Maxim Kelly arrives at Friend.

3 November 2025

Friend London calls Maxim Kelly "a true individual" as he signs for music video representation after a string of stand-out promos for the likes of Black Midi, Hot Chip, and Belief.

Friend London calls Maxim Kelly “a true individual” as he signs for music video representation. Keen to get stuck into the work? So are we. Let's start with a 2022 promo for Belief, a collaboration between Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa and producer Boom Bip. Dreams is pure sinewy techno that blends a drum machine, a Prophet-6 synthesizer, and Mozgawa's live snares and hi-hats to brilliant effect, so any music video had to deliver.

Kelly and lead actor Mark Crawley are more than up to the challenge, with the latter turned into a Neanderthal/house-elf hybrid who at least knows how to dance. His tight yet primal dance moves in an empty office are a sight to behold. Coupled with the decision to use a MiniDV camera, it harkens back to an era of grainy, gonzo music videos.

Then there's 'Broken' for Hot Chip. 'Co-directed' with the Fairchild 7080, a supercomputer that specialises in music videos, it's a pitch-perfect parody of educational films and science television that reveals how creator Jerry Fairchild and his secretary/wife "fed forty years of music video transcripts" into the machine.

“

I've always admired the Friend roster and the work they've supported—they care about craft but aren't afraid to take risks and back bold ideas.

”

Maxim Kelly, director at Friend.            

To ensure flawless choreography, the lab constructs humanoid robots (listen out for the narrator's pronunciation of humanoid) to perform the Fairchild 7080's latest outcome. Cue some excellent, algorithmic dance moves from the boy band equivalent of Daft Punk.

Such work leads MD/EP Luke Jacobs to say: "I'm thrilled to have Maxim Kelly join forces with us. His work redefines what music videos can be, and we're buzzing for what's next."

So is Kelly for that matter: "I've always admired the Friend roster and the work they've supported, they care about craft but aren't afraid to take risks and back bold ideas. That's rare, and it's exactly the kind of home I've been looking for. I'm excited to make some ambitious work together. Honestly, I've wanted one of those Friend hoodies for years, so this felt like the most direct route."

To learn more about Maxim Kelly, ring John Rooney on 020 3397 3111 or email john@friendlondon.tv.