James McTeigue, director of movies (V for Vendetta, The Raven), streaming series (Netflix’s Messiah, Sense8), video-game cinematics (The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience), and commercials (Samsung, Powerade, Deutsche Bank), has joined Schofield’s Flowers–the creative production outfit under the aegis of founder/chief content officer Steve “Scof” Schofield–for exclusive U.S. spot representation.
Among McTeigue’s commercial work is an ad for Guild Wars 2, a long-running free-to-play, massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by ArenaNet and published by NCSoft. McTeigue has collaborated with high profile actors such as (Oscar winners and/or nominees) Michelle Yeoh, Natalie Portman, Brendan Gleeson and Angela Bassett, as well as Gabrielle Union and Keanu Reeves, to name a few. McTeigue also has proved himself equally adept at character dialogue/performance and SFX/VFX of any size and scope.
“I did a lot of car work before I started blowing them up,” mused McTeigue, referring to his evolution as a spotmaker and long-form director. “The landscape has changed, with short form narrative becoming more prominent in branded. I always approach projects from character and narrative, whether it’s a film franchise or a cell phone spot.”
McTeigue had previously been repped by Saville and prior to that Right Brain Media. The latter shop was owned by Stuart Wilson, now EP at Schofield’s Flowers. “I have always admired Stu’s passion for producing commercials that push the form,” said McTeigue. “I think together we can bring my unique skill set to the table, which is steeped in performance-driven VFX/SFX work with elements of action.” Whether shooting with celebrity actors or narrative actors who bring a sense of authenticity, the director added, “My combination of performance with cutting edge technical expertise (as displayed in the many films I have directed and produced), naturally egresses itself into commercial work.”
Wilson related, “The sizzle reel we have for James takes you on a journey with dialogue and imagery, offering a taste of his range, from vivid, real-life explorations like Messiah and Sense8, to his big budget work with the Wachowskis, and smaller but very commercially successful films like Breaking In.”
Wilson also noted McTeigue’s casting diversity, pointing out that as a global director with a wealth of recent off-shore experience, “James has shot on every continent in the past few years, including 30 cities around the world, casting projects in Reykjavik, Seoul, Nairobi, Mexico City, Berlin, London, Tel Aviv, Amman, and more.”
McTeigue made his directorial debut in 2006 with V for Vendetta, which went on to become a cultural touchstone and number one at the box office. He followed this with Ninja Assassin (2009), which foreshadowed many of the character-driven, martial arts films of the zeitgeist. His other films include The Raven (2012) and Survivor (2015). More recently, he produced The Matrix Ressurections (2021) and directed the commercially successful crime drama Breaking In (2018), starring Gabrielle Union. McTeigue has also enjoyed a prolific run of series at Netflix with not only Sense8 and Messiah but also Marco Polo. McTeigue has more than 30 film credits to his name spanning the Wachowskis’ Matrix quadrilogy (including serving as 1st assistant director on The Matrix Revolutions and The Matrix Reloaded) and George Lucas’s Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones (1st AD).
Schofield’s Flowers is known for turning out varied content including immersive visual and experiential branded experiences, as well as traditional high-end broadcast work.
Nikki Baker Becomes CEO At Fallon
Fallon has appointed Nikki Baker as its new CEO. Baker, who joined the creative agency in 2018 and has served as co-chief creative officer with Leslie Shaffer since 2021, succeeds Rocky Novak, who has been in the role since 2019.
Baker’s promotion to CEO comes at a time of significant momentum for the agency, including six consecutive years of growth and award-winning work.
Baker’s recent career highlights include creatively leading the Walmart partnership with the Publicis Groupe team and spearheading innovative campaigns such as the award-winning “RomCommerce” 23-episodic series and the internet-breaking Mean Girls campaign, among hundreds of other campaigns together with the brand over the past few years. Together with Shaffer, Baker has also been instrumental in elevating Fallon’s creative output for longstanding clients like Arby’s, Mattress Firm, and Front Door/American Home Shield.
“I’ve always been an admirer of Fallon, even before I joined. The chance to lead the agency is an absolute honor. Fallon is a place like no other with amazing talent and a legacy of building big, innovative, creative ideas,” said Baker. “Rocky has represented the best of Fallon. He’s been a great leader, and I couldn’t be more excited to take the reins and lead the agency through to the next chapter. With creativity at our core, we’re going to be as ambitious as ever, push boundaries, and continue embracing emerging platforms to deliver work that truly resonates in culture.”
Prior to joining Fallon six years ago, Baker held positions as creative director and art director at agencies including DDB and GSD&M, working with major brands such as McDonald’s, Southwest Airlines, and Wrigley. Her work has been recognized by... Read More