My director’s reel.
Client: Christchurch Casino
Agency: nontoxic.studio
Client: QB Studios
Agency: nontoxic.studio
Client: Christchurch Casino
Agency: Mint Design
Client: PlaceMakers
Agency: Itch
Client: Stony River Black Angus (ANZCO)
Agency: Q
Client: Rata Foundation
Agency: Strategy
Client: CRFU
Agency: Strategy
Client: Apollo Projects
Agency: Strategy
We were tasked with creating a new brand campaign for the personal finance company, Finance Now.
Our insight was pretty simple: when it comes to personal loans, it’s not the ‘what’ but the ‘how?’
Luckily, people have a mate in Finance Now…
Finance how? Finance Now.
This was a pitch-winning idea and the work pretty much went straight into production — with no changes.
Even after all these years, there’s a first time for everything.
Agency: Strategy.
CD: Rupert de Paula.
Creatives: Josiah Rees, Meg Stuthridge & Ana Hardwick.
Film directed by Dean Hewison at Fish & Clips.
Belief:
The emotion that stirs your body into motion.
One small drop contains the power of the oceans.
And, yes, with all this chaos and commotion
You’d be forgiven for thinking:
“What’s my personal motivation?”
The new normal’s so abnormal that now normal’s an abstraction.
What happened to civilisation? This world is a distraction.
But still belief will never fail to cause a chemical reaction.
Fizzing up your synapsis.
With purpose and possibilities to put into practise.
Yeah, those ones.
And, so, you pause.
Breath.
And say, “What do I want to do for me?
The future me.
The one who needs me to believe
That I can make a difference — unequivocally.
In whichever way I deem.”
Even if that’s flipping ‘me’ into ‘we’.
UC, that really is living the dream.
So, yeah, it’s a pretty simple plan.
Believe U Can.
Agency: Strategy.
Believe U Can
CD & creative: Rupert de Paula.
Film directed by Simon Waterhouse at Resonate.
UC ME — Are you with me?
CD: Rupert de Paula.
Creative & design: Chris Flack, Lee Parkinson & Dean Patterson (UC in-house).
Photography by Dean MacKenzie.
Stonewall, the UK’s most prominent LGBT+ rights charity, needed a new brand campaign to help galvanise their ‘silent allies’. This coincided with a shocking new report that revealed hate crime against the LGBT community had increased by 78% since 2013.
My solution? Come Out For LGBT: A big, bold rallying cry to get these silent allies to come out and show just how supportive they are of the LGBT community.
And, oh boy, did they.
#ComeOutForLGBT was the UK’s top trending topic on Twitter, with organic support from Russel Brand, JK Rowling, Manchester United, Overwatch and even a general from the British Army.
The idea has since gone onto redefine the Stonewall brand. And even got an Alexa mod, which ran a LGBTQ+A at Cannes in 2018.
Agency: Mr President.
CCO: Laura Jordan Bambach.
ECD: Jon Gledstone.
Directed by William Armstrong at Prettybird. Photos by Mads Perch.
Awards:
European Diversity Awards: Campaign of the Year 2017
TEDxChristchurch approached us to create the branding and advertising collateral for their 2019 event. The theme was Turangawaewae — the place you belong.
In keeping with this theme, we wanted to create a truely bi-cultural event. So, in collaboration with Matapopore (Ngai Tahu’s cultural agency), we commissioned a prominent Ngai Tahu artist to use the ‘x’ in TEDx’s logo to create a tukutuku panel representing the themes of turangawaewae and telling the story of Christchurch.
We then turned this design into the international symbol of belonging — a flag — where people from all walks of life could celebrate their turangawaewae.
Agency: Strategy.
CD: Rupert de Paula.
Design Director: Chris Flack.
Creative: Liam Ooi.
Film and motion directed by Simon Waterhouse at Resonate.
Photography by Nancy Zhou.
Turangawaewae tukutuku panel design by Morgan Mathews-Hale.
Awards:
AGDA, Distinction, Print Campaigns
Best: Bronze, Product Design. Finalist, Design Communication & Film (Short form).
To mark their twentieth anniversary as main sponsors of the Brit Awards, Mastercard wanted to do something really special. And also launch their new 'Start Something Priceless' global brand positioning in the UK.
So I said, everyone knows the hoary old truism that music speaks louder than words. But could it go further than that?
Could music say what words can’t?
So I conducted a social experiment with four sets of people who no longer talked.
All they had to do was sit and listen to a piece of music we had especially composed by David Arnold — Musical Director of London 2012 Olympics and an awarding-winning composer for film (James Bond, Skyfall) and television (Sherlock) — to take them on a journey to reconnection.
This was a TTL beast of a project, encompassing the main film, TV idents, OOH and digi OOH, press, branding at the O2 Arena on the night of the Brits, social and digital.
Agency: McCann London.
Global CCO: Joyce King Thomas.
Global ECD: Adrian Botan.
CD: Chad Warner.
Directed by Blake Claridge at Craft.
A global brand campaign for Buitoni.
My idea was bringing the lifelong dedication of Butoni’s incredible chefs to life in a series of quirky, Wes Anderson-esque stories (tick that one off the creative bucket list).
So meet Marco, Buitoni’s ‘Doughmaster’, and Paulo, the ‘Head of Crispiness’ — the living embodiments of Buitoni’s Real Italian Obsession, Since 1827.
Agency: McCann Worldwide & London.
Global ECD: Adrian Botan.
CD: Simon Hepton.
Directed by Loz Perez at Blink.
An archive of award wining brand identity work I created and oversaw the production of.
Agency: Strategy.
Creative Partner: Rupert de Paula.
Creative Director: Lee Parkinson.
Design Director: Chris Flack.
Creatives: Eddy Davies, Liam Ooi, Stefan Downs, Bella Henre, Josiah Rees & Meg Stuthridge.
Awards:
Cassels
Best Awards 2019: Bronze ‘Packaging’, Finalist ‘Small Brand Identity’
AGDA 2019: Merit ‘Branding (Small Business)’, Merit ‘Typography For Design’
Brothers Green
Best Awards 2019: Finalist ‘Design Communication’
AGDA 2019: Merit ‘Branding (Small Business)’
Te Ohaka
Best Awards 2019: Finalist ‘Design Communication’
AGDA 2019: Finalist ‘Branding (Small Business)’
Had a superstar Design Director:
Chris Flack
Mate Act Now (additional creative support & in-book personal submission)
Best Awards 2020: Finalist ‘Small Scale Website’, ‘Design Communication’, ‘Self Promotion’, ‘Public Good Award’
AGDA 2020: Distinction x2, Merit x1, Judge’s Choice x1, Finalist x2
Kātoitoi
Hired a superstar Designer:
Josiah Rees
A Font Called Christchurch (additional creative support)
Best Awards 2020: Gold Pin ‘Student Graphics’
AGDA 2020: Distinction, Merit & Judge’s Choice
Kātoitoi
CMRF
AGDA 2020: Finalist ‘Print / Catalogues & Brochures’
Five Lanes
Best Awards 2021: Finalist ‘Small Brand Identity / Commercial’
Optimal Workshop
Best Awards 2021: Finalist ‘Design Craft & Illustration’
AGDA 2021: Finalist ‘Illustration & Writing Craft’.
(Illustration by Loryn Engelsman)
A1 Property Managers
Best Awards 2021: Finalist ‘Offices & Workplace Environments / Up to 200 square metres (with Hierarchy Group)
Strategy Creative — That’s a wrap!
Best Awards 2022: Silver ‘Self Promotion’
AGDA 2022: Distinction ‘Brand & Identity / Self Promotion’
Our friends at Ryman Healthcare came to us and asked us to help them create a game-changing employer branding idea for them to sit alongside their recently launched brand positioning Ryman Pioneers…
Our idea was born from a very simple insight, that Ryman’s residents had a lifetime of experience to draw from.
So if Ryman really wanted to find the best people, they should enlist the best people they know to help find them. Their residents.
As well as a master TVC, we completely revamped the Ryman Careers website, including content films about each of our ‘Resident Recruiters’.
Most importantly, it was a highly effective campaign. Ryman Careers’ website traffic, social media following and high-quality talent attraction increased dramatically as a result of the campaign.
Culminating with Ryman winning NZ’s most prestigious recruitment award, the Talent Acquisition Award at the HRNZ Awards 2022.
Agency: Strategy.
CD: Rupert de Paula.
Design Director: Chris Flack.
Creative: Liam Ooi & Josiah Rees.
Film & content directed by Simon Waterhouse at Resonate.
Photography by Lee Howell & Dean MacKenzie.
I went to Nonsense to help them out on a pitch.
It was for Lottoland, a gambling brand who wanted to stand out in the cacophony of noise that is half time around the footy.
A load of ideas where promptly thrown up on the pitch wall, one of which was to describe using Lottoland — the only betting service where you can "play" loads of different lotteries at once — as like having more fingers in more pies.
Not going to lie, this was one of those, "There is no way this flies but it might make the CD giggle," kind of ideas. Well it turns out, not only did he giggle, but they won they pitch and even made the ad.
Agency: Nonsense.
ECD: Rob Mosely.
Directed by Sebastian Hedin at Hobby Films.
I was thrilled to create the brand for He Puna Taimoana, the hot pools by the sea, in New Brighton.
We created everything from the masterbrand strategy — in consultation with Matapopore — to the logo / brand identify, website, interior signage, way finding and fit out, to the launch film (featuring New Brighton sand artist legend Peter Donnelly), and OOH ad campaign.
He Puna Taimoana itself has been sold out every day since opening, even during COVID, and is now seen as the Christchurch City Council’s most successful brand launch — ever.
The project was also accepted into Kātoitoi, the Aotearoa Design Archive, for Output (Identity – Tuakiri) & Kaupapa (Identity – Place, Impact – Reach / Results / ROI).
Agency: Strategy.
CD: Rupert de Paula.
Design Director: Chris Flack.
Creatives: Liam Ooi, Erin Broughton & Bella Henre.
Film directed by Simon Waterhouse at Resonate.
Photography: Clinton Lloyd & Aaron Lee.
R/GA Sydney & Melbourne asked me to help consult on, conceptualise and set the art directional vibes for a music video to launch the recently rebranded A-Leagues Football in Australia.
The result was Real Nice (H.C.T.F.) by Young Franco & Tkay Maidza ft. Nerve.
Not a bad way to spend lockdown, if you ask me.
Agency: R/GA Australia
CCO (APAC): Seamus Higgins.
ACD: Ben Newman.
Consultant / art director: Rupert de Paula
Production by Entropico.
Awards:
x2 shortlists at Spikes Asia 2022: Use of Original Music & Music Video.
x1 Silver Clio (Branded Entrainment & Content), x1 Bronze Clio (Partnerships & Collaborations).
x2 Silver x1 Bronze AWARD awards 2022.
The best bit about running your own agency is the sheer volume of work you get to make. It’s mind-boggling. But there’s nothing more important than practising your craft.
Here is some of my favourite work I’ve CD-ed (and directed) while at Strategy.
Agency: Strategy.
Creative Partner: Rupert de Paula.
Creative Director: Lee Parkinson.
Design Director: Chris Flack.
Creatives: Eddy Davies, Liam Ooi, Stefan Downs, Erin Broughton, Josiah Rees, Bella Henre, Ana Hardwick & Meg Stuthridge.
Canterbury Medical Research Foundation tasked us to completely rethink how to inspire potential new donors.
Our answer was to reframe CMRF’s work as so much more than just giving to charity. To support CMRF is to ‘Invest in life’.
We then used the ‘Invest in life’ platform to explore all three sides of each 'research story’ — the researcher, the family beneficiaries and the investor.
The results were astounding.
CMRF’s website received the same amount of hits in the two weeks after launching the campaign as it did in the whole year previously.
Agency: Strategy.
Creative Partner: Rupert de Paula.
Creative Director: Lee Parkinson.
Design Director: Chris Flack.
Creatives: Liam Ooi & Angus Hay.
Directed by Simon Waterhouse at Resonate.
Photography by Lee Howell.
I launched a brand campaign — 100% from pitch to final concept (Advertising Achievement Unlocked!).
My idea was simple: no one really cares about renting a car, they care about what they do with it. So let's stop faffing around talking about how great car rental is. And start inspiring people to just Budget... and Go.
This has since gone on to become a global campaign (Double Advertising Achievement Unlocked!).
Agency: VCCP.
Deputy ECD: Jim Thornton.
Directed by Truman & Cooper at Blink.
Starbucks asked me for an idea to help to make their Chilled Classics range more relevant to that elusive market of mid-twentyish millennials promenading around Shoreditch en route to a production meeting about something or other.
I said, the best thing about Starbucks' aforementioned chilled coffee products was how they acted like a moment of calm, or mental reset, in people's otherwise hectic days.
And so our 'Rest your day' campaign came to fruition.
Agency: Integer\TBWA.
ECD: Martin Homent.
Directed by Mary Clerté at Partizan.
More Th>n wanted a big, ownable event to become the cornerstone of their Happy Dog Project.
So I came up with Bark in the Park. A dog and cat show where dogs and cats run the show.
Events included Dog Diving, Best Beg, Most Excited Welcome Home, Car Window Endurance and Extreme Post Shredding, to name but a few. The whole thing took over all of More Th>n's social channels, with events livestreamed on Facebook Live to boot.
Agency: VCCP Kin
ECD: Darren Bailes.
CDs: Andy Booth & Dermot McPartland.
ACDs: Sophie & Fiona Clark.
I was tasked to come up with a whole new brand idea for Wagon Wheels (and their little brothers Wheelies) that brought the iconic biscuit bang up-to-date for the Xbox Generation.
My answer: what if the adventurous spirit of Wagon Wheels was so awesome it was literally bursting out of the biscuit?
Introducing the Epic Inside.
Agency: VCCP.
ECD: Darren Bailes.
CD: Dave Johnson.
3D modelling by Vault 49.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with a host of talented directors, photographers, illustrators and animators over the years, the best of which you’ll find here.
