O Positive welcomes director Daniel Warwick
Renowned for spectacular visual storytelling and bringing ‘big and bonkers’ ideas to life, O Positive will rep Warwick for commercials in North America and the UK.
O Positive has signed Daniel Warwick for commercials in North America and the UK. Warwick professes to being drawn to “big and bonkers” scripts which spark his passion for epic visual storytelling.
His latest work Westpac’s Project Alpha via Goldilocks, NZ depicts a group of gravity-defying donors to a rescue chopper piling on top of each other at awkward angles that form the shape of a helicopter. Warwick leaned into subtle comedy and a raw cinematic look captured on 16mm to create the visual metaphor showing that everyone is part of the rescue helicopter when they donate.
Some other notable big and bonkers commercials from Warwick include Coors Light Chill Train featuring LL Cool J (Droga5) as the conductor of Coors’ unstoppable beer delivery train, which ran on the Super Bowl in 2024; Kathmandu Summer Never Sleeps (Special), a surreal mash-up of adventures for outdoor enthusiasts which won the Ciclope Grand Prix along with a D&AD pencil, multiple AWARD honors, a CLIO and more; and Silver CLIO-winning Volvo Trucks A Love Story (Forsman & Bodenfors) featuring two 18 wheelers doing a romantic dance on the road which Warwick professes is the “craziest job I’ve ever done.” A two-day shoot filmed 90 percent in-camera, the project involved weeks of planning, including a previs with all camera angles and choreography moves plotted out upfront.
“Even though these are all very different ads for totally different products, one thing all these scripts had in common was that in my brain they sparked my committed passion for insane visual storytelling,” Warwick said. “I read the scripts and thought, I can imagine this in front of my eyes and I really want to bring it to life. A friend of mine called me Garfield once, describing me as a cat who will only do what it likes to do and if it’s not interesting, walks away. I find that pretty precise.”
“We have been fans of Daniel’s work for a long time,” said Ralph Laucella, Executive Producer of O Positive. “He is an incredible storyteller who also brings expertise in production and an incredible grasp for creative technology. He swings for the fences on every project with his level of craft and passion for making something unforgettable. We look forward to bringing him new opportunities and introducing him to like-minded creative partners.”
“I love his work and I love the guy,” said O Positive Director David Shane. “His work is absurdist and delightful in the best ways, he has a real voice and that’s something we’re always looking for in a creative partner. But as hilariously bananas as his stuff can be, it is always full of humanity, and in that sense, he shares DNA with the rest of the roster. He’s also a delightful and lovely person and that goes a long way. We’re lucky to have him.”
“It’s always a challenge to find the people you click with on an energy level and then take it to the business table,” Warwick said. “When talking to Ralph, Marc Grill, [O Positive Executive Producer] and David from the start I really loved their amazing down to earth energy and the feeling of passionate filmmakers doing what they love most. They seem to be kindred spirits, all individual Garfields in their own rights. I’m really looking forward to getting to know them well and collaborating with them on new projects.”
Music has always been a huge inspiration for Warwick, who has 260 playlists on Spotify and counting. He got his start in the industry working on music videos with bands such as DJ Koze, Tokio Hotel and Modeselektor (Moderat) - first as a producer, then a director. “I learned the basic bones of filmmaking from making hundreds of music videos,” Warwick said. “Then it was a lot more experimental and playful.” Today music remains integral to his process, both in his choices for scoring commercials and as an ice breaker when meeting new crews around the world.
Warwick’s work has accrued all major industry awards. His breakthrough spot for Smart, Offroad via BBDO Berlin, features the pint-sized vehicle navigating the great outdoors with comically disastrous results juxtaposed with it triumphing in its natural urban habitat of the city. Offroad earned Warwick his first Gold Cannes Lion in 2013. On the heels of Smart, Mercedes-Benz Chicken (Jung von Matt/Neckar) portrayed chickens moving smoothly to a Diana Ross soundtrack to demonstrate the vehicle’s motion stability. A departure for the brand, Chicken picked up a D&AD Wood Pencil, ADC Euro Gold, a Silver CLIO and Bronze Cannes Lion.
Warwick intends to keep innovating at O Positive. “I’d love to keep doing what I am doing and raise the bar constantly,” said Warwick. “Visual storytelling is my thing and I’d love to demonstrate that in all the markets. Whether it’s Super Bowl ads, big global campaigns, smart unexpected ideas … bring ‘em on!”
