I also know what looks good before the camera, how to move the camera, and how to get a story on the screen.

What I tried to create was a little of that energy and exuberance. About his film The Idolmaker Hackford stated: "I make films about working-class people; showbusiness is one of those things through which people can get themselves out of the lower rung of society. On July 25 2009 Hackford was elected President of the Directors Guild of America.