One of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on.
Outrageous tells the true story of the scandalous Mitford sisters. They were each outrageous in their own unique way, and taking the idea of ‘an irrepressible sisterhood’, the audacious, notorious, adventurous, rebellious, boisterous and dangerous spirit of the sisters was weaved into every asset.
A fully integrated campaign, combining a full channel takeover, multiple out of home creatives, 1930s-inspired in vision continuity, a UKTV first with an IMAX wrap, a fashion collaboration and commissioning modern portraits of the sisters… it might be just be simpler to watch the campaign at the top of this page.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Head of Creative: Ellie Peters
Campaign Producer: Latoya Collingwoode-Williams
Assistant Producer: Bettie Cooper
Photography: Nicky Hamilton
DOP: Rich Bell
Motion Designer: Callum Parish
Print Designer: Tom Webster
I launched Alibi's and BBC Studios premium commission, We Hunt Together - a thrilling, gruesome cat and mouse story of two mismatched detectives hunting two troubled killers.
The unique storyline led me to the concept of duality: the qualities that make these detectives exceptional at hunting down the killers, are the same qualities these killers have in committing their crimes...and getting away with them.
I shot a conceptual promo, in which the killers and detectives seamlessly morph into one another, and reversible key art photography in which the detectives were sometimes on top, and sometimes the killers.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative Manager: Tom Williams
Campaign Producer: Sophie Fox
Motion Designer: Jade Dauncy
Print Designer: Dani Liqueri
I worked with my colleague Ceri Payne on a concept that would work seamlessly across both the Drama and Yesterday channels, whilst also uniquely to their individual audiences. The message we had to land was: Drama and Yesterday are on UKTV Play.
I conceived the idea of a fake advert, in which a hapless director is simply trying to get Charles Dance to communicate a straightforward piece to camera. But such is his passion for all things drama, things don't quite go to plan.
Hunt out Ceri Payne's companion piece for Yesterday!
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative: Ceri Payne
Campaign Producer: Danny Wimborne
Sister Boniface Mysteries is a bona fide hit for UKTV. For series 3, I continued the creative idea established for series 2, that being 'God's gift to solving crime'. I literally shone a heavenly light on Sister Boniface's crime-solving brilliance. School assembly favourite 'This Little Light of Mine' soundtracked the campaign, across all assets, as a theme that spoke of our crime-solving nun's incomparable genius.
Spending a day shooting with Lorna Watson was a treat, and a full channel takeover was delivered to launch series 3 with the brilliance it deserves.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative Manager: Ray Dunlop
Campaign Producer: Latoya Collingwoode-Williams
Turns out, unsurprisingly, female comedians get pretty bored about being asked 'what is it like being a female comedian?' Especially on International Women's Day.
So Dave didn't try to...we simply let the comedians be their wholly individual selves.
The creative idea was 'comedy as unique as comedians who make it'. I interviewed 5 incredible comedians, and just letting them talk about their unique style of comedy, and I worked with Cookie Studios to design bespoke animation styles to reflect their individually unique personalities.
Creative, Director: Genevieve Simms
Animation: Cookie Studios
Campaign Producer: Kasey George
To promote a season of fan favourites on Drama over Christmas - Call the Midwife, Father Brown, Pride and Prejudice and Death in Paradise - I came up with the concept of 'stories coming to life' this season. Such is the immersive magic of these heartwarming shows.
I directed acting legends Judy Parfitt, Sorcha Cusack, Emilia Fox and Kris Marshall, key talent from each of the shows, who in some way see their shows come to life around them....whether that be a magical gingerbread scene, or a menacing shadow lurking behind a secret door...
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Campaign Producer: Latoya Collingwoode-Williams
For Drama's 2020 season of fan favourite heartwarming programmes - Call the Midwife, Father Brown, Pride and Prejudice and Death in Paradise - I conceived the idea of being 'wrapped up in stories'. Using projections which were all shot in-camera, scenes from the shows grow and sparkle around Jenny Agutter, building a magical, golden and warm world of content.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Animation design: Callum Parrish
Campaign Producer: Genevieve Sligcher
I had an amazing opportunity to pitch ideas for UKTV's sustainability initiative, partnering with Wrap's Love Food Hate Waste campaign.
The task was to come up with an advert that would simply remind people that food waste is bad. I conceived and pitched the idea of a different kind of wasted food - those irritating, annoying items of food (!) that lose their inhibitions a bit too much, after one too many... Essentially, don't you just hate wasted food?
The spot was brilliantly directed by my lovely colleague Ceri Payne (check out his work).
Creative: Genevieve Simms
Director, Editor: Ceri Payne
I launched Sister Boniface Mysteries series 2 with the idea 'God's gift to solving crime'. Sister Boniface is the sleuthing saviour of her quiet (or not so quiet) Cotswolds village...so she was immortalised in the most appropriate manner, through sermons, Biblical-styles stories and stained glass aesthetic.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Illustration design: Robert Venables
Animation: Callum Parrish
Campaign Producer: Holly McIvor
After an 11 year hiatus, Cold Case Files returned to A+E Networks, and I led on creating the global assets.
With the series being about how justice can eventually be served, no matter how distant, or seemingly forgotten crimes may be, I conceived the idea of the 'eye of God', which sees all. Justice is coming, no matter what.
As part of the campaign, we commissioned three short films that spoke to what justice meant to people who had come face to face with it: Sara Payne, mother of tragically murdered Sarah Payne, Richard Scorer, lawyer representing victims and survivors of abuse, and Dr, Jacqueline Sebire, the UK’s former Chief Police Officer.
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Being a big Jonathan Creek fan, I had a blast conceiving an idea that promoted a season of Jonathan Creek on Drama: every single episode airing back to back.
So, I came up with the idea of celebrating the magic of the series, by having Alan Davis popping up throughout the spot in a sequence of tricks and illusions - all shot in-camera. The payoff was an impossible scene of multiple Alans, landing the scheduling message: every single episode of Jonathan Creek.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
I had never seen Gavin and Stacey before making this… but of course I knew most of the iconic catchphrases and scenes. To promote the complete series available on U - the ‘full house,’ if you wilI - I wrote a set of Gavin and Stacey-inspired bingo calls that playfully nod to the lines and moments everyone (even me) knows and loves.
(I’m now also a G&S convert.)
The Richardsons are a unique couple. For the launch of series 4 of their comedy series Meet the Richardsons, I accordingly turned them into unique relationship 'experts'... who dish out their particular brand of relationship advice...
I worked with my esteemed colleague Rob Pirouet to launch Traces, a series about the science of forensics solving murders. Rob and I researched deeply into the world of forensics, and hinged our creative idea on Locard's Exchange Principle, which states a perpetrator will always bring something to a crime scene...and also take something away. Murder will physically leave its mark, both physically, and emotionally.
We created 'real' key art, which involved sheets of real acetate with talent images printed on them, and layered the images, so real pieces of hair, dust, skin were embedded into the image.
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative: Rob Pirouet
How to promote a reality series about celebrities 'hunting' ghosts, in which you don't know how they will be doing this, or even who the celebrities are...Shoot a beautifully creepy haunted mansion, in which strange shadows are cast, statues seem to move, and even the paintings scream in horror...
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
I conceived the idea of bringing Alibi's brand promise of 'more than meets the eye' to life through unexpected content spots, that lead the viewer down the garden path.
Removing all visuals, I used storytelling to create an image in viewers minds, only to reveal something, hopefully, a little unexpected.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Animation design: Cookie Studios
It was very easy making a charming promo for a Jane Austen Season when one is a big Jane Austen fan.
W is all about Life Unfiltered, so I made a brand spot in which genuine, meaningful, totally authentic moments were cut to an unexpectedly perfect track.
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
We had an opportunity to jump on the back of production's filming in Barcelona for Alibi's commission, The Diplomat.
I conceived an idea around the twists and turns of a foreign city, in which British nationals can get on the wrong side of the law, and have to navigate an unknown legal system.
Shooting for around 20 minutes with leading star Sophie Rundle in the Barcelona's old quarter, myself, producers and DOP hot-footed it around the city capturing the city in a literal twisty way...
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Campaign Producer: Holly McIvor
I led on the creative for UK's launch of AMC's Ragdoll.
Launching Alibi's smash hit Annika, I had the pleasure of remote voicing with Nicola Walker from a spare room in Cornwall (thanks Covid) brining to life the character of Annika herself.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Shooting on 16mm, I conceived and directed two idents for Yesterday's Comedy and Music content 'zones'.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
I conceived and pitched the idea for Drama’s 2018 Summer campaign. The concept was simple: six idyllic, picturesque British Summer locations, from where our talent from six different shows would tell us all about them, as if in relaxed, friendly conversation with each other.
Creative: Genevieve Simms
Director & Creative: Paul Quinn
To promote H2's Saturday schedule of brain-teasing and mind-mending programmes, I made a promo that did, well, exactly that.
(Best viewed full screen... and not whilst driving.)
Despite being in the height of Covid restrictions, myself, a producer, camera-man, and sound recordist cobbled together a set, in a completely bare studio (thanks to a last minute change of studio, Bolton having gone into Tier 3).
But the wonderful Val McDermid, and her thoughtful insights on representation in television, more than made up for any art direction shortcomings!
The task was to make a warm, summery and nostalgic spot to promote a season of similar content across the summer on Drama.
The brilliant and lovely Penelope Keith was the perfect voice for this, although due to lockdown, I could only direct her remotely, nonetheless, it was still a personal professional highlight.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Animation design: Restless
Working on a campaign for W's first foray in reality dating, saw me working with the capital's elite matchmakers. A full 360 campaign, in which the super stylish and glamorous team fronted the promotion.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Animation design: Marshall & Broome
Who would have known an Electric Six track would have been the most perfect for a documentary about the Egyptians...when you know what they got up to, it seems obvious.
I launched two series of Vikings on HISTORY.
Leonardo was regarded as many contradictory things, raising the question, who really was he?
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
A combination of show footage, featuring Robbie Coltrane, and specially shot content, shot by Clemens Wirth, and directed remotely by myself from the UK.
The idea was to follow a single piece of evidence, and the forensic process it goes through, from end, back to the beginning, back to the crime scene...
Creative, Director: Genevieve Simms
Camera, Director, Editor: Clemens Wirth
A spot to promote Dave's content across Q2...continuing Martin Graham's brilliant creative he established in Q1.
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative: Martin Graham
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Animation design: Restless
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
A little attempt at an April Fool’s.
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Shot in my own flat's living...which looked like a bomb site after we'd wrapped.
Creative, Director, Editor: Genevieve Simms
Creative, Editor: Genevieve Simms
