Director Philippe Andre has joined Skunk for North American commercial representation. He had formerly been handled in the U.S. market by Biscuit Filmworks. Andre continues to be repped for spots by Wanda in France and Independent Films in the U.K.
Andre found his way into filmmaking initially through music, as he began directing documentaries about the subject while studying film in Paris. He soon continued onto directing several award-winning music videos and short films. His early musical influence remains evident in his commercials to this day. His work has earned him the highest accolades, including multiple Cannes Gold, Silver, and Bronze Lion Awards. Notable credits include Peugeot 407’s “Toys,” Persil’s “Roboboy” and Airtel’s “Endless Goodbye. Most recently, Andre directed spots for Marks & Spencer, Orange and Lycra. For the latter, he helmed “Lycra Moves,” which made SHOOT’s Top 5 VFX/Animation spots for 2014. UK effects house Glassworks contributed to this stirring piece of choreography, giving grace, style, and free-flowing movement to Lycra as conveyed through the movement of performers whose motion is dance-like. Agency was SapientNitro, London.
“I worked with Philippe for a short time as the independent rep for Villains, the first company he signed with in the US. Since then, I’ve been following his evolution as a filmmaker, and I guess he’s been keeping an eye on me,” says Matt Factor, president of Skunk. “We are really excited to be working together in this new capacity. Philippe’s body of work and his ability to direct subtle, emotive visual stories speaks to the high level of creativity in advertising we look for at Skunk.”
Andre is a member of the DGA and represented in the U.S. for feature films by WME and managed by Management 360. He continues to write and direct short films, with full-length feature films in development.
Changes Afoot For Cannes Lions 2025, Including Increasing Festival Access For Underserved Communities
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is putting plans in motion for its 72nd edition, set to take place from June 16-20, 2025 in Cannes, France. The Festival has announced that it will double funding to provide €2m (some $2,150,000) worth of complimentary passes to underrepresented talent and underserved communities through its Equity, Representation and Accessibility (ERA) Pass, returning for a second year.
Frank Starling, chief DEI officer, Lions, said the increased investment was “crucial to continue to drive progress for both Cannes Lions and the industry.” Starling added, “The ERA pass plays an important role in fostering a global representation of talent within the creative communications industry at Cannes Lions, and to date our funded opportunities have reached creatives in 46 countries globally. With the Festival being the destination for everyone in the business of creativity, we recognize the importance of creating equitable access to it, and this is why we’re prioritizing increased representation from the Global South to support a greater range of voices and perspectives from the region at the Festival.” Applications for the ERA pass are open now and close on December 5, 2025. More details can be found here.
With submissions into the Cannes Lions Awards opening on January 16, 2025, innovations to the Awards have also been announced today. Glass: The Lion for Change celebrates 10 years since its introduction. The Glass Lion was launched to champion work that used creativity to drive a shift towards more positive, progressive and gender-aware communication, and Marian Brannelly, global... Read More