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 Opinion DAVID plays... 'Wax Heads' and 'Mafia: The Old Country'.
10 July 2026 DAVID thought his PlayStation 5 would have melted by now, but it's held its own against the heat so far. That's allowed him to complete 'Mafia: The Old Country' and 'Wax Heads' over the last few weeks—if you need a break from the football, tennis, and/or the latest political clusterfuck, these two games might do the trick.
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 New Signing Molly Burdett thinks Stink.
9 July 2026 Stink has only gone and signed the talented Molly Burdett to its global roster of directors. Burdett, whose reel includes work for Adidas, NatWest, Arlo Parks, the Mayor of London, and more, says: "For me, it's always been about creating work that feels true and has real meaning. I'm drawn to brave thinkers, and from the very beginning it was clear that Stink shared that same ambition."
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 New Signing Outsider presents Duncan Lewis.
9 July 2026 Born to "an overly passionate, outspoken Brazilian mother and a more subdued but still outspoken British father", Duncan Lewis calls himself a "culture-concussed city kid". No need to go for a head scan—instead, Lewis uses his background as fuel for a directing career that soon called for representation. This is where Outsider enters the game.
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 New Signing Impossible Studios enlists Sharon Chetrit.
9 July 2026 To soften the blow of Canada's World Cup exit, Impossible Studios has added director Sharon Chetrit to the roster. Based in Los Angeles—where we like to think he watched Canada beat South Africa 1-0 in the last thirty-two—Chetrit's work for brands like Microsoft and Lowe's "lives at the intersection of visual effects and emotional storytelling".
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 New Signing STARLING swoops for Slim Jim.
8 July 2026 If you ask for a Slim Jim in the United States, you get a processed meat stick. If you ask for a Slim Jim in the UK, you get James Worsley—director, editor, and camcorder lover (so much so that he collects and rents out camcorders on the side). First and foremost, he's a talented commercials director now on the books at STARLING.
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 New Signing K-pop superstar Rima Yoon joins Eleanor.
8 July 2026 Rima Yoon is one a handful of go-to directors for the superstars of K-pop and even the most cursory glance at her work reveals why. Her reel is a feast of sensational work and many of her promos have garnered upwards of 100 million views on YouTube alone. Obviously, that is partly due to the popularity of the genre, but it also owes a lot to what she's bringing to the party... and it's some party.
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 New Signing Packer Productions adds Bart Timmer to the mix.
6 July 2026 It feels like it's only been five minutes since DAVID was announcing the launch of Packer Productions but in the short time they've been up and running, founder Richard Packer has established them first as a serious contender, and then as a powerhouse capable of competing with the established production company brands on an equal footing.
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 New Signing D I • A L at Not Just Any has a nice ring to it.
6 July 2026 Formed in 2015 by Italians Alice Gatti and Diego Indraccolo, D I • A L caught the eye of Not Just Any's Prudence Beecroft in 2024 as the directors pushed on in the commercial realm. When the time was right, the company made its move… and the result is a "particularly special moment" for Not Just Any’s executive producer.
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 New Signing Vision Artists welcomes costume designer Celia Arias.
6 July 2026 Vision Artists has added costume designer Celia Arias to its ranks. A graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London, Spaniard Arias's love of textiles is matched only by her skill as a costumer across TVCs, photo shoots, and music videos. Just ask Italian singer-songwriter and rapper Rose Villain, who hired Arias to be her personal stylist.
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 New Signing Park Pictures snares Greg Hackett.
6 July 2026 Like a great many people, DAVID was saddened to learn of the closure of Spindle, a company whose ethos we much admired. There are few winners in such circumstances but Fran Thompson of Park Pictures has come out of it well as she has secured the enormously talented Greg Hackett for her roster, and Hackett too can consider this a great outcome as there aren't many who combine Fran's sagacity with such empathy and compassion.
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 News DEPT Agency wins GOLD at STRAIGHT 8 Shootout 2026
6 July 2026 In a world dominated by digital filmmaking, AI and increasingly sophisticated post-production, STRAIGHT 8 sticks two fingers up at all of it. Instead, it returns to the fundamentals, celebrating the glorious, unpredictable beauty of shooting on film. There is absolutely no editing allowed, and because Super 8 doesn’t record sound, every accompanying soundtrack is created ‘blind’ and must be completely original. The very first time each film is seen is when it’s projected onto the big screen for the audience. This year’s premiere took place in Cannes on the morning of Friday 26 June, where a small but devoted crowd gathered to experience the films together for the very first time.
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 News Eleanor Films amps up its offer with an impressive series of summer signings.
6 July 2026 Eleanor Films has strengthened its offer with a series of eye-catching signings and, during a memorable catch-up with DAVID in Cannes, company president Sophie Gold reported that this raft of new talent is already paying dividends as her company is involved in more conversations and participating in more pitches than ever before.
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 News UK Creative Festival & Creative Circle Awards 2026
6 July 2026 With the weather firmly on its side - clear blue skies, warm temperatures and a golden sandy beach - it might have been tempting to swap the South of France for the Kent riviera this year. For some, at least. Jokes aside, Margate is an ideal setting for a UK creative festival. Less than two hours from London, its picturesque seafront, colourful beach huts and clean sandy beaches provide the perfect backdrop. Across from the shoreline sits Dreamland, the town’s vintage amusement park, complete with dodgems, a Ferris wheel and a picture-perfect stage that gave the festival a distinctly nostalgic charm.
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News Bite Hungry Man hires James Sorton as UK Managing Partner.
3 July 2026 Hungry Man UK's new Managing Partner is none other than former Pulse Films and Magna Studios bigwig James Sorton. When asked what drew him to the company, Sorton says: "There is something so special about the people here. I loved everyone I met and talking to Bryan Buckley and Hank Perlman was so joyful, I knew immediately these are my people."
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 New Signing Hamlet signs Jasper de Maeseneer.
2 July 2026 Hamlet has completed the signing of bright-eyed Belgian director Jasper de Maeseneer. A recipient of a Young Director Award in Cannes, De Maeseneer has won plenty of admirers on the film festival circuit. His debut short film 'Shutterspeed' impressed at Palm Springs, Gent, Busan, and elsewhere with its grasp of power dynamics in photography, as well as the performance of teenager Lou Goossens.
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 New Signing It's Tim Swaby for Cabin Edit.
1 July 2026 Cabin Edit has only gone and signed the redoubtable Tim Swaby to its global roster. Born in Australia and based in the UK, Swaby spent over ten years at Spindle as an editor, partner, and mentor. When the company closed its doors in May 2026, he got Cabin fever good and proper (not the kind from 'Muppet Treasure Island').
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 New Signing Martin Pihlap arrives at Pulse Films.
30 June 2026 Pulse Films has added Estonian up-and-comer Martin Phihlap to its roster of talented directors. The man from Kohtla-Järve (we hear it's beautiful at this time of year) says: "Pulse has a history that speaks for itself, so being part of it is a genuinely big deal for me. I'm excited to join this team and make something that leaves behind an image you didn't ask to remember."
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 New Signing Whitehouse Post promotes Arden Phillips to editor.
30 June 2026 Arden Phillips came to Whitehouse Post in 2024 after spells at Mackcut and LVLY/Friend or Føe. A consummate assistant editor and graduate of Syracuse University, Phillips impressed the likes of Ryan Smith and Eric Schoen with her "storytelling, sharp creative instincts, and collaborative spirit". Two years later, she's been promoted to the main roster.
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 News Cannes Lions 2026: The Winners
29 June 2026 There was a very welcome development at this year's Cannes Lions when the winner of the biggest prize of all – the Grand Prix for Film – was secured by a bone fide 30" TV commercial. The work in question was for the AI chatbot Claude and was directed by Jeff Low of Biscuit Filmworks from scripts written by Mother London, and was shown during this year's Super Bowl.
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 New Signing Dear Friend secure WATTS for the Canadian market.
26 June 2026 LA-based directing duo Jenna and Tripp Watt, who operate as WATTS, have signed with Dear Friend in Canada and EP Mark Chisholm could hardly be more delighted: "WATTS are the kind of filmmakers you find yourself referencing before you realise it. Their work doesn't pull from what's already out there, it creates the language others end up chasing. Canada is ready for exactly what they do."
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 News Is there Representation in Cannes Lions Film and Film Craft Work?
26 June 2026 Eager to hear the findings of a landmark study of diversity in advertising, DAVID attended the 30-minute presentation delivered by Madeline Di Nonno, President and CEO of the Geena Davis Institute. Unfortunately, we missed the start, because this stage proved to be the hardest to find at the festival. After some perseverance and two stops to ask for directions, DAVID eventually located it in the back corner of the Palais basement.
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 News Cannes Lions 2026 - Inside Out: In-House or Agency?
25 June 2026 Billed as a debate, anyone attending purely for that reason would have left disappointed. What unfolded instead was a civilised, thoughtful conversation, punctuated by the occasional playful dig, between creative professionals who clearly share a deep mutual respect. The result was a thought-provoking and worthwhile way to end an afternoon at Cannes Lions.
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 News Cannes Lions 2026 - How in the e.l.f. do they do it?
25 June 2026 The numbers are impressive. e.l.f. has reported 29 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth, averaging 20% net sales growth over the past seven years. These are the kinds of results most brands can only dream of. It’s no surprise that CEO Tarang Amin and President Kory Marchisotto were given a stage at Cannes Lions to share their secret sauce with lanyardees from around the world.
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 News Debatable taste at Cannes Lions.
23 June 2026 In a discussion about the nature of taste, David Kolbusz and Lynsey Atkin were on one side of the debate with Chaka Sobhani and Rick Brim on the other... at least at the start. The contrived nature of proceedings slowly came unstitched with a consensus forming on the stage as the contributors shifted their positions towards what they actually beloved rather than the positions they'd been asked to take by moderator Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign
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News Bite Lemonade Collective embraces RSA Films.
23 June 2026 Lemonade Collective now represents RSA Films across both Lemonade Talent for short-form work and Lemonade Labs for branded entertainment. Collective founder and managing director Corin West says: "RSA is one of those rare companies whose legacy needs no introduction. Even my Mum knows who they are! Their influence on filmmaking, advertising and visual culture is immeasurable. They have spent decades setting the benchmark for craft and storytelling, while continually evolving alongside the industry."
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 News Choose Love Presents Fearless Stories
23 June 2026 In a world where 122 million people are currently displaced - a number that is rising, not diminishing - it's easy to understand that's a shockingly large number but also easy to see it as just a number. Storytelling has the power to reach audiences minds and hearts in a way stats simply can't and Choose Love's Fearless Stories was a brilliantly curated exhibition of this.
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 Launch Art For Social Change - A new industry charity and awards initiative
19 June 2026 The goal is simple: use creativity to tackle society’s biggest challenges, with science, not judges, deciding what works. First up is the epidemic of loneliness - a serious issue, and one that demands more than a token response.
Created by behavioural change expert Crawford Hollingworth, the charity and awards scheme is supported by leading industry bodies and figures, including The IPA, The Marketing Society, Mark Thompson and John Hegarty.
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 News Women's Aid and the Other Kick-Off.
18 June 2026 There are thirteen—count 'em—kick-off times at the 2026 World Cup, enough to throw anyone's circadian rhythm out of whack. From 5pm to 5am BST, games span three countries and four time zones, as if it's a grudge match between beauty sleep and the beautiful game. One kick-off time that stands out more than others, however, is 11:37pm.
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 New Signing Victoria Warmerdam meets MindsEye.
18 June 2026 MindsEye has completed the signing of Oscar-winning filmmaker Victoria Warmerdam. The Dutch talent won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film with 'I'm Not a Robot', a sci-fi drama about a woman who fails one too many CAPTCHA tests. Written and directed by Warmerdam, it scratches that 'Black Mirror' itch way better than the show does these days.
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