Spy Films Signs Director Tim Hamilton

Spy Films welcomes comedy dialogue director Tim Hamilton to their roster. Tim Hamilton is a Toronto based comedy director who also has a busy career
internationally as well. “I love shooting in the States, Europe and elsewhere, but this is my home, so of course I try to be here as often as possible. And beyond that there is a lot of great creative that comes out of Toronto as well as a terrific, vibrant comedy community.“

Aside from being a staple of the commercial comedy world Tim has also worked in a number of other forms. Recently, Tim’s relationship with the Toronto comedy community led to him directing the surreal sketch comedy show “The Second City Project”, which he was involved in from it’s conception. He also directed a feature for Warner Brothers, Mama’s Boy, starring Diane Keaton, Jon Heder, Jeff Daniels, Anna Faris and Eli Wallach. Previous to that he was hired by Steve Martin to direct a sketch show for NBC called The Downer Channel. Tim also routinely does his own short films. These include Truth In Advertising a hilarious take down of the advertising industry, which has been going viral for years. “It’s great as a director to work in a variety of
areas as they all feed each other. That said, I always love returning to the precision of commercials, where the craft is at a very high level.”

Tim is known for his exceptional casting and ability to help create surprising, real-feeling, idiosyncratic comedic performances. “I took acting classes years ago to see things from a performance perspective. It opened my eyes”. Improvisation plays a large part in his work. “Improvisation, for me, isn’t letting the actors do whatever they want. It’s about coming prepared with a lot of things to try. And it’s about creating a space for people to take risks
and find happy accidents. Still, I am also constantly redirecting where the improvs are going. They are of no use if they can’t fit in the spot, work against the product message or irritate the client. But when they hit, they are often the strongest, most memorable moments.”

Tim is also known for an elegant, visual style that focuses on visual storytelling in a clean, clear if often surreal way. “I started as an editor and writer so I take turns wearing those hats as I prep for a project. What are some funny written options to throw at the actors? What is the cleanest clearest structure? The funniest edits? As with performance choices the answers to these questions must relate back to the idea behind the spot and how best to serve that.”

Carlo Trulli Founder/Managing Director of Spy is excited to have Tim on board. “It’s great to have another director of his caliber at our company. Tim has a reputation for exceeding expectations that meshes will with our production philosophy”. Marni Luftspring Managing Partner/Head of Sales agrees. “Tim rounds out our roster nicely. He also has a reputation for being a good collaborator who runs a relaxed, creative set.”