Sam Washington (filmmaker) explained

Sam Washington
Birth Date:2 August 1979
Nationality:British
Occupation:Director and Writer

Sam Washington (born 2 August 1979) is an English director and writer of films and commercials.

His work has been awarded by international organizations and juries, including Cannes Lions,[1] The Webby Awards,[2] London International Awards[3] and Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films.[4]

His most acclaimed works include the ‘Ricky’ advertising campaign for Australian telecommunications brand Optus, featuring British comedian Ricky Gervais and the film Lab Rats.

Career

Washington started his career at the age of sixteen and held various positions within the television and film industries before making his commercial directorial debut in 2001 with a series of animated commercials for Sky Television entitled ‘Toon Town’.

In 2003, Washington took a break from commercials to work on the launch of the rock music channel Scuzz. Then in 2005, after a brief return to directing, took a position as a copywriter at London advertising agency Brothers & Sisters, working predominantly on the Sky Sports account.[5]

When Washington returned to directing in 2007, it was for sports brands such as adidas,[6] Foot Locker[7] and Sky Sports,[8] working with athletes like Lionel Messi, and Cesc Fàbregas.[9]

Washington's commercial for Yorkshire Tea marked a move away from sports and into more mainstream advertising, going on to direct commercials for Chevrolet, Tesco, BSkyB, Sky Italia and Vax.[10] [11]

In 2009, Washington directed and produced the short film Lab Rats, written by Louis Rosenberg, which went on to win multiple awards including Best Short Film at Moondance International Film Festival and Best Foreign Short at L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival.[12] Lab Rats was later re-edited into a six-part web series, which won the Best Web Series award at the Los Angeles Web Series Festival and was licensed by Frostbite Pictures for distribution.[13]

In 2011, Washington directed the short film Lost & Found as part of the Smoke & Mirrors 48 Hour Film Festival, for which he won Best Film.[14] Lost & Found went on to win the Online Audience Choice Award at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films.

In 2013, Washington appeared on Naomi Campbell’s model-search reality TV show, The Face, directing a commercial for luxury car brand Maserati which featured the show’s contestants.[15]

In 2015, Washington directed a series of commercials for Australian telecommunications brand Optus, featuring British comedian Ricky Gervais. The campaign received wide critical acclaim including a Cyber award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and was featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[16] The campaign broke the Facebook record for the fastest branded video to reach 4 million views in Australia.[17]

Awards

Commercial Awards & Nominations
YearAssociationAward Category
2016The Webby AwardsOfficial Honouree
2016VMX AwardsJudges Choice Award[18]
2016Creativepool AwardsNomination for Best Director of The Year[19]
2016Creativepool AwardsNomination for Influencer of The Year
2015Cannes LionsCyber Lion
2015London International AwardsBest Branded Entertainment
2015BEFestGrand Prix[20]
2015BEFestBest Campaign
2015BEFestBest Branded Entertainment
2015Asia Pacific Excellence AwardOverall Winner[21]
Film Awards & Nominations
YearAssociationAward Category
2014Los Angeles Web Series FestivalBest Series
2012Palm Springs International Festival of Short FilmsOnline Audience Choice Award
2012Triforce at BAFTABest Short Film[22]
2012International 48 Hour Film ChallengeBest Short Film
2012London Independent Film FestivalNominated for Best Short Film[23]
2011L.A. Comedy Shorts Film FestivalBest Foreign Short
2011Moondance International Film FestivalBest Short Film
2011San Louis Obispo International Film FestivalAudience Choice Award
2011Silicon Valley Film FestivalBest Short Film[24]
2011Maverick Movie AwardsNominated for Best Picture, Best Director[25]
2011Ventura Film FestivalBest Short Film

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Optus Case Study. Advertolog.
  2. Web site: Webby Winners 2016. Webby official site.
  3. Web site: LIA winners 2015. LIA official site.
  4. Web site: Palmsprings Shortfest Winners 2012. Hollywood Reporter.
  5. Web site: The Work. Campaign Live.
  6. Web site: Adidas campaign. Campaign Live.
  7. Web site: Sneakerface. AdForum.
  8. Web site: Better Effect. Campaign Live.
  9. Web site: Mascot. BestAdsOnTv.
  10. Web site: Official Website. samwashington.com.
  11. Web site: Official Website. Akita Film SRL.
  12. Web site: Fall 2012 Catalogue. https://web.archive.org/web/20120809015328/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/8/prweb9762913.htm. dead. August 9, 2012. PRWeb.
  13. Web site: List of winners 2012. Roma Webfest.
  14. Web site: Washington Wins. LBB Online.
  15. Web site: Take A Bow. The Drum.
  16. Web site: Did Ricky Just Do That. AdForum.
  17. Web site: AntiAd. MediaWeek.
  18. Web site: VMX Winners 2016. PRWeb.
  19. Web site: 2016 Shortlist. Creativepool Awards.
  20. Web site: BEFest Winners 2015. BEFest Official Site.
  21. Web site: List Of Winners 2015. Asia Pacific Excellence Awards official site.
  22. Web site: Winners Announced. Studio Magazine Online.
  23. Web site: Official Selection 2012. LondonIndependant.
  24. News: Normal. Abby. 2011 Silicon Valley Film Festival "The Results". 8 April 2014. Yahoo Voices. 2011-10-03. dead. https://archive.today/20140408192801/http://voices.yahoo.com/2011-silicon-valley-film-festival-results-10137171.html?cat=40. 8 April 2014.
  25. Web site: 2011 Maverick Movie Awards, Year 03. Maverick Movie Awards. 8 April 2014.

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