Andy Gulliman on the New Director's Showcase

Worldwide director of film and content for Saatchi & Saatchi, Andy Gulliman, has been involved with the prestigious Saatchi & Saatchi New Director's Showcase for a decade and this year the event turns 25.

The Showcase, held yesterday [Thursday 25] in the Palais has become a Cannes institution and below Gulliman talks about the evolution of the NDS, its importance to the industry and why it's essential to nurtute new talent.

This is the 25th anniversary of the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase event; you’ve obviously not been involved in it for 25 years, but how do you think it has changed over the last two-and-a-half decades?

I’ve been part of the team of Saatchi & Saatchi Creative Leaders who select the New Directors’ Showcase (NDS) for the past 10 years, and I’ve curated the reel for the past two years.

When the NDS was conceived back in 1991, the reel was heavy on commercials and pop promos, mainly because it was the decade where MTV ruled, and advertisers were playing back commercials that were influenced by the world created by MTV. 

Also 1991 was a pre-social media age when the internet was a baby. Nowadays with YouTube and social media, there are more opportunities for directors to get recognised, but also more competition.  

 
Is the core purpose of the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ awards the same now and it was in 1991?

Saatchi & Saatchi’s NDS was conceived back in 1991 when the agency was invited by Cannes Lions to host a seminar. An idea was conceived for a showcase that would reflect the agency’s reputation for nurturing and developing new directing talent.

The late Paul Arden, a legendary and much loved ECD, presented the first NDS which featured some directors who are now very famous including David Cronenberg, Jean Baptiste Mondino, Daniel Kleinman [below], Tarsem and Jake Scott.

We, understandably, celebrate existing talent quite a lot in this industry but how important is it to keep a collective eye on and celebrate the talent of the future?

It’s essential to keep an eye out for new talent, whilst at the same time acknowledging existing talent. I think we’re doing exactly that with the 25^th Anniversary Showcase event in Cannes:  25 incredible directors who’ve been featured over the past quarter century, have created a unique film titled 25x25. 

The film introduces the reel of 14 Directors we’ve selected for 2015, so that seems like a fitting dedication to the talent that has made the NDS possible, and a nice way of introducing the NDS class of 2015. 

There is one outstanding young director we included in the 2015 reel – Charlie Robins – who is the 25^th director of our 25x25 film, and I think he’s really one to watch. 


Do you have any tips for what aspiring commercials directors can or should to do (apart from getting on the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase list)  to get themselves noticed?

Be unique, original and create eye-catching work. 

What’s the hardest part about putting the awards together each year?

The sheer volume of entries we watch when selecting the films for the Showreel is quite mind-blowing, but also it’s exciting to discover new talent. We endeavor to come up with something new and unique for each year’s NDS event in Cannes, and don’t like to repeat anything we’ve already done. 

Obviously this year is the 25^th Anniversary of the NDS so we had to come up with something very special, and we felt that celebrating the directors and their work was the best way of celebrating 25 years of the NDS.

And the most rewarding?

Definitely discovering new talent, and being able to showcase it on a world stage at Cannes Lions, and also taking the reel round the world after the event. 

After Cannes, on July 9 in London at the BFI, BUG [London-based creative music video showcase] has curated a special 25 year anniversary homage to the New Directors’ Showcase, and we plan to screen the 2015 Showreel in other cities.  

Apart from the Saatchi & Saatchi NDS event, what are you most looking forward to about this year’s Cannes week?

I enjoy the awards ceremonies, and Saatchi & Saatchi, I’m pleased to say, had a great start to the week with Lions for our agencies in; Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Italy, London, Miami, Spain and Switzerland

Do you have any top tips for surviving the week?

Avoiding the Gutter Bar!