Director's Representation

Other Kind

Legendary pop video director Vaughan Arnell returns to the medium and reunites with Take That - who he first worked with three decades ago - proceeding&nbsp;to subvert all expectations with the veteran 'boy band': he&nbsp;turns them into a rock 'n roll power trio, and then into animated versions of themselves.In the video for Sweet July, Take That&nbsp;stride onto a film stage to perform, as an old-school&nbsp;rock combo: Gary on vocals, Mark on guitar, Howard&nbsp;on drums.&nbsp;If that's the first surprise, the second is when their animated performance becomes properly animated - in several different animation styles, each one a bit more 'rock 'n roll' than the last.A minute into the video, the performance becomes an animated rendition of the performance, in the style of a black and white comic book. And that's just the start as its followed by further transformations into other comic book&nbsp;styles and textures.[imgtoken data:1]Drawing inspiration from some iconic music videos - including Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer and a-ha's Take On Me - alongside four decades of comic-book illustration, Arnell worked with&nbsp;independent artist-led VFX studio Rohtau to make this happen in the video. Three artists, based in different parts of Europe, developed each animation style under the auspices of&nbsp;Rohtau's Jordi Bares. The traditional methods of animation were then turbo-charged in their delivery by&nbsp;AI-assisted workflows.Rohtau worked closely alongside Arnell and the Merman team throughout the live action shoot of the band's performance.&nbsp;Once an edit of the live action footage was completed, the film was divided into individual sequences and assigned to the specialist artists.&nbsp;French comic-book specialist Sébastien Daniel handled the water-ink, darker ink, and colour comic-book sections, maintaining both the timeline and the visual flow; Hungary-based Zed Zara brought his expertise in textured, gritty comic-book imagery and added depth; and Linus Konetschnigin from Switzerland drew on his background in comic books, collage, paper craft, and stop-motion to help shape the more tactile, layered sections.[imgtoken data:2]Take That are so instantly recognisable, preserving their likeness while embracing bold graphic styles was central to the creative process.&nbsp;And some of the most exciting moments came from happy accidents including the large studio doors opening to cast beautiful shadows that translated into rich line-art textures across the floor."The video was inspired by the iconic videos of INXS, Peter Gabriel and a-ha - but we wanted to re-interpret that style through a contemporary AI lens," explains Arnell."Rohtau were incredible at bringing the idea to life. We had three artists from across Europe each creating different sections of the film, all coordinated by Jordi at Rohtau, so it became this genuinely collaborative process."There were hand-drawn sketches, illustrations and painted elements, all blended with different AI platforms. It ended up feeling like a real fusion of traditional craft and modern mixed-media techniques, and we were thrilled with how it all came together."

United Kingdom

Vaughan Arnell

Merman

Will Bex

Take That 'Sweet July' by Vaughan Arnell

Take That - Sweet July (Official Video)

Girlgroup champions FLO go undercover&nbsp;in their latest action-packed outing with Troy Roscoe.The video for Don't Break Her Heart features Jorja, Renee and Stella as private investigators, tracking down the unfaithful partner&nbsp;of a girlfriend&nbsp;around London, in a series of fast-moving vignettes that involves the girls' taking various jobs to get close to their target - and a fair amount of stalking.It's another very watchable, fun-filled showcase for the trio who are updating the Noughties girlgroup template, anchored by FLO's antics and Roscoe's skill at delivering tight, narrative concepts - rivalling their excellent collaboration on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2024/11/27/flo-ft-glorilla-my-bag-troy-roscoe/89212" target="_blank">In My Bag</a> eighteen months ago. &nbsp;"It’s always a pleasure working with the girls," explains Troy Roscoe.&nbsp;"They’re genuine superstars and bring an incredible amount of energy to every setup - which makes even the most demanding shoot days enjoyable."This video was an ambitious one, with eight different setups, two unit moves, and a huge amount to capture across just two days. In all honesty, it was probably more than we should have attempted, but everyone embraced the challenge and worked at an incredible pace."Thanks to the hard work of the entire cast and crew, we managed to pull it off, creating a video that feels dynamic, emotional, and packed with memorable moments." &nbsp;

Troy Roscoe

FLO 'Don't Break Her Heart' by Troy Roscoe

Flo-'Don't-Break-Her-Heart'-by-Troy-Roscoe

As a red meteor-like object hurtles through space towards the rings of Saturn, Ewan McIntosh directs an enigmatic slowburner for Muse - and draws us into the concept&nbsp;powering the veteran rock band's forthcoming&nbsp;album The Wow Signal.From an idea written by lead singer Matt Bellamy, the Hexagons visualiser sends us into our solar system, following the path of the object which turns out to be the same that emerged from the ice lake in the previous video, for Cryogen. It is heading for one of the poles of Saturn.The approach here is rather like Kubrick's in 2001: A Space Odyssey: things take time to happen. And, as in 2001, the lack of action not only commands the viewer's attention, it gives time and space for the music. And Muse have possibly never sounded more like Pink Floyd, at least until Bellamy's vocals kick in.&nbsp;“Collaborating with Muse on this film was a dream come true, of course to work with a band I’ve listened to my whole life, but also more directly in terms of the level of creative freedom I was afforded to bring their vision to life," says McIntosh."The band had a very clear idea of the journey they wanted the film to take the audience on, But when it came to execution were very receptive to an iterative approach; from first developing the aesthetic of the sequences through to finding the perfect flow driven by the music. It’s amazing what can be built when a trust like that exists.”&nbsp;

Ewan Mcintosh

Rock

Muse 'Hexagons' by Ewan McIntosh

Muse-'Hexagons'-by-Ewan-Mcintosh

Liam Pethick and Nic Minns collaborate to direct a thrillingly energetic promo for the stellar team-up of Martin Garrix and Ed Sheeran.The video for Repeat It spans a series of docu-style vignettes and big stage shows, and also incorporating historical footage of the artists to build a celebration of their respective careers and an eventual collaboration.It's a visual that benefits hugely from the long working relationship&nbsp;that Pethick has developed with Ed Sheeran, filming him in numerous situations, over the past few years."The brief from Ed and Martin was simple: start with their reunion in Santiago and trace their lives backwards over the last 10 years until we arrive at where the song first began," he explains.&nbsp;"From the start, Nic and I wanted to reimagine what an archival music video could feel like; not something purely historical, but something alive and intimate. That led us to build the visual language around split screens, archival textures, and tactile flat-lay moments, almost like flicking through a museum of their lives together, while using carefully matched movement and compositions to draw parallels between their worlds and connect the two stories visually."A big part of making it work was leaning into the natural chemistry between the pair. Having worked with Ed for years, there was already a level of trust and understanding there that allowed us to capture moments that felt genuine rather than overly directed."Pulling together a decade of archive was a massive undertaking (combined with flat-lay shoots at the artists’ homes, two intense days filming in Santiago, long editing days, and an all-nighter to deliver the film the day after the show) but it became one of those projects where the chaos, collaboration, and commitment from everyone involved all aligned in the best way possible. Huge credit to Dan Matthews, Lewis Jones, and the wider team for absolutely slogging it out with us on this one."A vibrant, stirring promo for two of the world's biggest music acts, and a great watch.&nbsp;

Liam Pethick

Nic Minns

Ramshackle Productions

Dance

Martin Garrix & Ed Sheeran 'Repeat It' by Liam Pethick, Nic Minns

Martin-Garrix-&-Ed-Sheeran-'Repeat-It'-by-Liam-Pethick,nic-Minns

<h3>The hugely experienced directors' agent and executive producer tells us that her new agency is responding to the changing landscape, with a new generation of multi-skilled creatives on the roster and 'fluidity' on the agenda.</h3>There are few people as experienced and knowledgable about creating visuals for music as Marisa Garner. In the UK music video world,&nbsp;she&nbsp;been involved in that process for a long time.And whether as a video commissioner, executive producer or directors' agent, for more than two decades it was&nbsp;mainly about making music videos. She has been involved in making hundreds of them, usually following the tried-and-tested model of commissioning and production&nbsp;that has been in place in the UK and elsewhere for several decades.So when Marisa Garner says that things are changing, that the old way of doing things is being superceded by a fresh model, we have to&nbsp;pay attention.In fact, she has now taken a bold move that reflects how that traditional model is changing: her long-running directors' representation agency Marisa Garner Associates was recently relaunched as <a href="https://otherkindcreative.com/" target="_blank">Other Kind</a>, which she describes as a necessary response to the new reality.<blockquote>Other Kind is built to represent directors who are multi-skilled and adaptable.&nbsp;</blockquote>In terms of the talent on the Other Kind roster, there are directors in the traditional sense - including heavyweights like KC Locke and Troy Roscoe and legends like Vaughan Arnell; and there are also multi-hyphenate&nbsp;creatives, such as Roisino, Liam Pethick and Oscar &amp; Ewan&nbsp;who can do more than one thing in addition to directing. It could be&nbsp;photography, creative direction, cinematography, choreography, production design, VFX... Garner is representing these individuals for their full range of skills.We spoke to Marisa to ask about her new venture and her views on the current state of play in&nbsp;music video and music visual content production. She explains how&nbsp;the Other Kind roster is attuned to the new reality of creating a suite of content around an artists' campaign - and being able to respond&nbsp;to a new type of client, as brands become increasingly involved.[imgtoken data:1]Above: Marisa Garner on the set at KC Locke's recent video shoot&nbsp;for Jorja Smith's just-released What’s Done is Done.&nbsp;How is Other Kind different from MGA, your previous representation agency?MARISA GARNER: MGA operated successfully for 15 years within the traditional director/agent model. However, over the past two to three years, both the nature of the work and the needs of clients have significantly evolved. Hence the pivot.Other Kind represents a natural progression of the director, agent, client relationship, shaped by these changing industry demands. It moves beyond a single track model and reflects the way work is now commissioned and delivered across music, social and short form content, branded content, and live spaces.Production approaches are no longer uniform. Each project requires a different structure, scale, and level of collaboration. With that in mind, Other Kind is built to represent directors who are multi-skilled and adaptable, and who want to work fluidly whether in production companies, in-house agency teams, direct to brand relationships, artists, creative directors, and management companies.At its core, it’s a more flexible, modern framework designed to match how the industry actually operates today.[vidtoken data:0]Above: Oscar Ryan and Ewan McIntosh's video for XO 'Hotline', part of the creatives' 360 campaign for the Polydor-signed girlgroup's new single.What was the inspiration or motivation for pivoting to the new set-up?MG: It's a response to the changing landscape and the evolving needs of both clients and creatives. Over the past few years, there has been a clear shift in how work is commissioned. While labels remain an important source of projects, an increasing proportion now comes directly from artists, managers, and creative agencies.Alongside this, we’re also seeing a growing amount of work coming from brands and agencies producing in-house, who are actively seeking directors and often their core teams who are flexible and open to new ways of working. At the same time, directors are looking for greater freedom to move fluidly between different types of opportunities, wherever the work is happening.Our motivation with Other Kind is to reflect that reality: to keep directors active and evolving, to support their growth across a broader creative ecosystem, and to build a model that moves with the industry rather than behind it.<blockquote>The nature of the work and the needs of clients have significantly evolved.</blockquote>Who are the multi-disciplinary creatives that you’re now representing?MG: Other Kind represents a mix of established directors and a next generation of emerging talent. What they have in common is a multi-disciplinary approach to their craft.Increasingly, briefs are no longer focused on a single output or skill set. Directors are expected to think across formats and often contribute directly to multiple aspects of a project from direction through to cinematography, VFX, editing, production, and photography.As a result, we are representing creatives who are not only directors in the traditional sense, but also practitioners with hands-on capability across these adjacent disciplines. This reflects the way clients are now working, where there is a growing expectation for flexibility, efficiency, and integrated skill sets within a single project.[imgtoken data:2]Above: Multi-hyphenate creative Roisino on set of a recent Coca Cola shootAre you primarily repping these creatives for music videos or to work across artists’ whole campaigns?MG: Music is in my DNA, and I’ve always been passionate about the music video space. It remains a vital platform for directors to hone their craft and showcase their ideas, and that will absolutely continue.That said, the idea of a three-minute video being the sole focus of what we do has long gone. We’re very much working across 360 campaigns with artists, where shortform content is often delivering greater reach and, in many cases, more value than a traditional music video.<blockquote>The idea of a three-minute video being the sole focus of what we do has long gone.</blockquote>What’s been particularly interesting is the growing appetite from brands and social agencies to collaborate with music video directors, specifically those with strong, distinctive ideas. They’re looking for that same creative thinking to translate across wider campaigns.So while music videos remain a key part of the ecosystem, our role is much broader, embedding directors across different kinds of opportunities and production journeys.[vidtoken data:1]Above: KC Locke's video for Spotify Wrapped 2025, featuring&nbsp;Central Cee, JADE, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, Ed Sheeran, Nemzzz, PinkPantheress and more. It has nearly 9 million views.Is it exciting to be starting out with something new, having so much previous experience in the industry?&nbsp;MG: Yes, it is. The move to Other Kind has been underway for the past year or so, reflecting a wider shift away from more traditional ways of working within the industry. It’s important to me to represent directors who understand this change and are able to operate within this new landscape.Coming from a background in production, with many years spent in house at major labels and in developing directing talent, this next chapter feels like a natural progression. It’s a privilege to be able to draw on that experience across different parts of the industry.[vidtoken data:2]Above: Video for Ed Sheeran's Symmetry, directed by Liam Pethick who created all video and social content for Sheeran's multi-platinum 2025 album Play.The role now goes far beyond simply securing a project for a director. It is much more embedded across the full production process, acting in a hybrid agent/EP capacity to support both client needs and director interests throughout.It has taken time to define the voice of the company, but we are now in a strong place and building momentum. Having experienced multiple shifts within the music and wider creative industries, that perspective has directly shaped how I approach this evolution.Ultimately, this change&nbsp;is&nbsp;exciting. It reflects how the industry is working today and opens up new opportunities for both directors and clients.• &nbsp;Watch directors’ showreels at Other Kind <a href="https://otherkindcreative.com/" target="_blank">here</a>

Marisa Garner

'A more flexible, modern framework' - Marisa Garner on her new directors' agency Other Kind 

Xo-'Hotline'-by-Oscar-Ryan-&-Ewan-Mcintosh

Your Favourite Artists reveal Spotify 2025 Wrapped

Ed Sheeran - Symmetry feat. Karan Aujla (Official Music Video)

Oscar Ryan and Ewan Mcintosh direct a high energy, dance-driven promo for rising pop act XO.&nbsp;Ushering in a fresh entry to the&nbsp;girlgroup revival of late, the video for Hotline is a feverish showcase of choreography and performance.&nbsp;With a retrofuturistic, corporate environment and Y2K-influenced styling, the video takes the best of modern K-Pop and nostalgic Noughties visuals, and gives the whole thing a tighter, cleaner focus."The most important thing for us from the beginning was the choreography," say Ryan and McIntosh. "The girls have such a strong energy individually and together, so we wanted the camera language to respect that rather than overpower it.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]"We made a decision quite early on that the camera shouldn’t really move much at all, most of the movement comes through zooms, because we wanted the choreo to fully live in frame and feel super clear and direct. The song is such a bop that it felt wrong to hold anything back visually, so cloning the girls and building these infinite versions of them became a way of maximising the energy of the track. By the final chorus it feels like the whole world starts overflowing with different versions of XO."The girls were amazing throughout the shoot and brought such a good energy into the space from the second we started. There’s already a real trust growing between all of us and I think that only gets stronger the more projects you make together."We also had to squeeze everything into one day with no pre-light, so the crew absolutely carried this one. From Fyo producing the whole thing to runners staying late with us while we squeezed out the final setups, everybody pushed hard to make the video what we imagined when we first started conversations with the girls, management and label. There are always shots you lose on the day, but this one landed really close to the vision we had from the start."There’s also a crazy amount of hidden VFX work throughout the video that Ewan handled. A lot of it isn’t supposed to be noticeable at all, it’s constantly stitching performances together and helping sell the illusion of multiple versions existing in the same space. It was definitely a process but it cleans everything up so seamlessly."

Oscar Ryan

XO 'Hotline' by Oscar Ryan & Ewan McIntosh

KC Locke directs a clever,&nbsp;noir-tinged promo for Jorja Smith's Bond-esque theme to Riz Ahmed's new TV series Bait.&nbsp;The atmospheric promo for Price Of It All captures Jorja in a series of cinematic vignettes, infused with Locke's sense of dynamic composition and seamless VFX. In each scenario, Jorja plays a different type of assassin from a genre action movie,&nbsp;but throughout she maintains the soulful demeanour that has become her personal trademark.&nbsp;This is KC Locke's third collaboration with the R&amp;B singer, and he says it was important for them to push the visual workd forward,&nbsp;finding new ways for her to be seen on screen.&nbsp;This involved a well-crafted blend of live action and VFX, a regular feature of the director's work.&nbsp;"The intention was to create a world that feels elevated and cinematic, but never detached from Jorja Smith herself," he explains.&nbsp;"We drew from classic espionage and Bond-style language, using those visual tropes as a framework to explore different sides of her identity and blur the line between character and artist.[imgtoken data:1]"The film moves through fragmented moments, each one feeling like a different version of Jorja, all orbiting around a controlled, almost hypnotic performance. It’s less about telling a linear story and more about building a feeling that sits between power, mystery, and vulnerability."The music really drives that. There’s a quiet intensity to the track that allows everything to breathe, while still holding tension underneath. It gave us the space to let performance lead, letting the visuals evolve around it and amplify the emotion rather than compete with it."Producing this under Swords &amp; Eagles with my core team of collaborators, this was one of those projects where everyone had to go all in. Once I see something in my head, it becomes about figuring it out piece by piece until it’s real. This wasn’t an easy one, but that’s the point. The team made the impossible possible and pushed the film further than I could have imagined."

KC Locke

Alternative R&B

Soul

Theme

Jorja Smith 'Price Of It All' by KC Locke

Jorja-Smith-'Price-Of-It-All'-by-Kc-Locke

KC Locke captures the feisty spirit of&nbsp;Skye Newman in a thoroughly cinematic fashion for the anthemic Walk.&nbsp;Locke's video focuses upon Newman's performance in and around a car, as she hangs out with her girlfriends and steadily builds to a fiery catharsis.&nbsp;It's understated and infectious, a great visual accompaniment to the track as well as being a classy way to convey Skye's authentic personality. As KC Locke explains, he had been waiting patiently for the opportunity to make this happen following his first experience working with the singer.&nbsp;"Working on Walk&nbsp;was a really meaningful opportunity to reconnect with Skye Newman after first meeting her on the Spotify campaign," he explains. "That initial collaboration gave me a strong sense of who she is as an artist. So coming into our first music video together felt like a natural progression.[imgtoken data:1]"Skye is an incredibly intuitive performer, and there was a real trust from the start. she brought her initial ideas to the table and gave me the space to translate them into something that felt true to both her and my visual language."The track itself carries this quiet intensity. It’s about release, control, and a kind of understated defiance. I wanted the visual to sit in that same emotional space without overloading it with narrative. From the outset, the decision was to strip things back and build the film around presence rather than plot, allowing Skye’s performance to hold the frame."The bonfire became a central visual motif something raw, unpredictable, and consuming, reflecting the idea of letting something burn out rather than holding onto it. It gave us a living, shifting light source that added texture and imperfection to the image, which felt important in keeping everything grounded and emotionally honest."

Singer songwriter

Skye Newman 'Walk' by KC Locke

Skye-Newman-'Walk'-by-Kc-Locke