Production company Arts & Sciences (A&S) has added director and photographer Michael Lawrence to its roster in the U.S. and U.K. He was previously handled in the ad arena by Superprime and Academy in the U.S. and U.K. markets, respectively.
Lawrence’s body of work spans such brands as Oakley, Wrangler, Nike, Samsung, Google, Ancestry, Uber, Coca-Cola and ESPN, as well as agencies including Wieden + Kennedy, Venables Bell & Partners, Anomaly, Mother, Sid Lee, BBH, AKQA, Fred & Farid, 72&Sunny, and Ogilvy. He has been awarded at Cannes Lions, D&AD, Epica, Clio, Ciclope, LIA, New York Festivals, and more.
Joining A&S as it grows into an international company, Lawrence intends to expand on his visual style with an interest in exploring the depths of human performance and movement. Adept at storytelling in both still and moving image, Lawrence is particularly fond of 360 campaigns and creative where he can collaborate in its incubation and ideation.
“Having a moment to pause and consider the bigger picture over the last year has been transformative for me,” said Lawrence in relation to the extraordinary events of 2020. “Metabolizing all that has happened across our world has given me a new focus on what’s really important–to do work that matters, with people you like. I’ve known Mal (Ward, A&S managing director/partner) for many years and I’ve always been a huge fan of the exceptional humans at Arts & Sciences. They bring a wonderful mix of humility and accomplishment to all they do. I couldn’t be happier to join them.”
Ward added, “I’ve known Michael for some time, and have always admired his work. He has an amazing eye and creates stunning, emotionally resonant imagery throughout everything he makes.”
With multiple artistic projects in the works, Lawrence is exploring the “in-between moments of life” in his first monograph of photographs, “Lost Along the Way,” releasing later this spring. Additionally, his forthcoming human study, Contact, features poignant video portraits about what it means to be “human beyond the headlines.” The first installment of 15 episodes includes a bank robbery, escaping a cult, and entering America on foot from El Salvador at age 11. The series focuses on giving a voice to those on the fringes of society, exploring their experience with compassion rather than judgment, each retelling told in visceral and vivid first-person detail.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More