CREATIVE DIRECTION

CONCEPTS

Be it a blank canvas or a concept that just needs help getting across the finish line, I’ve often served as both creative and film director. With a deep respect for what’s required to conceive and execute successful creative work, I foster a collaborative spirit that emboldens agencies and clients alike.

Sometimes that’s personifying (monsterfying?!) WiFi services, other times it’s an evocative mosaic of a loving mother’s memories — and occasionally it’s spooky and enigmatic. Engaging early on in the process, even contributing ideas and mood films at pitching stage when required, has allowed me to maximise the potential of all available resources and exceed client expectations.

LASTING COLLABORATIONS

Across Europe, USA, and the Middle East I’ve enjoyed collaborating with prominent agencies like Havas and Publicis, boutique firms, and broadcasters like the BBC and NBC.

I’ve also cherished long running partnerships direct-to-clients — a good example being Grant’s Whisky and Glenfiddich; across TVC and cinema campaigns, stills, social content, and B2B films, shot and delivered globally… from canine prison break homage, to very sensible packshots for French billboards (where legally no person shall be depicted enjoying a drink!)

DOCUMENTARIES

I enjoy the challenge of reconciling two objectives and two instincts; journalistic integrity and commercial client messaging — whether it’s branded editorials or more vérité documentaries. Underpinned by intellectual rigour, my short documentaries are crafted to be free of prohibitive jargon, enliven complex information, and ultimately galvanise their audience. This is perhaps most evident in my eight-part series for NBC on renewable energies, which placed our audience at the frontiers of innovation worldwide whilst anchored to an impassioned human perspective.

IMMERSIVE & INTERACTIVE

Under the direct supervision of VFX extraordinaire Paul J. Franklin (Oscar wins for Inception and Interstellar, and BAFTA win for Inception) and other visionaries leading in the ‘Immersive Experience' space, I worked on the creative development for a photorealistic, interactive experience currently in development.

Taking what I learnt from this incredible experience, I collaborated with Publicis on another film exhibited on a bespoke 180° curved screen standing 11m wide x 3m high. The curvature around the viewer emulated a VR experience without the need for goggles. 

Given this very unusual exhibition, as the film director I worked tirelessly alongside an extraordinary Hollywood VFX team to rethink and innovate upon our filmmaking assumptions: compositions and framings; camera movements and actions; atypical edit pacing; etcetera…

CORPORATE & B2B

With a similar ethos, I aim to elevate the high-end corporate films I work on. My portfolio includes a suite of films for property clients; ‘placemaking’ films that sit at different points along a lifestyle-tourism-corporate spectrum. Through these projects, I’ve honed my writing and adapted my voice to resonate with New York, Chicago, cities across Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The films have gone on to win awards — and in one instance used for promotion on the red-carpet at the Berlin International Film Festival.