Multi award-winning British director and photographer Stuart Douglas has signed with Believe Media for exclusive representation in the U.S. Long recognized in the European advertising world, Douglas relocates to Los Angeles with his family to pursue new opportunities in the American marketplace. He was formerly repped in the U.S. by Original and continues to be handled in the U.K. by Nice Shirt Films, a London boutique which he co-founded.
Douglas began his career working in tandem with his brother Andrew as the still photography duo The Douglas Brothers. Their distinctive and moody style of portraiture took the advertising and editorial worlds by storm, with their work appearing in publications such as The Face, American Esquire and The New York Times Magazine. They later transitioned to directing music videos and commercial campaigns, beginning with a series of short films for Adidas.
After 12 years, the brothers ventured to go their separate ways, with Andrew heading to the States, and Stuart continuing to direct in the U.K., establishing himself as a solo director, founding Nice Shirt Films with long-time collaborators Jon Hollis and Richard Martin.
Stuart Douglas’ work for Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Guinness, Pepsi, Nike, British Airways, and Sony has garnered awards at Cannes, The New York One Show, D&AD, and The British Arrows. His eye for the cinematic translates seamlessly into automobile advertising, with credits for Ford, Land Rover, Volvo, and Saab. For Jeep’s global “Never Adapt” campaign via Leo Burnett, Douglas weaved dreamlike vignettes of people engaged in extraordinary activities to celebrate the brand’s 70th anniversary.
In 2013, Douglas wrote and directed a nine-part web series for Sony Ericsson to launch its Xperia X1 phone, which generated in excess of 8 million views. Other notable projects include a promo for the BBC that sets images of working class people against lines of prose from Jack Kerouac; a fashion-driven campaign for British retailer Debenhams; and an intriguing tale of sibling rivalry for J&B Whiskey.
Believe founder and EP Luke Thornton said, “Over the past 15 years, Believe has been built as a company synonymous with visual storytelling, while also finding our niche in the luxury, fashion and beauty markets. Aesthetically, Stuart is a perfect fit for the Believe brand. His take on the lifestyle genre complements who we are and what are look for, and now is the perfect time to expose his work to the U.S. market.”
Believe’s focus on the craft of visual storytelling makes Douglas’ versatility as both a director and still photographer an extremely valuable and relevant asset. At Believe, Douglas joins a group of image-makers that includes Floria Sigismondi, Bruno Aveillan, and Anthony Mandler who are called upon by clients for print work as a companion to live-action, shooting the two elements simultaneously to create a brand campaign that is cost-efficient and cohesive stylistically.
