Comedy director Russell Bates has signed with L.A.-based commercial production company trio films for representation in the U.S. He had formerly been handled stateside by Crossroads Films, which continues to rep the director in the U.K.
A California native, Bates has helmed commercials for major brands such as Snickers, Tide, Axe, Budweiser, T-Mobile, ESPN, Target and Chevrolet. He has worked with many celebrities including Betty White, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Denis Leary, Joan Collins and Andy Dick.
Bates’ experience in comedy runs deep, having served as a writer and director of comedic shorts for the MTV Movie Awards, Comedy Central, the VH1 Fashion Awards and the People’s Choice Awards. His most notable pop culture contribution is the name he created–Derek Zoolander–for the character he co-created with Ben Stiller.
Bates is currently in production on a Head & Shoulders job for Saatchi New York. He joins a trio directorial roster which includes Debra Granik, Ramaa Mosley, Jackie Oudney, Arie Posin, Bob Rice and Pascui Rivas. The trio sales force consists of Lisa Gimenez of LG Reps on the West Coast, Catherine de Angelis of Hot Betty in the Midwest and Carl Forsberg and Marianne McCarley of Carl Forsberg on the East Coast.
Ben Edwards and Guy Hobbs Set To Return To FCB London As Exec Creative Directors
Multi-award-winning senior creatives Ben Edwards and Guy Hobbs are rejoining FCB London as executive creative directors. They will assume their appointments in February 2025. The duo will report into chief creative officer Owen Lee, and partner closely with ECD Kyle Harman-Turner. Edwards and Hobbs will work across the entire portfolio of the agency’s client roster including Skoda, Andrex, Intuit Quickbooks, and new client, global confectionery brand Perfetti Van Melle for which FCB London has just been awarded lead agency for creative and strategic responsibilities for a portfolio of its gum brands. The appointment of Edwards and Hobbs follows a remarkable year for FCB London which has secured a raft of new business wins not only for Perfetti Van Melle but also Kellanova’s advantage brands including Pringles--as well as launching a number of celebrated campaigns including “Get Comfortable” for Kimberly-Clark’s Andrex. The creative duo join from Wonderhood Studios where they have been ECDs for nearly three years working with Three, Coral, and premium car brand Ineos Grenadier, among others. Prior to this they had a three-year stint at BBH firstly as sr. creatives, then associate creative directors, working across brands such as Tesco, Samsung, and Barclays. Edwards and Hobbs first teamed up eight years ago while at FCB London. During their time, they produced an array of award-winning work, including the acclaimed “This Girl Can” campaign for Sport England and “Pay it Forward” for The Big Issue, which won a host of awards including a Grand Prix at Eurobest; Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards at Cannes Lions; and a Gold Pencil at The One Show. FCB London CCO Lee said, “Everybody loves a boomerang. We’ve been wanting to tempt Ben... Read More