The New Talent Focus

Who are the most notable newbies in ad land? Which directors, producers and creatives are making waves, where do they come from, what do they have to say and how can the industry attract and nurture them?

Talent

Meeks & Frost: Brothers in arms

Directorial duo Meeks & Frost bring a dual perspective to their work, and have the breadth of vision to take it into unexplored areas. Here they talk to Tim Cumming about their diverse perspectives, their achievements to date, and their ambitions to come.

Insight

From unknown to unforgettable: giving new talent a chance

Jordana Freydberg, Executive Producer at Biscuit Filmworks, gives advice on how companies, brands and agencies need to be brave if they want the next generation to flourish.

Talent

Kate McMullen: Breaking down walls

Having started out agency side before becoming a director, Kate McMullen, a winner at this year's Young Director Award, reveals to Tim Cumming how her award-winning short film work informs her branded stories, and how, as an advertiser, her goal is to capture an audience.

Insight

The antidote to imposter syndrome

Ever feel like you're faking it, even whilst you're making it? Hillary Rogers, MD of Magnetic Field and The Directors Bureau, discusses the dreaded imposter syndrome, how it can strike anyone, and how it can be overcome.

Talent

Inspirations and post-Covid impact; the industry’s new voices speak out

Four bright young talents share their dreams, doubts and career pathways: Strike Anywhere's Erica Eng, a Chinese American director in LA; Toronto-based director and VFX wizard Lucas Hrubizna of Blink Productions; journalist-turned-director Brian Broeckelman of Dictionary Films in Chicago and Serena Rossi, recently promoted to editor at UK-based post production company Nomad.

Talent

Mahboobeh Kalaee on alchemy and animation

Repped by Jelly, Iranian animation director Mahboobeh Kalaee's intriguing, mixed-media animations combine live-action, 2D animation and stop-motion to create mesmerising films that blur the line between reality and the imaginary. Here, she compares films to potions, explains why water is an inspiring element, and offers up some advice for young creatives.

Talent

Faride Schroeder's female gaze

From being Mexico's ambassador for Free The Work, to co-founding female cooperative Dear Sisters, Mexican director and writer Faride Schroeder is a visionary creative who entwines her beautifully diverse filmmaking with advocacy and activism. Here, she talks about honing her gaze, filming home births, and how parallel careers in advertising and cinema can nourish each other.

Inspiration

Peer Review: Hannah Webster

Following a stint at Soho's top sound design studios, where she worked on projects from dubbing for Nickelodeon Animations to content for Red Bull, Hannah Webster returned to UNIT - where she started as a runner in 2013 - as a fully fledged Sound Designer. Here, she discusses her love of timeless gaming SFX, adapting to changing technology, and her experience of the industry so far.

Insight

Capital punishment: how the UK's London-centric industry limits new talent

Three years on from VCCP's project to nurture new local talent in the UK's midland region, Jim Thornton, ECD of VCCP London & VCCP Stoke-on-Trent Academy, reveals the project's success and how more needs to be done to battle social immobility and elitist pathways in the creative industries.

Talent

Kaho Yoshida: a director in motion

Jelly animation director Kaho Yoshida's work combines stop-motion with 2D drawings to create light-hearted, yet thought-provoking animations that explore often untold stories. Here, she talks about her experience of entering the industry, representation of WOC directors, and her career journey so far.

Inspiration

Peer Review: Justice Mukheli

South African multidisciplinary director Justice Mukheli talks us through the work and creatives that inspire him, and explains how combining filmmaking, painting and photography helps him create complex narratives on both camera and canvas.

Talent

Adjani Salmon's comedy of terrors

From editing reality TV shows to making and starring in hit BBC sitcom, Dreaming Whilst Black, Adjani Salmon’s star is on the rise. As he plots his next move into commercials, he tells Selena Schleh how ‘telling jokes about terrible things’ is in his DNA – and why brands need to take risks on new voices.

Talent

Holzman: Comedy gold from the Land of Silver

Award-winner Martin Holzman may have started off his filmmaking career hiding from the Argentinian heat, but his smooth comedic style and ear for a gag display an inherent coolness. Here, the argentinacine director speaks to Jamie Madge about his influences, his ethos and how a sense of restlessness has built his creativity.

Insight

The dos and don'ts of nurturing brilliance

Finding and fostering new talent can be tough. Keeping it can be even tougher. Here, Mathieu Champigny, CEO of Industrial Color, lays out six essential dos and don'ts for nurturing brilliance and cultivating creativity.

The Future Focus

What will tomorrow bring? Is creativity, or humanity, at risk from Artificial Intelligence? How will increasing eco-awareness impact consumerism? In a topsy-turvy world seeing fast-moving culture shifts, shots devotes two months to garnering insights from the soothsayers of ad-land on the shape of things to come.

The Short Films & Documentary Focus

shots looks at the synergies between condensed cinematic storytelling and advertising. We also delve into factual content and how brands – and charities – are increasingly leveraging the power of reality to connect with audiences.

The Animation Focus

With toons on-trend during lockdown, now that live-action is back what is the state of the animation nation today? This focus draws on opinions and profiles of animation directors, producers and studios and looks at new trends and technologies in the medium.

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