vendor relationships without sacrificing creative depth. Whether you need us front and center or powering your internal production capabilities behind the scenes, we flex to how you work.

Culture

We're passionate about finding the perfect creative fit for every project, regardless of status or name recognition. Our team gets just as excited about matching an emerging talent to a $100k brief as we do connecting a renowned name to a seven-figure production. This passion for perfect fit over fame drives everything we do.

We're deeply committed to fostering independence in the production community, frequenty hosting collaborative groups where independent directors and producers gather to refine their craft, strengthen their pitches, and build sustainable careers. By nurturing this ecosystem, we not only discover extraordinary talent but help create a more vibrant, innovative production landscape that benefits everyone.

In the News & On the Record

Our coverage, ramblings,
and industry takes.

Departure Appoints J.B. Raftus as Strategic Advisor

Read: Full Article on LBB

Thinking beyond just a handful of relationships on Brand Storytelling

Read: Rethinking Production Consistency

How CMO's can use "internal production" to their advantage on Advertising Week

Read: What's The Point of Internal Production

Luke Lashley discusses how the no-roster model better serves agencies and directors on Crossing The Axis Podcast.

Listen: Freelance vs. Roster

Everything freelance directors should know in 2025 via The Howler.

Read: Director Tips for 2025

We share our take on the Omnicom / IPG merger alongside 18 other Ad Execs on LBB Online

Read: Doubling Down on Efficiency & Scale

Read More PR

“Departure's director reels are on point and stand out from the rest. They always give great context as to why the director is a great fit for my spots. They have a really good eye for what will work and their reels continually make it into my top 10.

I recently shot with Departure and they over-delivered on set with a top notch talented professional crew and amazing hospitality in Austin. I felt like I was working with an old friend who had my back.”

Laura P.

Senior Producer, FCB Chicago

140+

Agencies and brands regularly receiving reels from Departure

“Departure does reel submissions unlike any production company I’ve worked with and every single time they submit a reel, I get hooked. You can tell departure takes time to really understand the brief and creative ask, and submit directors that truly fit the vibe, adding context around each director - spot for spot.

The bidding process can be time consuming and tedious, and in a sea of sometimes monotonous reels, Departure reels always stand out to me. They are thoughtful, they are creative, they are intentional.”

Austin W.

Executive Producer, VML Atlanta

$12M+

Average board value submitted per month

"Working with Departure was seamless from pre-pro to post. Dell shoots are often complicated due to volume of products and variations of shots. Departure handled those logistics faultlessly and I was able to focus more on the creative and our stakeholders. They created a fun atmosphere on set and the work created was exceptional."

Ashley H.

Production Manager, Dell Blue Studio

Leadership

Luke Lashley - Founder & Executive Producer (ATX)

Luke is the founder and Executive Producer at Departure, his second production venture. Drawing from his experience with his first production company—where he experimented with various roster models (exclusive, non-exclusive, and hybrid approaches)—Luke founded Departure to champion director independence through a no-roster model.

Under Luke's leadership, Departure has secured projects with major agencies across the country.

Lucas Markman - Executive Producer (LA)

Lucas entered the production world from an agency background working with global brands like BMW and Google. Over the last half decade, he has balanced EP and creative producing roles with being a working director and photographer.

Lucas champions a holistic production approach, balancing creative experience with an understanding of the technical craftsmanship that bolsters strong work.

J.B. Raftus - Strategic Advisor
Former CMO, GSD&M

With nearly 40 years of agency leadership experience, including 28 years at GSD&M where he served as Chief Marketing Officer, J.B. brings an invaluable perspective on the client-agency relationship from every angle.

His expertise helps us deliver talent solutions and enterprise offerings that directly address the production challenges CMOs and agency leaders face every day.

What Traditional Production Can't Offer

Our coverage, ramblings, and industry takes.

Leadership

Our coverage, ramblings,
and industry takes.