Director Paul Gay, whose filmography spans commercials, shorts and TV drama, has signed with O Positive for commercial representation in the U.S. His production house roost in London remains Waspface which he launched last summer with co-founder/executive producer Tim Nunn.
Gay, who was formerly repped stateside by Hungry Man, has a body of work marked by a cinematic visual aesthetic. He said that style grew from his early training at Ravensbourne Art College and then as an art director at DDB London where his mentors included London’s archetype art director Mark Reddy. Another consistent thread in Gay’s work is strong performance and dialogue. “I gravitate naturally toward people you observe in life,” Gay explains. “I like to capture the feeling that there are people out there who are not models but very compelling to observe. Advertising is full of aspiration, so it’s refreshing to cast ordinary people.”
Among his recent commercials are Winalot’s “What a Lot” via DDB London, with portrait-like vignettes of real pet owners in picturesque locations all across the UK; Superdrug’s “Take Another Look” for HMDG, starring actress Joanna Page of hit BBC series Gavin & Stacey in a playful performance; and an integrated campaign for the British Post Office via Mother London, featuring real people in TV and viral shorts.
Over the years, Gay has directed iconic campaigns that have garnered industry honors at Cannes, D&AD and the AICP Show to note a few highlights, for British Army and Toyota, both via Saatchi & Saatchi London, VW via DDB London, and Arnold Boston, and Delux via AMV BBDO.
Gay counts popular hour-long TV dramas among his credits as well. He directed episodes of the BAFTA-winning, contemporary teen drama Skins. He worked closely with an untried teen cast to elicit convincingly authentic performances about provocative subjects, and lead actors Nicholas Hoult (A Single Man) and Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire). Gay also directed episodes of BBC2 mini-series Desperate Romantics, Peter Bowker’s darkly comedic drama billed as “Entourage with easels.”
Gay considers directing TV shows and commercials complementary. “In commercials you spend a day shooting 30 seconds for a compellingly tight narrative where back story is implied,” he says. “In TV, you work very quickly over a day shooting seven minutes, where the emphasis is more on story arch and characters than tiny details. You become versatile in the finer points and story arch which are valuable to filmmaking in either format.”
Gay has directed the short films Catalina View and Look at Me, I’m Beautiful, both of which enjoyed positive runs on the film festival circuit.
Kamala Harris Receives Chairman’s Prize At NAACP Image Awards
Former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped on the NAACP Image Awards stage Saturday night with a sobering message, calling the civil rights organization a pillar of the Black community and urging people to stay resilient and hold onto their faith during the tenure of President Donald Trump.
"While we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the oval office nor by the wealthiest among us," Harris said after receiving the NAACP's Chairman's Award. "The American story will be written by you. Written by us. By we the people."
The 56th annual Image Awards was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in the Los Angeles area.
Harris, defeated by Trump in last year's presidential election, was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. She had previously been a U.S. senator from California and the state's attorney general.
In her first major public appearance since leaving office, Harris did not reference her election loss or Trump's actions since entering the Oval Office, although Trump mocked her earlier in the day at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Harris spoke about eternal vigilance, the price of liberty, staying alert, seeking the truth and America's future.
"Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask 'What do we do now?'" Harris said. "But we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate. We advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path."
Other winners of the Chairman's prize have included former... Read More