Take a step into Ward’s World

Breaking new talent is the hardest thing to do,” says Mal Ward. He’s in a good position to know: the Managing Director and Partner at Arts & Sciences was a directors rep until co-founding the LA-based production company in 2011. 

"Showing a director no one’s never seen before to an agency, a producer, a client or a creative team, that’s always the most exciting thing.”

He still relishes the challenge of getting new talent noticed: “It’s easy to sell an established director, but showing a director no one’s never seen before to an agency, a producer, a client or a creative team, that’s always the most exciting thing.”

This year, Ward’s enthusiasm for championing new talent is being channeled into the Young Director Award (YDA) where he is Jury Chair. Ward’s credentials could not be more fitting. Prior to Arts & Sciences launching, he was rubbing shoulders with some incredible talent who would help shape the industry. That talent included Biscuit Co-Founder Noam Murro, who directed Saturn’s 2002 game-changer Sheet Metal [below], and Tom Kuntz, who shot the 2010 Old Spice Super Bowl juggernaut The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. Kuntz continues to delight us: his latest is an upbeat 2026 Super Bowl spot, Sweet Sandwich Time through MJZ for Hellmann’s that riffs on Neil Diamond, courtesy of Andy Samberg.

Above: Noam Murro's 2002 spot for Saturn, Sheet Metal.

Ward also got to know Co-Founder Matt Aselton, whose 90-second homage to the legendary New York Yankee Derek Jeter on his retirement from baseball helped Nike’s Jordan Brand take a Titanium Grand Prix in 2015. By then, Aselton and Ward had teamed up with executive producer Marc Marrie to launch Arts & Sciences, which now has offices in London and New York as well as the mothership in Los Angeles.

“I was fortunate to work with some iconic directors, and saw all the possibilities in their early work.”

“I was fortunate to work with some iconic directors, and saw all the possibilities in their early work,” Ward reflects. “They had something to say, and they really understood the world they were getting into. Watching them blossom was satisfying.”

From long-form to commercial

More recently, Ward has been working with feature film directors on how they translate their talent into commercial content. “So much good talent comes from film. When you find the ones whose voice and style can resonate with our world, it’s exciting to introduce them.” Arts & Sciences signed Alex Russell, formerly a writer on TV shows including Beef and The Bear (he wrote Forks, the Emmy-nominated episode where Richie dons a suit and grows up). Ward worked with Russell on his debut feature, the psychological thriller Lurker, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by MUBI. Russell was recently nominated for the Director Guild’s Best First-Time Theatrical Feature Award. “It’s a real testament to Alex’s filmmaking ability and craft as a director and writer,” says Ward.

Meanwhile, Hannah Pearl Utt, whose feature films include Before You Know It and Cora Bora, shot four commercial projects in 2025. Ward says: “What we saw in Hannah’s work was someone who knew how to tell a story and to create emotional and comedic performances. Her tone felt like it would really resonate in the commercial space.”

Above: Ward worked with Arts & Sciences director Alex Russell on his feature debut, Lurker.

Ubiquitous screens means ubiquitous content

Ward appreciates the flexibility that enables modern directors to be less pigeon-holed. “There was a time when filmmakers were either commercial directors, TV directors or feature directors. It was rare for them to cross over, except for iconic ones like Ridley Scott.” Streaming has opened things up, he thinks. “We will see Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime and Apple investing in brand partnerships because one of their largest growing sectors is ad-supported tiers. 

“What makes Apple’s advertising so incredible is simple ideas that are crafted in a way that respects viewers."

At the back end of 2025, there were already multiple projects for Netflix in partnership with shows and brands from all kinds of sectors including automotive, financial services and packaged goods. These platforms bring more opportunities because people are looking at advertising content on their phones, laptops or tablets: there are screens everywhere so there’s a need for content everywhere.”

The challenge in such content-saturated times is standing out. Which brand does he think achieves that? “What makes Apple’s advertising so incredible is simple ideas that are crafted in a way that respects viewers. They don’t over-egg the pudding: whether it’s a brand piece or a security feature within a hardware device, they come up with a concise idea and beautifully crafted execution.

Above: Matt Aselton's Derek Jeter homage spot, for Nike’s Jordan Brand.

Planting the AI flag

Ask Ward for his thoughts on AI and he laughs. “How much time do you have?” Arts & Sciences launched a dedicated division, Arts & Intelligence (A&I), in December 2025 to deliver AI-enhanced creative and production services and to represent a select group of AI-first creators. Ward says: “We’ve planted our flag in that space. A year ago, I felt existential dread about the threat from the evolution of GenAI and how it will potentially affect film. 

"I don’t believe at this moment in time [AI is] going to replace our jobs; it’s only going to make us better and stronger.”

"Like any hot topic, so much of it has been about doom and gloom versus conversation that takes all sides into account. AI’s threat to people’s livelihoods is the reason for such strong reactions, along with denial about AI and how it relates to our business, and a ‘sky is falling’ mentality. There’s this dread that our industry as we know it will be over and gone in the near future, and that’s fully understandable. But the capital investment in this tech from governments, startups and every major tech brand informed us as a company to take it seriously.”

What did that look like in practice? “We educated ourselves about AI as it relates to filmmaking: anything from full GenAI to hybrid productions with GenAI support. We offered AI filmmaking training to all our directors and started to think about our place in this new evolving space. I went from really dreading AI and feeling the threat of it at the beginning of 2025 to educating myself and taking a deep dive into the evolution of this tech. It’s only getting better and it’s already an incredible tool for creation. I don’t believe at this moment in time it’s going to replace our jobs; it’s only going to make us better and stronger.”