Everyone needs money.

There's this asinine notion in our business, you see it in full-flower over in the comments section of Agency Spy, that somehow creating a commercial that isn't high-art, that is, doing a commercial that is actually commercial is somehow a sin of the highest magnitude.

You're a hack if you're behind a spot on $5 footlongs, or two cheesy-crust pizzas for $9.99. Such work is below us. We are not crass. We mold and shape brand image.

The other day I saw a trailer for a new movie, "The Intern," starring Academy Award Winners Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway.

Like many people I regard DeNiro as one of the finest actors of our generation. "The Intern," however looked like a dumbed-down "Gilligan's Island." In other words, dumber than dumb.

Here's the thing.

Everyone needs money.

Even DeNiro does crap for a million or five.

DeNiro does a film like "The Intern."

We do "$5 footlongs."

That's just life. Even "artists" need to eat.

As Tennessee Williams wrote in "The Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "You won't live with mendacity? Well, you're an expert at it! The truth is pain and sweat and payin' bills and makin' love to a woman that you don't love any more. Truth is dreams that don't come true, and nobody prints your name in the paper 'til you die."

In other words, get over the effete shit.

Do the best work you can do. Fight for great work. But this is commerce.

And everyone needs money.