Academy sign director Romain Chassaing for the UK Market

The French director Romain Chassaing joins an expanding Academy roster brimming with emerging talent and established names.

Crime, corruption and shady characters are littered throughout the work of Chassaing. His work has a pacey black humour with regular nods to the icons of cinema.

Chassaing grew up in Montpellier and studied graphic design in both Paris and Manchester with a plan to work in the music industry. While designing, photographing and finessing album artwork, his meticulous attention to craft caught the eye of several music acts, who subsequently invited him to direct videos for them.

Promos for Vitalic, Vald and Dizzee Rascal combine double-dealing edgy narratives with the darkest of humour. Romain’s collaboration with the band Naïve New Beaters has created a wealth of bold conceptual videos, notably Words Hurt; the D&AD Yellow Pencil winning interactive film in which the viewer can fudge their own path to riches or ruin.

Chassaing has applied his scrupulous craftsmanship to commercial work for Schweppes, Sega, Replay, Mercedes and many more.