David Reviews
 "You're not an artist, Peggy. You solve problems." Don Draper.
Latest Work
    • Logic takes a holiday.First Choice take the TK Maxx route with their 2020 campaign, describing their package holidays as “ridiculously good value”.
    • Poise on patrol.Twelve months after mobilising snowflakes, binge gamers, phone zombies, etc., the Army switch focus to millennials suffering from low self-esteem.
    • You Are Here are two upYou Are Here have kicked off the new year with a pair of additions to their already impressive roster: Ryan Schude and Jesse Lewis-Reece.
    • Fat Lemon score Dan Castella.Fat Lemon have strengthened their comedy offer by adding Dan Castella to their roster.
    • Where the Heart IsAnother thoughtful ad for HSBC explores the concept of home and what it really means.
    • Starting AnewGillette and director Coral Amy Brown explore the emotional weight of a becoming a monk.
    • Josef Bates reaches giddy new heights at PRETTYBIRD.English comedy director Josef Bates has expanded the directorial options at PRETTYBIRD with the addition of his name to their already impressive roster.
    • Seas of change.Seven out of eight sea turtle species face extinction, according to this joint effort from Greenpeace and Aardman Animations.
    • If these walls could talk.Sex sells, as the old adage goes, and Zoopla - perhaps surprisingly - are the latest brand to indulge in a bit of rumpy pumpy.
    • Olly Chapman.Furlined's London MD Olly Chapman has suddenly died at the age of just 53.
    • Lucy Forbes heads to SmugglerSmuggler are pleased to announce the signing of breakout director Lucy Forbes to their roster.
    • Sterling progress.Raheem Sterling's rise to prominence culminates in this 90" Nike commercial.
    • Antiestático welcome Marco Gentile.Well-travelled filmmaker Marco Gentile has become the latest to join Antiestático for UK and Spanish representation.
    • The Odd CoupleSergei and Aleksandr have gone up in the world, according to Compare The Market's latest ad, and are now the proud owners of an almost entirely 'smart' home.
    • Can and WillSport England's 'This Girl Can' campaign marks its fifth anniversary with a typically diverse and dynamic outing.
    • New meat(balls), please.Subway’s disruptive streak continues with this 90” plug for the brand’s vegan Meatball Marinara sub.

SISTERHOOD

Sisterhood is a free resource we developed to provide a platform for women working in roles dominated by men.

Sisterhood is free to join and free to view.

Over the next few weeks, we are expanding its scope to include live events and an annual competition.

We're seeking sponsors for this so please get in touch if you'd like to help and associate your company with this vital mission.

VISIT THE SISTERHOOD.
Zoopla
"Picture Frame"		 30s
14 January 2020

Sex sells, as the old adage goes, and Zoopla - perhaps surprisingly - are the latest brand to indulge in a bit of rumpy pumpy. One of three new ads by Lucky Generals and directors thirtytwo, this spot introduces flatmates Tia and Jake… well, sort of.

The two are nowhere to be seen as Diane Morgan’s VO describes the joy inspired by Flat 16 on Savoy Road. After a whistle-stop tour, the camera rests on a picture of the happy couple - which can only withstand so much, erm happiness.

Cheeky and to the point, the ad appeals to those put off by fusty or traditional options. As first-time buyers tackle an ever more challenging market, the brand show they’re in sync with movers and shakers like Tia and Jake.
Olly Chapman.

Given its size and importance economically, the London advertising industry is a surprisingly tight knit group, and when tragedy occurs – as it did last week when we learned that Furlined's London MD Olly Chapman had died suddenly at the age of just 53 – the impact can be devastating.

The sense of disbelief as the news spread spoke volumes. Olly was an extremely well-loved figure and someone who almost everyone knew.

Our awareness of each other's lives led many of us to think first of Olly's three sons for whom this tragedy will have a life-changing impact. It's unbearably sad to think of them growing up without him, and of him not being there to share their triumphs, or helping them through their adversities.
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Lucy Forbes heads to Smuggler

Smuggler are pleased to announce the signing of breakout director Lucy Forbes to their roster.

The London-based filmmaker developed her signature comic style shooting commercials for a variety of brands, and achieved her big break with the success with the darkly funny coming-of-age story 'In My Skin'. Oh, and the small matter of season two of 'The End of the F**ing World’.
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Nike
"Raheem"		 90s
14 January 2020

M16 tattoos and the odd ‘laughing gas’ experiment haven’t stopped Raheem Sterling from becoming one of English football’s leading talents. Recent stands against racism in football have only seen the Manchester City forward’s stock grow further, so it’s little surprise to see him front his own Nike film.

Ably shot by director Billy Boyd Cape and DP Molly Manning Walker, the ad finds Sterling in a contemplative mood, musing on how a “naughty kid from Brent” must bend the rules to achieve their goals. Crucially, he’s not just talking about himself.

The point is that seemingly any of the ad’s young supporting cast can do what Sterling has done. It’s a win-win situation: they get their name on the back of an England shirt, and the brand have a new ambassador ready to go. After all, Raheem Sterling won’t be around forever.
Antiestático welcome Marco Gentile.

Well-travelled filmmaker Marco Gentile has become the latest to join Antiestático for UK and Spanish representation.

The Italian, whose career has taken him from Europe to the United States and elsewhere, was drawn to the company’s de puta madre attitude (loosely translated as “awesome” or, ahem, "the good shit".)
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
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Recent Promos
(1-25 of 25)
CamelPhat
"Rabbit Hole"		 3 mins 21s
14 Jan 2020
CamelPhat’s tech house blinder ‘Rabbit Hole’ receives an equally vibrant promo courtesy of director Taz Tron Delix, who serves up a kinky, strobe-lit remix of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Here, Alice finds herself in a warren of defamiliarised office spaces before being subsumed by the heady atmosphere. Or so it seems.
The Darkness
"In Another Life"		 4 mins 10s
10 Jan 2020
The Darkness are back in all their cheesy, catsuited glory with latest single 'In Another Life'. Frontman Justin Hawkins is in fine voice as a nipple-bearing demon, seducing an angel played by Abbey Clancy with - we assume - sheer charisma alone. It's silly stuff, as expected, but we do admire the confidence of a man with a bejewelled guitar.
Osh
"Lunch Money"		 2 mins 56s
13 Dec 2019
Home is where the heart is, the old adage goes. For up-and-coming rapper Osh, home is Norbury, south-west London, and that's precisely where we find him in director Glenn Paton's upbeat promo for ‘Lunch Money'. Driven by a jaunty piano riff and Osh's assured vocals, it's a familiar but textured glimpse at favourite hang-outs and community spirit.
Lous and The Yakuza
"Tous est gore"		 3 mins 03s
12 Dec 2019
Congolese-born singer Lous & The Yakuza insists "everything is gore", which might explain why a river of blood appears in director Wendy Morgan's uncanny promo. It's one of many striking images conjured up by Morgan and DP Joel Honeywell, who make the most of L&AY's stage presence and preternaturally long dreadlocks.
Plan B
"First Past the Post"		 4 mins 41s
11 Dec 2019
There's a popular social media post which describes voting as public transport rather than marriage, getting you where you need to go instead of a lifetime commitment. Plan B breaks things down further in this inclusive, educational promo, explaining the UK's electoral system in terms everyone can understand.
Leif Vollebekk
"Blood Brother"		 4 mins 25s
5 Dec 2019
They say you should never sit on the top deck of a bus on your own, but - as this likeable promo for Leif Vollebekk demonstrates - there is fun to be had on occasion. So it proves for one introverted passenger, who turns round to see the Canadian folk singer in the middle of performing his latest track, 'Blood Brother'.
Empara Mi
"What You Gunna Do"		 3 mins 42s
5 Dec 2019
Death and rebirth lurk in the shadows of this dramatic music promo for Empara Mi's latest single. The Guernsey-born singer - real name Chloe Curran - awakes in a nightmarish, red-lit basement, chained and haunted by a flaming figure as a mysterious black substance begins to consume her from the inside out.
Sam Fender
"Saturday"		 3 mins 17s
4 Dec 2019
Matt ‘Super Hans' King stars in this nimble promo for Sam Fender's ‘Saturday', wherein the Peep Show actor finds himself bumped from his headline slot down the local social club. However, it takes more than a cancelled gig to keep Dave Candle down. Compelled by the so-called Geordie Springsteen's new track, King's luckless comedian shimmies and sways across town "to cure the weekday blues"
Skinny Living
"No Messiah"		 3 mins 09s
3 Dec 2019
Skinny Living's new single ‘No Messiah' does anything but deliver easy answers. With a voice brimming with soul and candour, frontman Ryan Johnston tries to comfort a broken spirit but admits he's no saviour ("You gotta save yourself/This is the only thing that I can't do for you"). This bittersweet truth is ably captured by director Charlotte Regan.
Koffee
"W"		 4 mins 41s
29 Nov 2019
At one point in this stormy, community-minded promo for Jamaican rapper Koffee, a weatherman urges viewers to "sit tight as this is something we may not have seen before." What follows suggests that if money doesn't grow on trees, it may just fall from the sky instead. Rarely have adverse weather conditions been so lucrative.
Blackbear
"Hot Girl Bummer"		 3 mins 09s
29 Nov 2019
"Fuck you, and you, and you, and you/ I hate your friends and they hate me too" are the optimistic opening lines of this lo-fi track from Blackbear. The accompanying visuals are both zesty and eclectic, showing the artist in a variety of incongruous surroundings, but everything is trying so hard to be edgy that we can't take the lovechild of Eminem and Soundcloud seriously.
Rina Sawayama
"STFU!"		 6 mins 19s
26 Nov 2019
At one point in Rina Sawayama's bracing new single ‘STFU!', the Japanese-English singer asks: "Have you ever thought about taping your big mouth shut?" Right now it seems like an inordinate number of people could stand to follow Sawayama's advice. One such individual is Ben Ashenden's ignorant-cum-racist first date.
Easy Life
"Nice Guys"		 3 mins 39s
20 Nov 2019
Leicester quintet Easy Life dabble in celibacy, retro-futurism, and political satire with this Greg Barth-directed promo for ‘Nice Guys'. As guests on sexual abstinence talk show Brick by Brick Purity, the band are expected to get with the programme… only for lead singer Murray Matravers to drop an f-bomb within a minute.
DJ Shadow
"Rocket Fuel"		 3 mins 46s
18 Nov 2019
Director Sam Pilling's latest music video for DJ Shadow is a mischievous blend of archive footage and lunar fisticuffs that also features a cameo from the late Stanley Kubrick. Well, sort of. Like 2016's ‘Nobody Speak' promo, geopolitics is reduced to a good old-fashioned punch-up as the Apollo 11 ‘mission' unfolds on a film set.
Louis Tomlinson
"We Made It"		 4 mins 11s
15 Nov 2019
Is Louis Tomlinson turning into a Liam Gallagher tribute act? This promo for new single ‘We Made It' certainly suggests so. Sporting a windbreaker in an amusement arcade, the erstwhile One Directioner keeps his hands in his pockets as if he's about to shake the coin pusher when no-one's looking. Very rock and roll.
JGrrey
"Dreaming Fool"		 3 mins 34s
12 Nov 2019
This JGrrey promo may take place in a black void, but there's still enough to maintain viewers' interest. Minimalist set design and vivid lighting are the order of the day here, as the neo-soul singer and her crew smoke spliffs, writhe on car roofs, and kick back on the sofa as if in some form of purgatory. Judging by her lyrics - "I don't wanna wake up/If this is what dreams are made of" - this suits JGrrey just fine.
Prospa
"Control the Party"		 4 mins 41s
8 Nov 2019
Prospa's militant club banger ‘Control the Party' receives an equally thumping promo courtesy of director Jak Payne, who certainly wears his influences on his sleeve. Riffing on sci-fi horror tropes and clandestine government experiments, Payne subjects the protagonist (model Alice Dellal) to a short, sharp stay in a remote facility.
Battles
"Fort Greene Park"		 6 mins 11s
7 Nov 2019
There's a relentless sense of flow to this piece for Battles' 'Fort Greene Park'. The film has a hypnotic quality as it showcases unusual methods of transport: unicycles, scooters, and infinite skateboards are all present and accounted for. The track's electronic pulse gives the visuals a sci-fi vibe, making the whole affair feel like excerpts from a futuristic movie in which walking has become obsolete.
Bastille
"Another Place (ft. Alessia Cara)"		 3 mins 37s
7 Nov 2019
This Bastille promo from director Anna Radchenko feels like a left-field B&Q commercial. As frontman Dan Smith offers such pearlers as "I could write a book about what you said to me on the pillow", he tries desperately to hold back the flood with duct tape in a lopsided apartment. It's vividly staged, and certainly puts any minor DIY mishap into context.
Jeff Buckley
"Sky Blue Skin"		 5 mins 55s
5 Nov 2019
Jeff Buckley's ‘Sky Blue Skin' may not be the jolliest thing you'll hear in the coming weeks, but the accompanying promo from directors Temple Caché is a thoughtful, tactile look at a musician who died well before his time. Shot like a moving scrapbook, the piece combines archive footage, still photos, and dreamlike imagery to winsome effect.
Twin Atlantic
"Novocaine"		 3 mins 55s
6 Nov 2019
Glasgow rockers Twin Atlantic return in style with a new single and a colourful promo to match. 'Novocaine' sees the group in contemplative mood, evoking feelings of synesthesia and fractured memories as they chase the lingering impressions of past loves down twisted, and often cryptic, rabbit holes. An immersive sensory experience.
Redrum
"Unit 22"		 4 mins 17s
29 Oct 2019
There's a grimy weight to this dark claymation promo for Redrum's 'Unit 22' which instantly sucks the audience into its world. Set during a rave on a dystopian frequency, the highly stylised action takes some seriously unexpected twists and turns once the, er, right substances are consumed. Claustrophobic and ever-shifting beats.
Rilès
"Thank God"		 3 mins 46s
25 Oct 2019
French-Algerian rapper Rilès is a vision in black and gold in this confidently shot promo for latest track ‘Thank God'. Flitting between a rugged desert landscape and a black void, director Scotty Simper lets his bushy-haired lead express his gratitude to the man upstairs with abandon... oh, and a hefty supply of body paint.
Sam Fender
"The Borders"		 4 mins 55s
24 Oct 2019
Having been described in some quarters as the 'Geordie Springsteen', Sam Fender's latest single 'The Borders' tells an emotionally-wrought story about friends growing up and growing apart. The accompanying promo enhances that poignant narrative, as director Thomas James explores a friendship ended by jealousy and mistakes.
Ritual
"Hard Times"		 3 mins 01s
23 Oct 2019
A group of friends and their tangled romantic lives are the subject of this artsy promo for Ritual's latest single 'Hard Times'. The titular times are depicted in a series of break-ups and make-ups, with members of the various couples leaning on their friends for support in different ways - all held together by a neon-soaked club scene which suggests greater intrigue lies beneath the surface.
Recent Promos
(1-25 of 25)
David Reviews - Lovely Lenzie Ltd, Woodbourne House, Seven Sisters, Lenzie, G66 3AW. Telephone: +44 141 776 7766. Editor: Jason Stone.