Hotspur and Argyle

We are hugely excited to announce the addition of multimedia collective Blind to the Hotspur & Argyle roster. Set up in 1995 Blind have crafted beautiful campaigns for clients like Sony, Honda, Amnesty International, Volkswagen and Xbox 360. World class practitioners in 2D and 3D animation, AFX, Editorial, Live Action, Vfx stop motion, CGI and motion graphics, Blind’s best known UK commercial to date is the widely lauded Imagination for the Audi A7, a stylised journey through the mind of an automotive designer for BBH that was inducted into the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Click the still from Imagination above to see Blind’s current reel.

As well as work across commercials, broadcast, film, web and branding they have made stunning music videos for the likes of Gnarls Barkley, The Raveonettes and Justin Timberlake which can be seen by clicking the stills below.

Blind’s countless awards include two Creative Arts Emmy’s from the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences, numerous Promax BDA awards, Addy’s and Telly’s and a D&AD pencil for their title sequence for the short film Crank Calls.

So you can see why we’re excited…

Richard Swarbrick- renowned for beautifully immortalising British sports icons like Gareth Bale, Wayne Rooney, Stuart Broad and Andy Murray – has turned his attentions to the NBA and one of its biggest stars. Luol Deng plays small forward for the Chicago Bulls but the British theme continues because he will also be a key member of the Team GB basketball squad at the forthcoming London Olympics. Richard’s unique style has gone down a storm in America where Deng himself has been distributing it’s YouTube link via twitter.

It’s all happening for the ever-industrious animator who created the Hotspur & Argyle Christmas card, recently featured on ITV’s Ad Of The Year show with his Sun campaign and is currently immersed in several new projects.

The Directors and staff of Hotspur & Argyle wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Please click Santa for a salutary salutation. (Play loud).

UPDATE: ‘FRESH MEAT’ HAS WON THE BEST NEW BRITISH TV COMEDY PRIZE IN THE BRITISH COMEDY AWARDS 2011. CONGRATULATIONS DAVID!

The brilliant ‘Fresh Meat’ has been nominated as “Best New British TV Comedy”, “Best Comedy Drama”, and “Best Comedy Actor” (Jack Whitehall) in this year’s British Comedy Awards. This pleases us greatly because Fresh Meat’s lead director is our own David C. Kerr. Tune in to Channel 4 on Friday at 9pm to see how he gets on.

David C. Kerr, back from a stint directing the highly acclaimed ‘Fresh Meat’ for Channel 4, has plunged head first into a frenzy of commercials making. First up, this charming comedy of confusion for Tesco and the latest ‘Call of Duty’ game, described in the Daily Telegraph as ‘the biggest entertainment launch of all time in any medium’ (!). Characteristically deft handling of casting and performance are in evidence alongside classy photography from Ray Coates and editing from Simon Willcox at Loaded Dice. The script was conceived by Red Brick Road’s Anthea Goodrick and Rose Lang, agency producer was Ben Honour and Adam Lyne produced for Hotspur & Argyle.

As more gadget-obsessed readers will know, the long awaited launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Note – a game-changing cross between a smart phone and an iPad – is upon us. And, fittingly, adorning its website are demo films that elevate the whole genre to a new level of polish and panache. Director Theo Delaney, production designer Toby Stevens and DP Theo Garland converted one colossal floor of a brand new Greenwich office block into a contemporary airport terminal complete with lounge, departure gate and coffee outlet before filming the story of an enthusiastic Galaxy Note user who shows curious fellow travelers its remarkable capabilities. The films were conceived at Partners Andrews Aldridge by creatives Carole Eppleston and Helen Sharp, creative directors were Paul Snoxell and Dan Northover.

Martin Aamund has followed up last year’s acclaimed Jack & Jones spot with another startlingly stylish execution for the same brand, currently adorning Scandinavian TV screens. It can also be found on the Jack and Jones website, featuring extra footage, where it serves as an interactive guide to ‘staying safe’.

Scripted by &Co’s Thomas Hoffman and Martin Storgaard the film was shot in the remarkably US-urban environs of Riga, Lithuania. As with the previous spot, Mattias Rudh was the DP and it was cut by Anders Albjerg. Sound design is by Goldfish. Not one to sit back admiring his own beautiful work for too long, Martin is currently in his native Copenhagen with producer Danny Fleet making a Johnnie Walker spot for BBH New York. Watch this space for that one.

David C. Kerr’s Fresh Meat breaks 10pm 21st Sept on Channel 4

Look out for David’s new comedy “Fresh Meat”. Starring Jack Whitehall and Joe Thomas and written by Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, its already going down a storm with the press;

"Smart, sympathetic and pretty much adorable from the get-go" - The Guardian

"Brilliant new comedy drama" - The Sun

"It has hit written all over" - The Sunday Times

"Brilliantly observed. Excellent Cast" ***** - Heat

Richard Swarbrick has directed four new ground-breaking commercials for The Sun’s football coverage through agency WCRS.

In a departure from The Sun’s traditional style, painterly, impressionistic animation combines with a haunting music track of Swarbrick’s own creation and a contemplative voice over from Sun Football columnist Terry Venables to strike a cerebral tone.

A 30 second commercial and three further 20s complete the campaign which was conceived by WCRS creative team Jonny Porthouse and Andy Lee. Agency Producer was Lizzie Mabbott and Danny Fleet produced for Hotspur & Argyle.

To see the first ad featuring Wayne Rooney’s overhead-kick goal for Manchester United against Manchester City last season, click here.