Director Joshua Neale has joined Smuggler for worldwide representation. Smuggler marks his first stateside production house roost. Neale had been handled in the U.K. by Independent in London.
Neale directed his first broadcast documentary in 2006 wiht the chilling The Boy Who Killed His Best Friend for the BBC Four series My Crazy Life. He followed that with his musical documentary Karaoke Soul in ’07, which mixed intimate observational documentary with musical performances from the central characters. The Guardian commented, “Neale has come up with a genre all of his own–a docu-music video,” and the film resulted in the director being nominated for the ’07 BAFTA Breakthrough Award.
Neale stepped into the advertising arena in ’08 with a documentary launching the Jazz for Honda via Wieden+Kennedy, London. Next came the Nokia 97 Portraits Series featuring individuals from around the world who use technology in interesting ways. These portraits showcased Neale’s talent for capturing a diverse range of characters and his commend of authentic documentary as an approach to branded content.
Among Neale’s recent credits are two :30s for Lurpak’s “Joy of Creation” campaign. One of the semi-improvised commercials, “Pie,” led to a BTAA Award earlier this year. Neale also recently wrapped five sets of IDs for Waitrose through MCBD featuring the genuine reactinos of children trying exotic foods for the first time.
Neale is set to soon edit his U.S.-based feature documentary A Sorry Story for BBC Four, and is currently in pre-pro for the Wall’s Projects with Saatchi & Saatchi.
Curatorial Committee Roster Is Set For The 2025 AICP Post Awards
The AICP has set the full roster for the Curatorial Committee for the 2025 AICP Post Awards. The group, representing experts from the full gamut of postproduction crafts as well as from the agency and brand ranks, will meet this spring under the leadership of AICP Post Awards chairperson James Razzall, U.S. president of advertising, Framestore.
The extended entry deadline for the full suite of AICP Awards--which includes The AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the Commercial, and the AICP Next Awards--is Wednesday, March 5. Full entry details can be found here. The results of each show will debut during AICP Week in New York this June, and be featured at a gala celebration at The Museum of Modern Art.
One of Razzall’s key responsibilities as chair is to form the AICP Post Awards Curatorial Committee, which will determine the selection of the final winners and choose the Post Awards Best of Show from among the category winners. “I was looking for the best people at the top level in all their respective crafts,” explained Razzall. “We aimed to be as diverse and geographically as broad as possible. And we looked for cross-discipline opinions. We strove for a mix of people, including those who curate the work, not just our peers in post but also the best people we have worked with on the brand and agency side.
“Across the board, we were looking for people with a strong voice,” Razzall continued. “Our goal is to have a proper conversation, so we can filter through to make sure the best work is being recognized. When you consider the amount of effort that’s gone into these entries and the level of craft that they exhibit, we owe them that respect and honor of judging the work... Read More