Face to Face with... Orlando Wood

On asking managing director Shawn Lacy why now is the right time to launch Biscuit Filmworks in the UK, she simply replies: “Orlando (Wood) wasn't available until now." And on the back of that response as well as knowing Wood’s career history, we had to catch up with the executive producer to probe his thoughts about starting fresh.

Wood, who began his career at Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam and spent three years at Fallon London, has produced over 100 commercials for clients including Nike, Coca-Cola, Cadbury’s and Sony. Here he turns his attention to the future and his ethos about working with people who are better than him.

Where is the new building and what’s it like?

We're on Denmark Street, which is known for its music shops and tattoo parlours. The Sex Pistols used to live down the street at number 6 and recorded their first demos here. We're on the top floor and we have an amazing view of St Giles Church, which I find quite calming. St. Giles was a pretty interesting saint actually... His best friend was a deer.  

Why was Biscuit a good move for you personally?

I've always believed that if you work with the best people, however hard the work is you'll learn something. I found that to be true at both W + K and Fallon. When I met Shawn Lacy and the rest of the team in LA I knew it was a team I wanted to be part of. They genuinely love the production process and trust in the talent of the directors.  

What are you most looking forward to?

I'm excited by every script we get and I'm always looking forward to getting the next call for work. I'm really looking forward to releasing our first commercial. It's the thing I love most about production, especially advertising production; you have something to be proud of every few months. We're in production on two campaigns at the moment and I think both are going to be really special.  

And you’ve still got your Banner Magic Hour company, too? You must be pretty busy...

 I've got a few Magic Hour projects that are in their final stages of completion. The excitement of being nearly finished makes the last bits of work less stressful. Now that I'm putting those to bed, I'm fully committed to taking on the task of getting people in the UK excited about Biscuit's offering.  

What sort of jobs is Biscuit UK looking for?

Not to put too fine a point on it, but great ones.

And will you be making any new director signings? (The company will represent its current US roster in the UK, including Aaron Ruell, Aaron Stoller, Christopher Riggert, Clay Weiner, Jeff Low, Noam Murro, Russ Lamoureux and Tim Godsall)

We will be signing new talent and we're meeting with some great directors already. I think it's a fabulous opportunity to develop some amazing local talent and ensure that we're putting down roots here.

You’ve produced a lot of work personally, how do you stay inspired?

I exclusively try to work with people who are better than I am in just about every way. Nothing's more inspiring than trying to impress someone who's un-impressible. Shawn (Lacy) isn't easily impressed. That's inspiring.

Can you tell us anything about the first job with Jeff Low?

I can tell you that it'll be funny.