Commercials: Press
Greggs has launched a £1m marketing campaign to promote its breakfast products and Fairtrade coffee.
The ‘Taste Rescue’ campaign spans a mix of above the line advertising, social media, experiential marketing and PR.
It features Professor Gregg T Bud, a new ‘tastebudologist’ character who will feature heavily on a specially created microsite and in a series of online videos exploring food tastes.
He also appears on Greggs’ new ‘Taste Rescue’ app for iPhones and Android devices.
The bakery chain will also be rolling out sensory advertising boards at bus stops in London, Manchester and Glasgow. These ‘smelly bus stops’ will waft the scent of a bacon roll and fresh coffee.
Seven shops across the country will also receive a full makeover to become Greggs ‘Taste Rescue Centres’, incorporating the campaign’s black and yellow colour scheme throughout the chosen shops, POS and on staff uniforms.
The campaign, now underway, has been created by Greggs’ team of agencies. Gratterpalm (advertising, store activation and the mobile app), Steel (digital), Euro RSCG (PR) and Carat (media buying).
A Greggs spokesperson said: “Our campaign will appeal directly to the public’s taste buds, engaging them in activity which aims to question what really satisfies them when it comes to breakfast and coffee.”
Click here to view it on THE DRUM
Greggs is introducing its first ever brand character as part of a £1m marketing campaign to promote its coffee and breakfast services.
The ‘Taste Rescue’ campaign aims to attract new customers to its breakfast meal deals, which include Fairtrade coffee.
Greggs has invested in growing its coffee offering over the last eight months, with the baker launching its first coffee shop in Newcastle last September.
Greggs, the UK’s second biggest fast-food chain by stores, will introduce new brand character Professor Gregg T Bud through a series of online videos. Each video will focus on exploring consumer food tastes and preferences and will be hosted on the brand’s campaign site.
Greggs will roll out an outdoor advertising campaign that gives consumers the option to smell either a fresh bacon roll or coffee. The outdoor push will span bust stops at locations in London< Manchester and Glasgow.
As part of the campaign several shops across the UK will be rebranded to ‘Taste Rescue Centres.’
Activity will be backed by a mobile app, the second from Greggs, which will feature a tongue scanner to determine taste levels and a ‘Taste Rescue Centre’ locator. It will also link to the baker’s social media page.
Earlier this year, Graeme Nash, head of customer and marketing at Greggsspoke about the brand’s crowdsourcing activity on Facebook as a key platform for understanding its consumers.
A spokesman from Greggs says: “As a business, we know we have a strong breakfast offering in terms of taste and value but we are committed to encouraging new customers to sample and change their perceptions of what’s on offer.
“Equally, it’s important for us to engage our existing customers and inspire them to try the whole breakfast range, which is more varied than customers may perceive.”
Greggs received an unexpected PR boost last month when Chancellor George Osborne admitting that he couldn’t remember eating at the chain. The comment was prompted by changes to UK tax law that will see businesses having to pay a tax on hot takeaway products from October.
The campaign was developed by creative agencies, Gratterpalm, Euro RSCG, outdoor company JCDecaux and media business Carat.
Click here to view it on MARKETINGWEEK
Red Arrow Entertainment Group today announced the acquisition of a majority shareholding in Endor Productions, Hilary Bevan Jones´ TV and film production company. Endor will join UK drama company Mob and US scripted producer Fuse, creating a powerful complementary fit between Red Arrow´s growing roster of international scripted assets.
Bevan Jones is one of the most respected and successful players in the industry, winning a host of awards for ground breaking and influential drama. Bevan Jones built her reputation at the BBC, working on “Not the Nine O´clock News”, “Blackadder” and producing “Red Dwarf”. Moving into drama, she produced the seminal hit series “Cracker” and, in partnership with leading screenwriter Paul Abbott, the multi-award winning “State of Play”.
Bevan Jones also won a primetime Emmy for the acclaimed HBO film “The Girl in the Café”, scripted by Richard Curtis, directed by David Yates, and starring Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald. For Working Title Films she produced “The Boat That Rocked”, written and directed by Richard Curtis. In 2006, Bevan Jones was made Chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the first woman in its 60 year history to hold this position. She championed its charitable commitment to learning and career development and was part of the resurgence of BAFTA, helping position it as an influential force in the global film and TV industry.
Endor has an exciting slate of new TV and Film projects, working with key creative talent including Richard Curtis, Paul Mayhew-Archer, Neil Gaiman, Lenny Henry and Julian Farino. Balancing this work with established creatives, the company also has film projects in development with the BFI with emerging writing and directing talent. First into production for the BBC will be the recently announced William Boyd drama “Restless”, starring Hayley Atwell. Endor´s formats and finished programmes will be sold worldwide by Red Arrow´s programme distribution arm, SevenOne International.
Jan Frouman, Group Managing Director of Red Arrow, said: “We jumped at the chance to partner with a producer of Hilary’s stature, reputation and sheer likability. She is a tier-one producer in a must-have market. Getting this done was a no-brainer.”
Bevan Jones added, “I´m delighted to be building this partnership with one of the most dynamic media groups in the industry. Red Arrow is perfectly placed to support our exciting and ambitious slate of projects in both film and television.”
14 FEBRUARY 2012 – 4:37PM
Paddy McGuinness is starring in a new campaign for Victor Chandler’s betting company Bet Victor.
The new spots, directed by The Mob’s Mark Chaudoir, see the Take Me Out host attempting to convince Chandler that his newly-branded firm needs a ‘gimmick’.
The new campaign follows McGuinness’s appearance in Victor Chandler ads last year.
The ads are now running nationwide.
Click here to view it on THE DRUM
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Paddy McGuinness stars in a new series of television adverts for betting company Victor Chandler.
Shot on location through The Mob Film Co’s Manchester offices, the campaign sees McGuinness try to persuade Chandler that he needs a gimmick, such as a BetMobile (batmobile – geddit?).
Two adverts have been produced for the promotion, both directed again by Mark Chaudoir, who was behind Victor Chandler’s first television advertising campaign in 2010. The director of photography was Clive Norman and grading was done at Envy Post Production.422 was responsible for the online and audio.
The first advert aired last night and if you want a preview of the Bet Mobile advert, you can view it on Mob’s website here.
Click here to view it on HOW>DO
Red C Marketing has created a marketing campaign for a joint partnership between VisitEngland and cottages4you.
Centred around a television commercial, which runs until March, it will also be using newspaper advertising, online, direct marketing and radio, to promote self-catering cottage holidays across England.
Manchester-based Red C brought in The Mob Film Co to produce the advert, along with director Chris Gaffey.
“The self-catering sector is incredibly important to domestic tourism – 5.2 million overnight domestic holidays were taken in a rented property last year generating £17 billion in tourism spend,” said Tim Holt, VisitEngland’s head of marketing.
“This campaign specifically highlights England’s coastline and countryside both of which offer experiences to be found nowhere else in the world! We are delighted to partner with such a well-respected brand as cottages4you.”
All the campaign material carries references to the cottages4u website, along with the VisitEngland logo. Cottages4you will also be carrying the key themes from the promotion into its other marketing activity including PR, social media and email.
Click here to view this on HOW>DO
VisitEngland and cottages4you, which have partnered to promote cottage holidays in England next year, have unveiled an advert as part of their £1million marketing campaign by Red C.
Launching on Boxing Day and running through the main January to March booking period, the advert focuses on cottages located on the countryside and on the coast.
The TV advert will be supported by radio, newspaper and online advertising, as well as direct marketing.
The production company was the Mob Film Company, with the commercial directed by Chris Gaffey.
Click here to view this on THE DRUM
TBWA\Manchester has launched a national TV ad campaign for the bird food brand Peckish.
The agency claims the ad for Peckish, which is part of Westland, marks the first time a bird food brand has ever advertised on mainstream TV.
Created in association with the award-winning visual effects company Jellyfish, a flock of birds queue for dinner. It will air on channels including ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky.
Click here to view this at CAMPAIGNLIVE.CO.UK
www.peckishbirdfood.com
Westland Horticulture has launched its first TV ad for Peckish Complete 5 in 1 bird food.
The £1m campaign, created by TBWA\Manchester, focuses on the food’s nutrients and uses the strapline “bring more birds to your table”.
Spots will air across ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5, Nickelodeon, Disney XD, Sky1 and Sky Atlantic until 27 November.
Media planning and buying was handled by MEC.
Keith Nicholson, marketing director of Westland Horticulture, said: “The advert is really striking and it will certainly capture the imagination.
“The media campaign deployed around it will definitely help Peckish to gain a great share of voice and hopefully inspire a whole new set of bird feeders in the UK.”
The campaign was directed by Chris Gaffey at The Mob Film Company, and created in association with visual effects company Jellyfish.
The spot’s copywriter was Lisa Nichols; editor, Rob Featherstone; art director, Gary Fawcett; producer, Mark Collins; planner, Helen Davies; media planner, Alex Heywood.
Post-production work was completed by Envy Post.
In 2004, Westland Horticulture launched its biggest ever TV and press activity as part of a three-year £17.5m campaign.
Tuesday, 08 November 2011 10:00AM | View this on CAMPAIGNLIVE.CO.UK
www.peckishbirdfood.com
TBWA\Manchester and The Mob Film Co are bringing bird food to mainstream television for the first time in British TV history.
The £1m+ campaign is to relaunch Peckish bird food, which is part of horticulture company, Westland.
Starting on November 7th and running through to the end of the month, the commercial uses the strapline “bring more birds to your table” with the aim of encouraging “first time bird feeders” as well as regular users to buy the wild bird food product.
The Manchester-based creative agency has worked alongside visual effects firm, Jellyfish and The Mob Film Co to produce the advert, which was directed by Chris Gaffey and features the voice of Matt Lucas.
“We’ve been working with Westland for a number of years and so we’re delighted to produce the Peckish ad. Our aim was to illustrate the product benefits in a clear and engaging manner that will appeal to not only gardening and nature enthusiasts, but new audiences also. We’re confident that we’ve achieved this,” said Fergus McCallum, CEO of TBWA\Manchester.
It will air across ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky channels and you can view it here.
Tuesday 08 November 2011 | Click here to view on HOW-DO.CO.UK
www.peckishbirdfood.com
Westland’s bird food brand Peckish will launch its first TV ad tonight as part of an advertising push costing more than £1m.
Not only is it a TV debut for Peckish, but the company claims it is the first time any bird food brand has advertised on mainstream TV.
The ad was created by TBWA\Manchester in association with visual effects company Jellyfish, and was directed by Chris Gaffey at The Mob Film Company.
It promotes the relaunch of the brand’s wild bird food and will run until 27 November on channels including ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky channels.
Jen Richardson, brand Manager at Peckish, says: “This is the first time that a bird feed advert has ever aired on mainstream TV. We needed something special that was going to both grab the attention and gain the trust of bird feeders with an accessible and clear message.”
Media buying has been handled by MEC Manchester. Its anaging director Mick Style said: “The campaign is sure to strike a chord with our target audience and help to contribute to Westland Horticulture’s expanding repertoire.”
7 NOVEMBER 2011 – 4:23PM | Click here to view on THEDRUM.CO.UK
www.peckishbirdfood.com
Our very own Bharat Nalluri (inset) has directed the final ever episode of the BBC’s acclaimed drama, Spooks.
Bharat is the co-creator of the award-winning show, and was key in the casting of the pilot series way back in 2002. He directed the opening episodes of that first series, and so it is fitting that 10-years on he has returned to direct the show’s bow-out finale, now in it’s 10th season. Spooks is currently re-running in the US on the PBS network, under it’s trans-atlantic title: MI-5.
See some of the praise heaped on the show in the UK press, below:
· Heat- “One of the BBC’s all-time finest drama series reaches its last episode… it’s a memorable end to an incredibly gripping run” (5 stars)
· Radio Times “Let’s get into a huddle for a group hug… this is it, the last ever episode of the spy series and it’s a corker.. you are equipped for a belting finale, a couple of tremendous jaw-dropping surprises, oh and you’ll need someone to prop you up afterwards, as you’ll be blinded by tears and won’t be able to find your way out of the living room”
· Total TV Guide “It’s a dignified and moving ending to what has been a classic TV series. It’ll be much missed”
· TV & Satellite Week “Dry your eyes. After 10 glorious years, it’s time to say goodbye”
· TV Times “Spooks has been a phenomenally successful show and it’s easy to say why.. most importantly, Spooks has been brilliantly written and has enjoyed an amazing knack of reflecting what’s been happening in the real world. Fittingly, it goes out with a bang” (5 stars)
· TV Easy “The final episode is a corker and full of surprises”
· Inside Soap “It’s a suitably tense conclusion to one of telly’s most reliably thrilling series, and one that we’ll be deeply sad to say farewell to.. they’re going out in style and at the top of their game”
Mob Digital has collaborated with Realtime:UK to help create tension in the lead up to the launch of the second installment in City Interactive’s Sniper series.
This marks a significant step for Mob Digital, a brand new offering from the Mob group of companies, which will formally launch to the world next week. Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 strengthens the existing portfolio of digital work which includes Need For Speed for EA Games, Sony PSP, Russell Hobbs, and Volkswagen.
The trailer employs a blend of live action and CGI to deliberately blur the lines between what is real and augmented.
Chris Gaffey, creator and director, said: “My approach was to distill the essence of the game and dramatise Ghost Warrior 2 as a high tension duel between two, almost invisible Ghost Warriors, with an explosive conclusion.
“We decided early on that camouflaged Ghillie suits in a subtropical forest would provide the perfect demonstration of how a sniper and his spotter need to use instinct, stealth, composure and patience to survive and succeed.
“Accuracy and authenticity was critical to the success of the assignment. Together with Realtime:UK we worked hard to ensure every detail was considered in pre production.
“The identity of our shooting location and our cast has to remain secret, but I can tell you it was hot and wet; the snipers are ex-military personnel; and all the kit and weapons we used in filming – AMX .50 , Nemesis .50, the handguns and Assault Rifles- are accurate to the game itself and real-life field operations.”
www.thedrum.co.uk | 13 OCTOBER 2011 – 2:50PM | BY ISHBEL MACLEOD
Jessops has launched a short film competition with Red C, developed in conjunction with The Mob Film Company.
The film competition, which will be judged by a team of directors including Hollywood filmmaker Paul WS Anderson, asks participants to produce a 10 minute short film entitled “The Shot”.
The competition, which runs until early next year, is open to everyone in the UK and offers an all-expenses paid trip to spend the day with Paul WS Anderson on the set of his latest movie. In addition, the winner will also receive a £5000 camera package, courtesy of Nikon.
Annabel Howard, Jessops marketing and PR manager, said: “Jessops has always been passionate about photography. But today’s technology means that cameras are no longer limited to just taking stills. For us, this competition is about showcasing the capabilities of the modern camera – and discovering the filmmakers of the future too, of course. We can’t wait to see the results.”
www.thedrum.co.uk | 3 OCTOBER 2011 – 2:30PM | BY ISHBEL MACLEOD
All this week we’ve been putting up interviews with the cast and filmmakers from the latest version of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel, The Three Musketeers. The movie has been remade numerous times with the Oliver Reed version probably the most famous. This new version brings together a great group of actors which I had the privileged of chatting with last week before the World Premiere.
Today we get to chat with the man at the helm himself, Director Paul. W.S. Anderson who tells me about the costume that he wore before making the movie, the amazing costumes, working with the fabulous cast and shooting on amazing locations in Germany and how he thinks The Three Musketeers and costume drams are similar sci-fi movies.
Click HERE to watch the interview.
www.heyuguys.co.uk / October 14, 2011 By David Sztypuljak
Director Bharat Nalluri, whose credits include TV shows Life on Mars and Spooks as well as the film Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, has moved from HSI London to The Mob Film Company.
The Mob Film Company produces high-quality drama, commercials, documentaries and feature films for the global market, specialising in international co-production.
John Brocklehurst, managing director, said: “We’ve recently honed our roster and have a very focused offering now, with some of the hottest performance directors around, from one of Hollywood’s biggest movie directors Paul WS Anderson, to BTA award winning Sarah O’Gorman and now Bharat Nalluri, who’s latest hit ‘Torchwood’ is wowing audiences around the world.”
THU 18 AUG 2011
www.thedrum.co.uk
Production outfit The Mob Film Company, which recently moved its Manchester team into a new Northern Quarter home, has secured the signing of ‘one of the UK’s most highly-respected TV directors’, Bharat Nalluri.
Nalluri is a well-known name in production circles, having worked on a variety of popular shows such as Life On Mars, Torchwood, Spooks and Hustle, a show that was originally commissioned from his own idea.
He has also directed Tsunami for HBO and the feature film Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day.
Mob MD John Brocklehurst said the firm was honing its roster to include “some of the hottest performance directors around.”
This roster also boasts names such as Paul WS Anderson and Sarah O’Gorman.
www.mobfilm.com
Thursday 18 August 2011
www.how-do.co.uk
The new Peckish bird food advert is now in production with two BAFTA-winning companies.
The ‘Peckish’ TV ad will launch at Glee 2011 – image: Westland Horticulture
The advert is the first in the bird feed category set to be shown across all major television channels and will broadcast from the beginning of November, says Westland.
The advert is being directed by The Mob Film Company using director Chris Gaffey, and CGI company Jellyfish Pictures.
The advert will feature CGI birds, a first in the bird care arena, and is coordinated by TBWA/Manchester, Westland’s creative agency.
Westland marketing director Keith Nicholson said: “We are incredibly excited about the new Peckish advert which will not only engage with the consumer in a fun and exciting way, but will also educate about the importance of feeding birds with the right food. The CGI birds look unbelievably real and we know this will certainly make the advert a huge success.”
The Peckish TV advert will be unveiled at Glee this September ready for its launch on television mid October 2011. The new Peckish consumer website is also under creation and is due to go live at the beginning of August and will be found at www.peckishbirdfood.com
The Mob Film Company have worked on advertising campaigns for companies such as VW, Kelloggs, Thomas Cook and Ariel. Jellyfish Productions have worked with Vodafone, Onetel and recently created the campaign for the Digital UK switchover.
Tuesday 2nd August 2011
WE MOVED OFFICES. WE ALL GOT TIPSY. WE HAD A BALLOON RACE.
Production and TV commercials company, Mob Film, last night celebrated moving to its new Manchester HQ in the Northern Quarter by releasing 1,000 balloons as part of wheeze which could see one winning guest winning an iPad2.
In addition to releasing said balloons, the Mob boys and girls also stationed a dozen camera teams around the city to capture the event, interspersed with footage and contributions from the partygoers’ own camera phones.
Each guest was allocated a numbered balloon, with instructions for the finder to report its location to Mob HQ.
Mark Collins, head of production at Mob, told How-Do they will dutifully award an iPad2 next week to the first confirmed finder of their balloon…along with film of the event which will remind all the partygoers of the fun they’ve had….
Friday 15th July
http://www.how-do.co.uk/north-west-media-news/north-west-broadcasting/mob-film-co-releases-1000-balloons-to-launch-new-office-20110715100951590
Vanish, the stain-removal brand owned by Reckitt Benckiser (RB), is launching a new TV ad campaign tomorrow (9 July), featuring 1990s pop star Chesney Hawkes.
The ad, created by Euro RSCG London, will run on Channel Five for six months.
It has been created to support the launch of a new product, Vanish Powerpowder, and is part of a £2.1m marketing campaign to support the Vanish carpet range.
The creative shows three women competing against each other in the style of a 1990s TV game show. The women are given 20 minutes to clean their entire homes before the arrival of a celebrity guest.
The spoof show is narrated by the voice of ‘Come Dine With Me’, Dave Lamb, while the winner of the cleaning contest receives a visit from one-hit wonder Chesney Hawkes.
Stefan Gaa, marketing director, RB UK, said: “RB is always looking for refreshing, quirky approaches that stand apart from traditional advertising in all our categories. This was a particularly tricky brief to crack, but we believe Euros has done it”.
http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/bulletin/thefix/article/1079154/?DCMP=EMC-CONCampaignDailyFix
The Mob Film Company’s Paul WS Anderson is the man behind film such as Event Horizon, Resident Evil and the upcoming The Three Musketeers but when he’s not shooting blockbusting films he can be found on a commercial film set. He has recently completed this time-lapse, 3D spot for Deutsche Telekom and, here, talks to shots.net about the project and his love of commercials.
What attracted you to the script for this project?
It was the chance to shoot ground breaking 3D for a commercial, and to work with Christoph [Waltz] again.
What was it like shooting in Timelapse 3D?
It’s a long process; some of the shots were almost three hours. The preparation and research we did for this was very tricky but very exciting. I have one of the best 3D crews in the world, we love a challenge. In fact we built several one off rigs just for the job.
Had you worked with 3D technology before; how did you find it?
Yes. I have shot two movies in full 3D (Resident Evil Afterlife and recently Three Musketeers) using the PACE system which was first used by Jim Cameron on Avatar. In my opinion there is no better 3D rig in the world.
What are the main differences working on a commercial to working on a feature?
Obviously the length of time you have to shoot. However, I shoot with my features crew as much as possible on my commercial projects. To be honest I don’t see what the difference is between them. For me it’s the choice of the crew, the commercials crew I have worked with are just as good as the features crew I have, and vice versa. Shooting a commercial is a more collaborative process, I love this. I am really lucky in that all the creatives I have worked with have been fantastic, especially the guys from Tribal DDB Hamburg, Catrin [Florenz] and Moritz [Pupke]. We had a fantastic time during the whole process and I really loved working with them.
You’re working with Christoph Waltz on The Three Musketeers; is it easier to work with actors you have an existing relationship with?
Yes. We worked together for six weeks on the movie. When you spend so much time with an actor you get to know them and you develop a short-hand. This really helped on the commercial as we only had a day with him in Berlin. He is an amazing actor, excellent choice for this project.
Do you think 3D will continue to dominate films, television and advertising over the coming years?
I hope so. If it’s done right it looks awesome. Would you like to work on more commercials? YES! I love making commercials. I get to play with lots of toys, and of course my excellent team at The Mob. My producer, John Brocklehurst is very particular in what scripts I see or I would say yes to everything. We have been to some great places and worked with some cool people. I’m looking forward to more. In 3D of course!!! I would love to make an ad with my wife [Milla Jovovich]. Mercedes meets L’Oreal?
Can you tell us a bit more about your work on The Three Musketeers; will it be a different take on other versions?
You’ll have to watch the trailer which was released on April 1.
Do you know what you’ll be working on once that’s completed or will you be taking a well-earned rest?
I have several movies in development – all in 3D of course – watch this space!
11th April 2011
www.shots.net
What was it like shooting in Timelapse 3D?
T-Mobile has launched what it claims is the first ever 3D time-lapse film, created by Paul WS Anderson, director of ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife’.
The film was created by Tribal DDB for T-Mobile brand owner Deutsche Telekom’s Entertain 3D package, available in Germany and created by Tribal DDB.
Shot in Los Angeles and Berlin, the film is reminiscent of the Francis Ford Coppola-produced ‘Koyaanisqatsi’, showing people going about their business using time-lapse.
A 60-second version will air in cinemas across Germany, with four cut-down versions. The full 90-second ad will show be shown worldwide at trade shows, exhibitions and festivals internationally.
DDB’s chief creative officer Hans Albers, with Catrin Florenz and copywriters Moritz Pupke and Nikolai Baradoy drove the creative, with film production by The Mob Film Company.
Everything Everywhere, which owns the T-Mobile and Orange brands in the UK, plans to differentiate the two brands, pushing Orange towards entertainment, and T-Mobile towards social media.
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk. 11 April 2011, 08:30AM
www.brandrepublic.com
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
German firm, Red Arrow Entertainment Group is in the final stages of acquiring 51% of The Mob Film Co.
The company was formed last year as an offshoot of ProSiebenSat.1. It’s been buying production companies throughout Europe, although this will be its first step into the UK market.
The Mob Film Co has offices in Manchester, London and Los Angeles and is behind the multi-award winning adaptations of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series for Sky One. It’s also built an advertising production arm and a roster of 12 directors.
“We are thrilled to have this extraordinary opportunity to join forces with Red Arrow Entertainment Group, which, under one roof, boasts a world-class and content-focused executive team, an outstanding international distribution company and a unique relationship with one of Europe’s premier broadcasting groups,” said Ian Sharples, partner at The Mob.
The deal will mean content produced by The Mob will be sold worldwide by Red Arrow’s distribution arm, SevenOne International and the indie will also work with Red Arrow Entertainment UK, a recently formed subsidiary operated by Joel Denton and James Barker.
In 2008, The Mob signed up Hollywood director, Paul W S Anderson, one of the pioneers of 3D movies (Resident Evil 4 and The 3 Musketeers 3D) and will be opening new offices in Chelsea to grow this area of production.
“We’re delighted to be building what is a hugely exciting partnership with The Mob. Red Arrow’s strategy is to invest in the very best talent and The Mob has proven to be outstanding at producing drama, documentaries and cutting-edge advertising of the highest quality,” added Jan Frouman, group managing director of Red Arrow.
“The team also has a deep understanding of new technologies like 3D, which are going to be of such importance to the global market in the future.”
The BAFTA-winning company is best known for its TV adaptations of Terry Prachett’s Discworld best sellers.
COLOGNE, Germany — Red Arrow Entertainment, a U.K. subsidiary of European broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1, has acquired 51% of BAFTA-winning production house the Mob Film Co.
The deal marks Red Arrow’s first major acquisition in the U.K. production scene and is a milestone in the group’s rapid expansion, which, since its launch last year, has seen Red Arrow snatch up indie production outfits across Europe.
The Mob Film is best known for its TV adaptations of Terry Prachett’s Discworld best sellers. The London-based outfit won two BAFTAs for its version of Prachett’s The Hogfatherand received a BAFTA nom in the visual effects category for The Color of Magic. Its most recent Prachett adaptation, Going Postal, which aired on Sky One, was one of British TV’s biggest ever single drama commissions.
The Mob Film also counts Brit feature films (Stone of Destiny, The Virgin of Liverpool) and documentaries (In The Land Of The Free) among its credits. Under the deal, the Mob will continue to be run by partners Vadim Jean, Ian Sharples and John Brocklehurst. The company will work closely with Red Arrow U.K. and all Mob-produced shows will be sold worldwide by Red Arrow distribution arm SevenOne International.
The Mob Film acquisition is the latest in a buying spree for Red Arrow, which has snatched up production companies in several European territories and has partnerships with a number of prominent international TV execs including Deal or No Deal creator Dick de Rijk and Phil Gurin (Miss USA, Singing Bee).
03/30/2011
WED 30 MAR 2011
Red Arrow Entertainment Group has today revealed that it is in the final stages of a 51% acquisition of The Mob Film Company, an independent production outfit in Manchester, London and Los Angeles.
The value of the deal has not been disclosed but it represents Germany-based Red Arrow’s first move into the UK production market.
The Mob, run by partners Vadim Jean, Ian Sharples and John Brocklehurst, shoots event drama, documentary and feature films throughout the world.
It has a roster of 12 directors including Paul W S Anderson and will be well known to readers of The Drum for its advertising work.
Sharples said: “We are thrilled to have this extraordinary opportunity to join forces with Red Arrow Entertainment Group, which, under one roof, boasts a world-class and content-focused executive team, an outstanding international distribution company and a unique relationship with one of Europe’s premier broadcasting groups.”
Under this deal content produced by The Mob will now be sold worldwide by Red Arrow’s distribution arm SevenOne International.
And The Mob will work “closely” with Red Arrow Entertainment UK, a newly-formed subsidiary managed by TV industry figures Joel Denton and James Baker.
Jan Frouman, group managing director of Red Arrow, said: “We’re delighted to be building what is a hugely exciting partnership with The Mob.
Red Arrow’s strategy is to invest in the very best talent and The Mob has proven to be outstanding at producing drama, documentaries and cutting-edge advertising of the highest quality. The team also has a deep understanding of new technologies like 3D, which are going to be of such importance to the global market in the future.”
The Mob is planning to open “flagship production offices” in Chelsea, London, with the intentions of growing its commercial arm as specialists in 3D.
One of its latest ads is a multi-million dollar campaign for Deutsche Telekom, shot in 3D by Anderson and starring Oscar winner Christoph Waltz.
Jan 2011
TELEVISUAL: JANUARY 2011
The Mob picked up two awards at the Royal Television Society Awards, for the adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s ‘Going Postal’ for Sky One.
The awards were for Best Cinematography & Best Original Music Score.
Director Vadim Jean picked up “Best Broadcast” award last night for his Yorkshire Water “Edna & Mary – Value For Money” Campaign written by Iris Associates.
Phil Hawkins, The Mob’s newest director signing also picked up the “Integrated Campaign” award for The Car Shop “The Cart Shop” spot written by JDA.
Both directors have been very busy this year shooting campaigns for various clients inluding Ponds, Iceland, Chessington World of Adventures and Jet2, not to mention their feature film work “In The Land Of The Free” by Vadim Jean and “The Butterfly Tattoo” by Phil Hawkins.
Directed by Vadim Jean
By Daniel Farey-Jones, 24-Mar-10, 12:30
LONDON – Motor oil brand Castrol is returning to TV after two years with an ad created by Ogilvy breaking next month.
http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/992568/Castrol-run-first-TV-ad-two-years/?
Thu 7 Jan 2010
Brand Republic / Media.Asia
As one of the official sponsors of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Castrol has launched a global campaign developed by Ogilvy & Mather Singapore that features football megastar Cristiano Ronaldo. According to Ogilvy, Castrol has the power to allow motorbikes to “change pace, outmaneuver traffic, accelerate faster and respond quicker when situations occur.”
The testosterone-filled creative for motorcycle oil Castrol Power1 is directed by famous sci-fi Paul W S Anderson, who’s works includes Resident Evil and Aliens vs. Predators.
Ogilvy is targeting “experiencers” in this ad, which are described as adventurous, masculine and are willing to spend on a premium price to maximise the performance of their vehicles. The objective is to put the consumers in control and change the course of “their games”.
“The challenge was to find an idea that would work just as well in rural Vietnam as in Madrid that distinctly different bikers could buy into,” said creative director Kevin Geeves at Ogilvy.
The campaign will also run in print, online and in-store advertisements. Asian countries that will have the heaviest focus includes Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and India.
Thu 14 Jan 2010
The Drum
Castrol has unveiled a new global ad campaign starring Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of its sponsorship of this summer’s World Cup. The television ad, for Castrol’s Power 1 brand, was directed by The Mob’s Hollywood director Paul W S Anderson, who was commissioned by Ogilvy Singapore.
It was shot by The Mob in Madrid on Phantom HD cameras and features former Manchester United star Ronaldo attempting to outperform a motorcyclist doing football tricks on his bike.
Wed 16 Dec 2009
Campaign
Joanna Lumley provides the voiceover for Hooper Galton’s latest work to promote Right Move as the first port of call for property sellers. The ad illuminates the essential information estate agents can provide sellers early on in the selling process and encourages them to do the sensible thing and “get the intell’ before (they) sell”.
Featured in “The Work” in Campaign 15th January 2010
“This is a charming and polished spot… May I recommend Rightmove.” – Mark Roalfe, Chairman, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R
Thu 10 Sep 2009
Drum Magazine
TBWA\Manchester has created a personalised online video to promote the upcoming Need for Speed Shift game from EA. Viewers are able to add their own name and picture to the video – which you can test drive here – to get a sense of what it is like to be in an Aston Martin in the pit lane before a big race.
The action then cuts to in-game footage from the new Need for Speed video game, which is released on 18 September. Manchester-based production company The Mob produced the video, and it was directed by Chris Gaffey. 422 Manchester handled audio design. TBWA\Manchester handles European e-CRM activity for EA, and will be pushing the game developer’s new FIFA 10 title, which is out next month.
Fri 19 Jun 2009
Drum Magazine
The Mob’s senior producer Mark Collins is now the film company’s head of production and a managing partner in the business. Collins’s new role coincides with The Mob moving to new premises in Manchester, a purpose designed production office and separate offline editing facility in the northern quarter.
The move comes a little more than a year since the production company relocated its northern base from Leeds to the Triangle in Manchester.
John Brocklehurst, The Mob’s managing director, said: “Mark is a great asset to The Mob and we are delighted that he is going to become a director of the company .“We are developing our northern business even further and Mark is the perfect person to take this forward.”
The Mob is again hosting a summer party later this month, after toasting its arrival in Manchester with a launch event last year.
Fri 19 Jun 2009
Drum Magazine
Party Gaming has launched a global campaign for its Party Casino and Party Poker brands with TV ads devised by Leeds agency Home and shot by Hollywood director Paul WS Anderson.
It is the Event Horizon director’s first work for a UK agency since signing with The Mob – which produced the ads – in December last year. His first ad was a VW spot for DDB Berlin shot in March.
Post production was split between 422 in Manchester, which handled the Party Casino ad, and London’s Smoke & Mirrors and Triangle which worked on the Party Poker commercial.
Anderson shot the ads on blue screen over four days at Shepperton Studios in London and chose Fatboy Slim’s ‘Ya Mama’ as the soundtrack.
“There was a lot to do in such a short space of time but, as a film director, Paul was more than capable of dealing with a tight deadline and the pressures they can bring,” said John Brocklehurst, managing director of The Mob, which is based in Manchester.”
He is currently taking time out from film-making to write, but loves to shoot and wanted to use the time to work on some commercials. Visual FX, CGI and audio were added by 422, with 30 and 60 second cuts made for broadcast on terrestrial and satellite TV channels as well as online.
John Sharp, creative director at 422, said: “Our challenge was to create a virtual visual casino environment with a series of animated casino games, such as roulette, blackjack and slots.
“We projected this onto a glass screen using elements of actual online game play and we even created ‘cyber chips’ that turned into real poker chips as the games came to life.” The ads are appearing on ITV, Channel 4, Sky, IDS and MTV channels in the UK, while 422 is now cutting idents for sponsorship deals around the world.
Thursday 11th June 2009
Campaign
Its nearly the summer holidays, so ASDA is highlighting its new Back To School range of George clothing to encourage mums and dads to stock up for the next school term.
The pupils of Bollin Primary School in Bowden are the stars of the ad campaign, which sees a number of pupils of all ages and sizes dressed head-to-toe in the George schoolwear.
The spot aims to communicate that whatever their age and size, George can offer value for money, thanks to its flat pricing across all age sizes as well as a number of two-for-one offers.
Tuesday 9th June 2009
Dan Leahul, Brand Republic
LONDON – PartyPoker.com’s new global campaign, encouraging online poker players to “feel it” will roll out at the end of the month.
It was created by Leeds-based agency Home and PartyGaming’s in-house team to span online, TV, outdoor and press.
According to PartyPoker.com, “research identified ‘it’ as the intense rush as the river card is turned or the wild anticipation as the roulette wheel begins to slow.” The TV ads show players at a poker table being blasted with a gust of wind or “excitement” when looking at their cards, or being blown away entirely with a lousy hand. Eventually all the players at the table are blown away, except for the winner who is caught in a rainfall of betting chips.
The ads were directed by Paul WS Anderson, who also shot ‘Event Horizon’, ‘Resident Evil’ and ‘Alien versus Predator’ and produced by The Mob Film Company. The ads were shot at Shepperton Studios in the UK, where all the Bond movies had been filmed.
PartyPoker.com is currently branded with the ‘Feel it’ strapline and has redesigned its logo for the campaign. ‘Feel it’ is expected to break worldwide at the end of June.
Mon 20 Apr 2009
Designer retailer McAthurGlen is to launch a new integrated campaign to promote its 60% off sale across its seven centres located across the UK, created by Clear Marketing.
The 20 second TV commercial, produced in conjunction with The Mob, will vary across the seven regions where McArthurGlen stores are located and will begin in Scotland.The ad – post-produced at Manchester’s 422 – will also run on each outlet’s website. The campaign also encompasses press, radio, outdoor and online, and is being rolled out in coming months. Media will be handled by Carat. Jim Smith, managing director of Clear Marketing, said: “Since our appointment last year, we have been working with McArthurGlen to develop a strong tactical strategy. It takes a fresh approach to McArthurGlen’s marketing, that has effected all of its customer touch points, from TV and press to instore POS and ambient.
“Importantly, as well as targeting McArthurGlen’s broad customer base with a value and quality message, the TV ad has been designed to engage with McArthurGlen’s core audience – women, appealing to their desire to look good and to their pocket.”
Wed 15 Apr 2009
The Drum
Domino’s Pizza is sponsoring this year’s Britain’s Got Talent, with idents being broadcast during the programme’s ad breaks, created by Big Communications.
The Leicester based creative agency has created six idents for the seven week run of the programme which began its run on ITV on Saturday night.
The series is also to be repeated every day on ITV2+1 for the next seven months. They were written by Craig Buzzel, creative director and Richard Davis, senior art director at Big who developed them with David Kerr, the director.
The Mob produced the idents which were also filmed in Manchester.
“The idents were designed to have a direct link to the show by using the iconic buzzer. Instead of stopping a bad act on the show, we use it to stop a real-life bad situation and transport our heroes to a happy place with a Domino’s Pizza.” Said Richard Davis.
Craig Buzzel commented “They’ve been a lot of fun to work on and are a result of a lot of hard work from everyone involved.”
Fri 27 Mar 2009
The Newcastle-born, Hollywood director tells The Drum about his new career direction
Paul WS Anderson lives the Hollywood life. A successful director, he is married to one of the silver screen’s most beautiful actresses and openly admits that he doesn’t have to work hard to pay off his mortgage. Not bad for a boy from Newcastle. So why has he now launched a new career in commercials?
His CV bears all the hallmarks you’d expect of a Hollywood director, he met his movie star other half on the set of one of his films and he’s heading for lunch in sun-kissed Malibu once The Drum stops bending his ear.
But you couldn’t accuse Newcastle-born director, producer and screenwriter Paul WS Anderson of forgetting his roots; the 44-year-old filmmaker, whose credits as a director include Event Horizon, Resident Evil and Alien vs. Predator, recently signed a deal to shoot commercials for the Manchester and London-based film company The Mob.
When we speak, Anderson is on good form having just wrapped up the final day’s shooting in LA on his first commercial, working with The Mob and ad agency DDB Berlin on a spot for Volkswagen’s new Gti car. It will initially air in Germany but is pencilled in for a global release.
An advert for a sporty motor seems like a natural step for Anderson, given that he spent two years filming cars for his 2008 film Death Race, his re-make of the cult 1970s flick about murderous motor racing. “When we wrapped Death Race, I felt like there was no one better in the world at shooting cars than me, just because I didn’t think there was anyone in the world who’d had more experience of working with cars during that time when it became my entire life,” he says. “I was completely consumed by it – constructing cars, rigs, filming techniques. I thought it would be a shame to let that skill set go to waste.”
His brief for this commercial was to shoot it like a Hollywood action movie, and “make your pulse race in the way a lot of car ads don’t”. He says the client was a little shocked by some of his techniques, namely crashing the three new, brilliant white Volkswagens into purpose-built rigs and having a helicopter skim three feet above them. “I think VW always worried that I would blow the cars up at some point,” he laughs, before adding, proudly, that he gave all three cars back still gleaming white and without so much as a dent in them.
Anderson was introduced to The Mob by his old friend Vadim Jean, a partner at the film company and one of its directors, and it’s clear he’s enjoyed his induction into commercials: he praises the client’s “enthusiasm” and is delighted with the creative freedom he’s been afforded.
“I’m very excited about doing more commercials, but I don’t have to just take commercials to pay my mortgage. That was what was great about this, if the client had gone ‘That location’s great but we want to shoot in this other place’, and if we hadn’t had a creative vision that was very much the same, I didn’t have to do it.”
Criticise
Anderson always wanted to be a filmmaker, he says, ever since he was a child. He made his name as a director and writer and first announced his striking visual style with his 1994 debut, Shopping, starring Jude Law and Sadie Frost. “If anyone wants to criticise one of my movies in the press, one of the easiest things to say is it’s all style over substance, and that’s because even when I was spending very little money making films in England, they always looked fantastic. That’s a criticism that you can never level against me – that the movies don’t look good.”
His arresting style was informed by the director he most admires, Ridley Scott, another native of the north east of England who, with films like sci-fi classic Blade Runner, became renowned for his slavish dedication to visual panache. Although Scott gained worldwide acclaim through his films, he’s also renowned as a master of commercials: his 1984 epic to launch Apple’s Macintosh computer, which aired during the Superbowl, is still heralded as a masterpiece, while his fondly-remembered 1973 ad for Hovis topped a poll of the favourite ads of all time in 2006.
“Think about why Ridley Scott’s films look so amazing – why is the texture and the detail so good? It clearly goes back to his experience directing commercials, and that close attention to detail that he has that commercials demand. If I had to pick a filmmaker that I’ve been most influenced by who is working right now it’d be Ridley.”
As a visually-led filmmaker, Anderson believes he’s suited to make the transition to commercials, but many film directors wouldn’t be, he claims. “A lot of filmmakers have this very broad view of what their film should be; if you made them turn around and look away from the set, they wouldn’t be able to tell you where the cup was on the table, or whether there’s two cigarettes in the ashtray or just one.”
He also believes some commercial directors – zoned in on the tiny details but with less experience of developing a story arc which can grip a viewer for two hours – would struggle to make the move into films. “There was a time in the eighties when there was a lot of crossing over, that whole wave of British commercial directors who made amazing debuts as filmmakers.”
Burnt
Now, he says, with fewer films being made and those that are on smaller budgets, studios probably aren’t as likely to take a flyer on an ad director with a great commercial reel. “I think they’ve been burnt quite a few times like that.”
With a schedule that demands shooting enough footage for a 30 to 45 second spot in three days – rather than two minutes’ worth a day on films – Anderson has relished “tweaking the details” on his first ad. Now it’s about to break (1 April) his attention will turn to writing the next movie in the Resident Evil franchise, and he admits he doesn’t yet know what his next ad will be. So what would be his dream commercial?
“Because I’ve done a lot of female-led movies one of the things I really enjoy is shooting women and making them look good. My dream job is to go work with Milla [Jovovich, his partner with whom he lives in Beverley Hills] and shoot something that she could be in.” His dream spot then, he says, “would be some kind of high fashion car advert. Volkswagen meets Chanel, that kind of thing.”
Wed 25 Mar 2009
Advertising / England & Wales
The final TV ad created by Poulters – a campaign for Miele – is now airing on network television – eight months after the Leeds advertising agency closed its doors.
The ad, for Miele’s S7 vacuum, was written and art directed by Mick Craven and Gary Delaporte, the Poulters creative team who moved to Fuse8′s Industry when the agency was shut last July.
It is a reminder of the work produced by Poulters, an agency which stood for 39 years before it was closed by parent company, Bezier, as part of a restructure of its creative offering.
Delaporte said: “Producing this script threw up plenty of challenges, not least filming a falling cat at 1000 frames per second. But the real achievement was the fact that this is a product demonstration delivered with great style.”
Freelance TV producer Sarah Craven, who agency produced the campaign for Poulters, added: “The commercial was truly a collaboration of like-minded people to produce a high quality film which required extreme technical effects to create the look of objects falling from a great height in a beautiful and balletic way.”
The commercial, shot in studios in Manchester, was directed by Jason Fisher-Jones of The Mob and post-produced at Glassworks London.
Wed 11 Mar 2009
Advertising / England & Wales
Driven has created a new TV campaign for outdoor clothing brand Regatta. The agency has produced a series of 16 idents to support the brand’s sponsorship of new primetime ITV programme, Countrywise.
The campaign which marks Regatta’s TV debut features an outdoor film crew wearing the brand’s clothing to protect them from the elements. All shot on location in the North West last weekend, they are hot off the press and will break on ITV at 7.30pm this Thursday.
Graham Rickard, Marketing and design director at Regatta said: “There is a great fit between Regatta and Countrywise and driven’s creative approach adds further value to the sponsorship. Rather impressively, the ident project was created, produced and delivered in just one week.”
Graham Drury, partner at driven commented: “Regatta’s decision to introduce the brand to TV at this time is a great example of the company’s entrepreneurial spirit. It’s a really positive move and deserves a good return on the investment”.
The idents were directed by Chris Gaffey of The Mob Film Company with post production through 422.
Tue 10 Mar 2009
Advertising / England & Wales
Big Communications has worked with The Mob film company to produce a 30-second cinematic public information commercial.
Directed by one of the Manchester production company’s newest signings, Yoav Segal, the commercial (pictured) will run in the East Central TV region and is aimed at reinforcing the message that hospitals in the region have the lowest number of MRSA and C-dif infections in the country.
Big is also working with The Mob on fresh idents for Domino’s Pizza’s sponsorship of the new series of ITV1 hit show Britain’s Got Talent. Running from 5 April, the idents are the latest in a series of commercials the Leicester-based agency has handled since being appointed by Domino’s following a three-way pitch last year.
The Mob has now finished shooting the idents, which have been directed by BAFTA-winning comedy director David Kerr.
Wed 10 Dec 2008
Media / England & Wales
The Mob Film Company has snapped up the director behind Hollywood films Event Horizon, Alien vs. Predator and the Resident Evil franchise for UK commercial representation.
Paul W.S. Anderson, originally from Newcastle, has joined the directors on the roster of the film company, which has its northern base in Manchester and an office in London.
Anderson has worked with Hollywood starts including Jude Law, Kurt Russell and Milla Jovovich and his most recent project was the feature film Death Race. The Mob’s managing director, John Brocklehurst, said: “Having an international director of Paul’s stature, is a perfect complement to our commercial roster, offering a little bit of Hollywood to UK advertising.
“Paul is a lovely guy and an amazing director. We are incredibly excited to have him join us.”
by Nikki Sandison, Brand Republic 10-Nov-08
LONDON – Kellogg’s is reminding the public of its heritage in a £1.4m TV and press campaign showing how its Corn Flakes box has changed over the past 100 years.
The food company is launching TV and national print ads highlighting the quality ingredients found in each bowl of Kellogg’s cereal and the affordable price, at 10 pence per serving. The creative, developed by Manchester’s CheethamBell JWT, features an image of a box of Corn Flakes changing over time, from the first packet designed by Kellogg’s to the current version on the shelf. W K Kellogg first added his signature, now abbreviated to Kellogg’s, in bright red on all packs of his cereals in 1903 along with the phrase “none genuine without this signature”. It appeared on pack to help shoppers pick out his products from the competition.
Mike Taylor, Kellogg’s UK head of sales, said: “We know in a time of recession, people turn to brands which offer consistent reassurance, backed by a strong pedigree. That’s why our heritage features so strongly in this activity.”
Taylor also said that Kellogg’s research shows that 41% of people have eaten more cereal in the past six months as consumers turn away from more expensive breakfast additions like smoothies. The campaign launches in mid-November and runs until January 2009.
November 2008 – Drum Magazine
The Drum joins former BJL creative Chris Gaffey on set.
There is nothing more frustrating for a creative than to sit on a film set and see the idea they created destroyed by a director. One creative, Chris Gaffey, is now doing something about it as he trades in his pencil and pad for a clapper board and becomes a commercial director with The Mob Films.
As an advertising creative, there can be nothing more satisfying than seeing your ‘Big Idea’ come to life, fleshed out into a fully formed ad. But that eventual realisation of your eureka moment more often than not follows a restless journey from first flashes of inspiration, via the delicate bureaucracy of client approval, to the moment it finally breaks. For Chris Gaffey, a creative for 22 years, that wait – from first scripts and sketches to actually getting the ad made – was, you suspect, proving a little trying. In his own amiable way, he tells The Drum when we join him on his first shoot since swapping ad agency BJL for film company The Mob, the time felt right to trade conceptualising ideas for bringing them to life.
“You can spend many months writing an idea, many weeks and months debating it and taking it through research, and then you’ve got to sell this vision to a client and encourage them to pay for it to be made, and this adds up to a very long and quite stressful process,” he tells us between takes on a Christmas commercial at Salford’s Pie Factory studios. “The magic, the most enjoyable bit for me, was always actually getting there at the shoot and seeing it come to life through the camera.”
At The Mob North, based a short walk across Manchester from previous employer BJL’s Sunlight House, Gaffey will direct, for agencies and clients, the kind of campaigns he was once penning. He is no novice as a director though, having started to get his hands dirty on shoots over five years ago.
Ambitions
“I suppose I’ve harboured this ambition [to direct] throughout my years as a creative. Quite often I’d be sat on a set and I’d be thinking something – like, it would be a bit better if the camera did this – and I wouldn’t quite have the bottle to say it to the director. As I’d be thinking that though, the director would then say the same thing out loud. That gave me the belief that maybe I did have the eye for this, maybe I could do it.”
The Salfordian started his career as a junior art director in 1986, and the intervening 22 years have taken him to senior positions at CheethamBell, MagneticNorth and finally BJL, with three years of freelance work across Manchester and Leeds in between. Being from that side of the River Irwell, he’s a devout Man United supporter, and he dissects the finer points of the Reds’ season as we adjourn for lunch. As we turn back to his career, he talks keenly about the new challenge which has put paid to any danger of him becoming advertising’s equivalent of football’s Journeyman Pro over the coming years.
Gaffey’s senior agency roles and the experience gained working freelance across the north has served as an apprenticeship, he acknowledges, and has afforded the confidence for him to pursue his true passion. “Any creative that works for good agencies, on big accounts, gets to work with great directors. I’ve been lucky that I worked with some really talented directors when I was a creative. So I learnt from them, observing the craft that goes into making a commercial. The art of directing an ad takes some learning because everything has to neatly fit into a jigsaw piece: it’s a very tight, carefully choreographed story.”
Of course, crafting something so delicate brings with it its own challenges. “Like one time in Walsall,” he grins, recalling an outdoor shoot for Jaguar. “We had this Jag jacked up and propped up on blocks, all primed and pristine in the street; it was freezing cold, February, and we – all the crew – were sat around waiting for the sun to come up. Early morning workers were walking past and one guy walked towards the car, peered in, and then just got in! We were like, Oh no, the fingerprints on the car we’d carefully shined up! Yeah, Walsall had its challenges. A group of scallies on BMXs came over just to cause havoc – one of them threw a milkshake at us.”
Bradford & Bingley
Still, unruly hoodies successfully negotiated, Gaffey’s stock as a director has risen sufficiently to see him become the incumbent director on the last three Bradford & Bingley ads while at BJL, a notable fillip given the prestige of the account (prior to the building society’s recent troubles, at least) and the fact that the client was returning from a lengthy sabbatical from TV commercials. “To take Bradford & Bingley, an advertiser which hadn’t been on screen for about five or six years, and to help devise a campaign, a new identity for them, a new tone of voice, is something I’m really proud of. Of course, that’s developed over three commercials now. As far as scale goes, the size of the shoots, the locations, the number of background artists, and the choreography of all those elements, tied in with the specials effects work and live performance, it was a fantastic challenge.”
The timely B&B ads brought Gaffey to the attention of The Mob, just as the company was moving its northern headquarters from Leeds to Manchester this summer. “The Bradford & Bingley commercials are such beautifully crafted ads; they have everything: stunning visuals, excellent performance and they work as a message,” The Mob managing director, John Brocklehurst, said shortly after announcing Gaffey’s arrival in September.
Most people are apprehensive about how they’ll be portrayed when they are interviewed, and I suspect Gaffey is no different as The Drum exits stage left. When you go for any new job though, you rely on the character reference of your previous employer, so who better to give the last word to than Gaffey’s old boss, BJL managing director, Nicky Unsworth. “We were very supportive of the move,” she explains. “Chris has been a great member of the BJL team and we anticipate maintaining a strong ongoing relationship with him. We’ve always known directing is his first love. He is passionate about directing – but more importantly, he is good at it.”
October 2008
The Drum Magazine
An Agency Called England has created a new road safety film, which will launch later this month in Medway cinemas. The commercial, shot by Manchester film company The Mob, is part of a wider road safety campaign that England is creating for Medway Community Safety Partnership.
The campaign also encompasses outdoor, press advertising, radio and ambient media. The Leeds-based agency took the decision to ue a satirical tone, featuring a funeral director, rather than ‘preach’ or ‘attempt to shock the audience’.
The Mob’s Mark Collins, said: “We loved the idea of turning a road safety campaign on its head by using a satirical approach with such taboo subject.” Paul Alexander, creative director of An Agency Called England, said: “This was right up our street – a public information message communicated in an unconventional way.”
September 2008
The Drum Magazine
BJL senior art directors Chris Gaffey has made the move from agency creative to directing having joined Manchester film company The Mob Film Co.
Gaffey will direct his first ad for The Mob when he joins up with his new employer in Manchester next week. He will also be involved in work coming out of the film company’s London operation.
The Mob MD, John Brocklehurst, explained how he had been wowed by Gaffey’s work on ads for Bradford & Bingley while at BJL.
“Bradford & Bingley are such beautifully crafted ads; they have everything – stunning visuals, excellent performance and they work as a message,” he said. “Chris will be an excellent addition to our roster of directors both here in Manchester and in London.”
Nick Unsworth, managing director of BJL, said the agency was “very supportive” of Gaffey’s move: “Chris has been a great member of the BJL team and we anticipate maintaining a strong ongoing relationship with him,” said Unsworth and creative director, Billy Mawhinney, added that he was looking forward to working with Gaffey as a director in the future.
Explaining the move, Gaffey said: “Directing has been my passion for some time now. It’s an itch I have to scratch. I’ve really enjoyed my time at BJL, and I wish them all well for the future, but I’m ready to move on and devote my complete attention on directing.”
MIDDLE AGE SPREAD
As digital communiations have come of age more clients are using websites and virals to market their products and services. That means that money traditionally spent on TV is ultimately being spread accross a number of platforms. The Drum asks how this is affecting commercial production companies.
NO SET RULES
“There are no set rules anymore” adds The Mob Film’s John Brocklehurst. “But TV advertising works. And there are more smaller clients now advertising than ever before due to cheaper airtime. We have seen more creative scripts from agencies, and it seems like clients are geting more adventurous, especially agencies outside the the M25.
“But at the same time, crew rates keep going up and budgets down, which doesn’t make sense. Most British crews realise this and are prepared to do the appropriate deals. The ones that are not are dinosaurs and will find themselves with less and less work.”
July 2008
The Drum Magazine
Production company Mob North has toasted its move accross the Pennines from Leeds to Manchester with a launch party in the city’s trendy Northern Quarter. Around 170 guests – many from local creative firms and ad agencies – enjoyed pie and mash and a free bar at The Bay Horse pub.
A full picture gallery is online at www.thedrum.co.uk/news, and by the looks of things, there couldn’t have been much left to drink at the bar the morning after!
July 2008
The Drum Magazine
The Mob Film Company has announced that it has signed up Director, Andy Saunders, for representation in Manchester & a partnership with London’s Red Bee Media.
It follows the recent announcement of The Mob’s expansion in to Manchester, known as Mob North. Senior Producer, Mark Collins, commented ‘Andy is a fantastic fit for us, especially in Manchester where he’s widely recognized as one of the leading Directors outside of London’. Previous credits include Bentley, Orange, Umbro, JD Williams and films for the North West Development Agency.
In addition, Mob North has extended its roster further by partnering with London’s Red Bee Media. Directors joining for exclusive ‘outside of London’ representation are Andrea Kapos, Matt Losasso & Darren Young. MD John Brocklehurst said, “Joining with Red Bee allows us to extend our offering of London Directors in the north, whilst continuing to create work of the highest production values at the best possible price”.
The Red Bee Directors credits include BBC One idents / branding, Comet, Ribena & work for RTE.
September 2006
JOHN BROCKLEHURST:
THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE MOB FILM COMPANY MIXES BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE.
Mentor
My Old PE tutor, who was a staff sergeant in the SAS. He was very supportive, a real motivator. And Howard Guard, a [film] director who was very creative. He was an inspiration for a young, working-class kid like me.
I lean on…
My Finance Director, Ian Sharples. He’s a non-drinking methodist who keeps us on the straight and narrow – we wouldn’t be here without him.
Business Milestone
A couple of great deals in the pipeline were set to double the size of our office and send turnover through the roof, so we opened a second office in Leeds. It was a good move, but risky.
Business Nightmare
Making music videos. Music companies haven’t got a clue about production – they don’t know what they’re talking about. They want the world for very little money. We no longer seek that work.
Useful business reads
The best book I’ve ever read is a guide to Buddhism. I try not to be judgemental and take time to find my karma.
If I were prime minister...
I’d make it easier to open and run a business. Personal tax and company make it incredibly difficult to become an employer. People in the media industry are punished. Socialist ideals are good but in my opinion, the government lost control.
Best piece of advice?
Write things down.
If not a director…
I’d have been a midwife. I wasn’t clever enough to be a doctor but I love kids.
How do you relax?
I go to the gym in the morning (it clears my head). And I watch Coronation Street.
Leadership Icon
Patrick Hayes, chairman of Production International. He gave me my first job.
Best Bits
Entertaining clients. We class 99.9 per cent of our clients as friends. I also get satisfation from employing 20/30 people plus hundreds of freelancers.
Worst Bits
The Pressure. I’m never not working.
BestAdsOnTV.com
August 2006 – ‘News’
Inside the head of John Brocklehurst, Managing Director of the Mob Film Company, UK. The Mob have worked on commercials such as Coca Cola, Playstation, Mercedes, BT, Smirnoff, Cadburys and British Airways.
bestads: the best scripts always come with the worst budgets …. True / false
John Brocklehurst: False.
You can get some great scripts with great budgets. However, you have certain brands such as Sony Playstation who realise that most young directors dream of doing one of these spots to put on their reel, and as prod co producer who has shot two of these ads then i know that the client and agency take advantage of this.
bestads: the smaller the idea, the bigger the effort …. True / false
John Brocklehurst: True.
I think that when a director and creatives have a very simple idea, they tend to want the best of everything to compensate for this fact. It makes them feel that they are being clever.
bestads: TV adverts are just like feature films, but more so …. True/ false
John Brocklehurst: False.
Absolute rubbish. An ad is selling a product or a brand, thats all it should do. Films help you escape everyday life and take you to another place in your head where you dont think about work, bills etc. Well a good film does anyway.
bestads: budgets are set in concrete, until the client comes up with an idea ….. True / false
John Brocklehurst: False.
A good agency and a good client will realise that a script is continually developing and sometimes there is a need for extra funds. I find that as long as you are honest and upfront with them, this is never a problem.
bestads: having a roster of directors is like having a large family … True / false
John Brocklehurst: In the Mob Film Company this is absolutely true.
You all have to get on and when you are looking for new directors the first thing you think about after seeing the reel and meeting them is will they get on with the other guys. This is absolutely vital.
bestads: having a production co. that does TV, Film & advertising is like having a wife & 2 lovers (Im not sure which is which). They mustn’t know about each other. …. True / false
John Brocklehurst: False.
Always be proud of your work!
bestads: the future of production is: scripts written & shot by the punters, edited & post produced on a laptop, the sound guy does the track in his bedroom, the clients wife is the research, & it gets sent out as a viral. …. True / false
John Brocklehurst: False.
Definitely need to have punter feedback and loose these ridiculous arty farty ads that nobody understands. i love ads that make me laugh and dont take themselves too seriously. For example, Sheila’s Wheels, the one with the aussie bloke on the stage. Fucking brilliant, anybody you ask they know the tune, and the product and it makes them smile. Ads need to be produced to a very high standard, if a punter is watching 30 secs of tv then it need to look good. HD or film all the way. The great things about virals is you dont have to follow the ridiculous rules of the BACC, so therefore they tend to be much more creative and a bit risque. If they are any good then they will reach a lot more people in a lot more places for free!
The Daily Telegraph
April 2006.
Andrew Cave
‘Safari went wild for added value: Andrew Cave explains how filmmaker John Brocklehurst got into the big game by Thomas Cooking it’
Added value is a buzzword in the sales industry. For John Brocklehurst, however, the phrase has meaning. His best deal was a transaction where he was able to offer a costumer much more than they had bargained for at no extra cost. And he and his colleagues had a great time in the process.
Brocklehurst, 33, is managing director of The Mob Film Company, a producer of films and adverts based in Great Russell Street, London. “I fell into the industry pretty much by accident,” he says. “After a physical education degree from Liverpool University, I was coming down to London a lot to look for a job and stayed with friends of my parents.
“One of them had a TV studio so while I was looking for something I started being a runner, doing everything from making the tea to getting the cameras together. I saw everything that was going on and decided this was what I wanted to do.”
After working for that company and two other industry firms, Brocklehurst freelanced as a producer, working for Vadim Jean, the director of films including ‘Leon the pig farmer’. After a few years, he became a partner in The Mob, Jean’s production company.
Brocklehurt’s best deal came about while with The Mob when he was discussing a forthcoming advertising campaign for the travel group Thomas Cook.
“It was funny,” he says. “My best friend in the industry was hiring for a job and we were talking about the script. It was a campaign called ‘The World’s On Sale’ and they wanted to show different locations where Thomas Cook offered holidays.
“All commercials for holiday companies use stock footage and it’s really boring when you go through it all, find the shots you want and put them together. I asked about the budget, which turned out to be £200,000, and I said that we could shoot the whole thing on location for that amount. We shoot a lot of commercials and have a lot more spending power than other agencies. We rent film equipment, camera and lighting, always using the same suppliers. I said that we could film what they wanted for their script without any premium over the price for using stock footage. We could go abroad and film exactly what they wanted for the same price. We could do a much better job because no one really wants stock footage. We could film the scenes exactly as they wanted them.”
Having won the contract, Brocklehurst went on the shoot with film director Michael Williams and a production crew. “We did a safari from a ranch near Johannesburg just before Christmas in 2004 and then a night shoot of the Eiffel Tower,” he says. “It was probably the best shoot I have ever done in my life. We were flying around Cape Town in a helicopter looking at deserted beaches.
“There was one shot of an aeroplane coming into the airport that we needed and we could only shoot it from the shanty town next to the airport so we went in and suddenly we were surrounded by people with guns. There were 12 year-old kids with guns but we had someone who spoke the local language and it was all right. The people were very friendly and just wanted to look at our equipment. They were posing for film shots with their guns.”
Not surprisingly, Brocklehurst and his company chose not to use those pictures in the Thomas Cook ads but the three-week expedition yielded commercial benefits beyond giving him and his crew the time of their lives.
“Thomas Cook loved it and awarded us the contract for the following year’s campaign,” he says. “It gave them a full library on file and they sold all their holidays for that season. The figures went through the roof.” The deal reinforced several of Brocklehurst’s beliefs about sales in his industry. “It was lucky that I was talking to my friend there and then,” he says, “but it is all about relationships. If you have a good working relationship with someone, you can come up with these ideas. They were going to sit in a studio for two or three weeks, spend the same amount of money and come up with something a fraction as good as we gave them.
“It was a case of thinking of something completely different and proving that we could pull out all the stops to make it work.”
May 2006. The Observer Magazine
Phil Hoad
Though the 30 year old trained in graphic design and first made his name with ads for the likes of Playstation 2 and music videos for Roni Size, his current niche is as Mr Football.
This World Cup, his campaign for Pringles feature the likes of Steven Gerrard, Roberto Carlos and Freddie Ljungberg. He’s also directed two football-themed documentaries – What Rio Did, a 50 minute special about Ferdinand’s drug ban, and this summer’s film about Michael Owen.
Having worked in music promo’s, Williams is used to amateur acting talent. Footballers are no different: “They’re not Bobby De Niro, thats for sure. It’s best to go with who that person is.’ Ferdinand was more than happy with his protrayal. “The situation was a bit tricky, but I think Michael shot a really objective film about where I was at the time” he says.
William’s agency, Mob FIlm, is a practical place to work. ‘We don’t have the smoked-glass office in Soho. We’re more about putting it on film than shouting about it.’
While the Blackburn fan is milking his current premiere league status, next comes a feature film – a black comedy set in Yorkshire. No football? “its not really been by design, and I’m sure by June the football stuff will dry up anyway.”
Brandrepublic.com
November 2005
Julia Pearlman
The Mob Film Company strengthens team with new director
LONDON – The Mob Film Company has appointed director Steve Qua to join its team, having worked on numerous projects for Nike at Wieden & Kennedy, Karmarama and Channel 4.
Qua most recently art directed and designed logos for the Channel 4 series ‘Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere’. He was also commissioned to make a short documentary for Channel 4 about the worst table tennis team in London.
This year, Qua made a short film commissioned by the Design Council for the London Design Festival. Qua graduated from Edinburgh College of Art and went on to join English & Pockett as a graphic designer working on television channel identities and title sequences. In 1998, he left to join Channel 4 and became a freelance director as well as continuing to direct titles, identities and commercials.
In 2001, Qua joined advertising agency Karmarama where he worked on campaigns for Ikea, LivingTV, Selfridges, Liberty, Opodo, The Design Council and Emap.
John Brocklehurst, managing director of The Mob Film Company, said: “Steve fits in perfectly and his individual imaginative style is exactly what we value at Mob. We look forward to nurturing his talent and anticipate a successful working relationship with him.”
****
Brandrepublic.com
November 2005
Campaign
Movers: Appointed at The Mob Film Company
The Mob Film Company has added Steve Qua to its roster of directors. Qua’s commercial directing credits include spots for Nike during a spell freelancing for Wieden & Kennedy. In 2001, he joined Karmarama where he directed campaigns for Ikea, UKTV, Selfridges, Liberty, Opodo and Emap.
Qua’s career also includes stints at Channel 4, where he worked on the idents for T4 and 4Later, as well as the Channel 4 daytime programming launch and title sequences for Dispatches. Most recently, he art directed and designed logos for Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere.
