*Latest 2023 Projects*
2023 has been a great and varied creative year with experiences ranging from summer on the road with Cotswold Bells creating pop up glamping experiences in the rolling hills of the Cotswolds. To Art Directing a ground breaking immersive Halloween activation with Unit 9 (Creative Agency of the Year, AdAge) and also Set Dressing at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris for the launch of the limited edition Defender at the Rugby World Cup partnership event. Read on for further details.
META Thrillboards
With Meta's launch of the new Quest 3 VR headset came an immersive IRL experience staged at Protein Studios in Shoreditch, London.
Loading bays were transformed into Walking Dead and Ghostbuster themed Billboards with a unique twist for Meta's Halloween activation. At first appearing as 2D OOH billboard advertisements, upon closer inspection, passersby were in fact able to step inside for a multi-sensory 4D experience. The theatrical sets continued through corridors and rooms filled with props, lighting effects, sensors, triggers, soundscapes and even zombies performing jump scares, immersing guests into themed worlds culminating in the opportunity to experience the VR games first hand.
The immersive environments were carefully art directed with researched details including 'easter eggs' for die hard fans. The event ran for 4 days over the Halloween weekend and tickets were sold out within hours. Visitors, clients, influencers and brand ambassadors alike were all wowed (and appropriately spooked). The activation won FWA of the day award.A huge THANKS to Ulla Winkler and Eleni Willmott at Unit 9 for giving me the opportunity to art direct this amazing project!
Jaguar Land Rover Defender Rugby World Cup partnership launch
At the beginning of September I had the joy of working in Paris in the days leading up to the start of the Rugby World Cup.
JLR Defender and the Rugby World Cup France 2023 partnership was being celebrated at an exclusive VIP launch event at the Palais de Tokyo, with a live performance from grime music artist Kano. The Defender took centre stage with breath taking visual content designed by the masterful content creatives at Unit 9.
Senior Producer, Ben Fender and the team at Unit 9 had spent months designing and producing this salubrious event and invited me to come for the pre-build to work with the local suppliers to oversee quality control for all aspects of the onsite event design and installation, including stage finishing, furniture, decorations, back of house and hospitality areas.
A Summer with Cotswold Bells
This summer I joined forces with Liz Williams at Cotswold Bells to create an array of pop up installations in some beautiful locations across the Cotswolds, providing a much needed break from the usual urban based brand experience projects.
Cotswold Bells specialise in unique and luxurious camping experiences from intimate gatherings to large events creating fully decorated snoozing bells, pamper bells, chill out areas and even wedding bells. These gorgeous Indian inspired bohemian environments pop up for hens parties, weddings, festivals, birthdays and rural based celebrations. The highlights for me were building a Snore & Roar Sleepover for auction winners at Cotswold Wildlife Park, aptly named due to its proximity to the Lion's enclosure. Also creating a bell tent village at the Treehouse Festival at Uffington White Horse.