Why Billy King Loves a Story with a Punchline

Regally named Billy King is a Derbyshire-raised Cannes-Lions-winning director. His forte are witty and unorthodox concepts bolstered by serious storytelling and craft.

A clever creative who knows how to make things happen – With bold writing, contemporary aesthetic and a timeless palette. A youthful spirit with a mature approach. Daring ideas, deftly executed.

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

Billy> It’s tough to say what the most important relationship is, but the one you maintain from start to finish is with the agency creatives.

The ability to collaborate with them is crucial. They bring their idea into your world, you enhance it, and then you all travel through that world together.

Sometimes you find yourselves thinking in different directions, but I’d say I’m pretty good at finding solutions to those navigational mishaps.

LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about – is there a particular genre, subject matter, or style you’re most drawn to?

Billy> The fun stuff. I’m a pretty unserious person, so I thrive when making unserious work. Even in the more somber projects, I still try to wangle some humour in somewhere.

The projects that have stuck with me over the years have always been the funny ones – the Peter Kay ‘No Nonsense’ John Smith’s ads or the Specsavers rollercoaster ad from a few years ago. I love a little story with a punchline.

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Billy> There have definitely been a few crazy problems we’ve had to tackle.

Honourable mentions include AntsLive learning to gallop a horse in the two weeks leading up to the shoot, or figuring out how to get him and Rushy riding jet skis down the Thames.

But I’d say the hardest production challenge was accessing the live public cameras for Cutlery. I can’t go into too much detail, but shoutout to the team at Mother London – some proper tech maestros were involved.

LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?

Billy> Of course! I often find that people who don’t come from a traditional film background have the most interesting ideas and solutions. I’d definitely be up for mentoring – I’ll always make time for people who are interested and keen to get stuck in.

LBB> Your work is now presented in so many different formats – to what extent do you keep each in mind while you're working (and, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)?

Billy> The 9:16 video format takeover is real and upon us.

I’d say I’m a purist and will always be an advocate for 16:9 – or at least 4:3. That said, I recently made an ad where we prioritised 9:16 from the outset, and honestly, it wasn’t that bad! Mainly because we could frame specifically for it and forget about the wider frame.

When you have to account for both landscape and portrait, it kind of feels like you’re making two separate films – takes some extra brainpower, but nothing we can’t handle!

LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?

Billy> ‘Cutlery’, AntsLive – I think this is probably my best directorial work yet. The level of detail in this video is something I’m extremely proud of. It’s the result of months of preparation and some incredible work, done by a lot of talented creatives. All the while being entirely unserious!

​Adidas x Champions League-- I had footballers give their best deadpan performances for this silly sketch set in a travel agency. I think it really shows off my ability to direct actors in comedy. It’s something I want to do more of, because it’s a real strength of mine. Not to mention that I got to shoot with my team (Arsenal) and work with the legend that is Ian Wright.

​‘If I Could Only Love You Again’, Maverick Sabre – This shows another side to my work, one that leans more into the abstract. I’ve always enjoyed weird and wacky, so when Mav said he wanted something in that world, I went all out. I think this video means something different to everyone, and that’s why I love it so much.