Jeff Labbé Joins Little Minx

Jeff Labbé, the Toast of London, Joins Little Minx Back Home

Director Jeff Labbé has signed with Little Minx in the US for commercial representation.  The American-born director, a former agency creative, has lately been making headlines in the UK with a series of high profile jobs produced by his UK production base, Sonny London.

These include the Cyber Gold Lion/D&AD-winning “Believe In Children” campaign for Barnardo’s, the UK-based nonprofit dedicated to child welfare, and Levi’s sexy “Secrets and Lies” spot from BBH. 

Why Little Minx?  “We hit it off!” Labbé says about his meeting of the minds with Little Minx President Rhea Scott. “Rhea has passion, a strategy, a great deal of depth and investment in the future. She has an impeccable eye, and prefers a shot over a glass of wine. She’s a maverick, and Little Minx is a maverick enterprise. I relate it to Fredrik Bond and Helen Kenny opening up Sonny London. I love that spirit!”

“I am crazy about Labbé! Scott shoots back. “And I’m convinced that with the support of my team, we can make him shine as bright as Sonny London has done in the UK.”

“Labbé has found a home for his heart with Rhea,” adds Kenny, Sonny London’s Managing Director.  “There’s so much mutual enthusiasm, and that makes for a great beginning to a relationship. Jeff has had an extraordinary two years in London, and I know that Rhea is excited about carrying that success forward into the US.”

The director’s work reflects a range of emotional responses and styles.  His “Break the Cycle” spot for Barnardo’s makes viewers cringe over the physical and emotional abuse of a young girl who spirals into drug addiction and petty thievery, while “Secrets and Lies” pulls viewers in to a seduction so candid it leaves them blushing. Both projects were out of BBH London.

“Because of his infectious enthusiasm when you work with Jeff, you always feel like you are making something really special,” says David Karbassioun, BBH London’s Head of Film.  He says the two projects they worked on with the director “ended up being two of the most impactful jobs BBH made in 2009.  I've had the privilege of working with a lot of the best directors in the industry and Jeff in my opinion is way up there. He’s one of our best kept secrets.”

“Jeff is a real creative's director,” adds BBH London ECD Nick Gill, “and he understands and protects the commercial objectives whilst implementing a meticulous craft to the films he makes.  Creatives love him and clients respect him. He's a real pleasure to work with and without a doubt one of the best and most exciting directors out there at the moment.”

“I like to emotionally move people,” Labbé says, with good reason—it’s something he’s done for most of his career, dating back to his days as an agency creative at Wieden+Kennedy on projects such as Nike’s Gold Lion-winning spot, “Beautiful.”  “I love storytelling and a sense of honesty,” he continues. “But it’s the characters that make you connect.”

One of the director’s best examples of this is VW Tiguan’s “Walter,” a recent commercial via DDB London. It features a matter-of-fact, weathered Southern man who comes down off the mountain into town to be a driving instructor and succeeds because the VW is so easy to drive that his students can’t fail.

Other work directed by Labbé includes spots for adidas, BBC HD, Blockbuster, Coke and Dunkin’ Donuts, among others, as well as a groundbreaking series of digital films titled “Head and Body,” MTV/Motorola’s first-ever original series for mobile phones.

Labbé began his career in advertising running Labbé Design Studio, and segued into the agency world at creative shops including TBWA Chiat\Day San Francisco and Wieden+Kennedy Portland.  He accrued a multitude of honors as a creative, spanning Gold Lions to Primetime Emmys, AICP Honors, One Show Pencils, D&AD Pencils and Communication Arts Honors, to note only a few.  In the US, he has also been represented by @radical.media and Identity.  


Published November 16, 2009