BIO
Sam is an award winning Director and Writer with a passion for crafting on-screen moments that audiences have a real connection with. A ‘performance director’ in the purest sense, Sam’s foundation for any piece of work is believable characters and authentic performances. As Sam will tell you, “If we don’t believe the people on screen, then non of this counts for much.”
A great collaborator, Sam worked as both a Producer and as an advertising agency Copy Writer prior to becoming a Director, giving him a deep understanding of the film-making process and great empathy for the challenges faced by his associates on any given project. Sam strongly believes that the secret to success is actually quite straightforward. “I always say, ‘Let’s all be trying to make the same film.’ It sounds so simple, but I’m always amazed to hear from my peers how often that isn’t the case.”
His passion for the process and collaborative attitude has led to successful advertising campaigns with some of the world’s biggest brands, his recent credits including the likes of Apple, adidas, Citroën, Chevrolet, HBO, Marvel, McDonalds, Mtn Dew, Netflix, Nintendo and Visa.
All of the above is a precursor to Sam’s end goal of crafting longer stories in the form of feature films and television. “I started in this industry at the age of 16 as a production runner, with a plan to be the next Ridley Scott. Ultimately, I wanted to make a film like Alien, so I looked at what Ridley did – he directed 300 or so commercials, a period drama with Harvey Keitel, then made Alien. So, I figured - I’ll just do that then!”
As such, between commercial projects, Sam spends his time working on phase two of the Ridley plan and has a number of feature films in various stages of development.
Sam’s catalogue of short films have won multiple Best Film, Best Director and Audience Choice awards at film festivals around the world, including the highly regarded Palm Springs Shortfest Audience Choice Award.
Last year, Sam was recognised by BAFTA (the British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and placed on their prestigious Newcomers roster - a select list of emerging British film talent.
And while we’re dusting off the silverware, Sam’s commercial work has certainly garnered its fair share. His work with comedian Ricky Gervais, in particular, received global recognition, winning numerous international awards including advertising’s highest honour - a Cannes Lion, and was referred to by Google as “the most successful piece of branded content we’ve seen.”
His passion for the process and collaborative attitude has led to successful advertising campaigns with some of the world’s biggest brands, his recent credits including the likes of Apple, adidas, Citroën, Chevrolet, HBO, Marvel, McDonalds, Mtn Dew, Netflix, Nintendo and Visa.
All of the above is a precursor to Sam’s end goal of crafting longer stories in the form of feature films and television. “I started in this industry at the age of 16 as a production runner, with a plan to be the next Ridley Scott. Ultimately, I wanted to make a film like Alien, so I looked at what Ridley did – he directed 300 or so commercials, a period drama with Harvey Keitel, then made Alien. So, I figured - I’ll just do that then!”
As such, between commercial projects, Sam spends his time working on phase two of the Ridley plan and has a number of feature films in various stages of development.
Sam’s catalogue of short films have won multiple Best Film, Best Director and Audience Choice awards at film festivals around the world, including the highly regarded Palm Springs Shortfest Audience Choice Award.
Last year, Sam was recognised by BAFTA (the British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and placed on their prestigious Newcomers roster - a select list of emerging British film talent.
And while we’re dusting off the silverware, Sam’s commercial work has certainly garnered its fair share. His work with comedian Ricky Gervais, in particular, received global recognition, winning numerous international awards including advertising’s highest honour - a Cannes Lion, and was referred to by Google as “the most successful piece of branded content we’ve seen.”
