Director Sidney Van Wichelen Joins London Alley

Famed creative production studio London Alley welcomes to its team the award-winning, international director Sidney Van Wichelen. Sidney is known for his vibrant and poetic films. Cleverly depicting emotional moments, each spot serves the best interest of the brands and artists he works with.  

Sidney’s strong narrative sense and cinematic shots allows him to create short films and cultural moments, which leaves lasting impressions in viewers’ minds. He has directed commercials for today’s major brands including McDonald’s, LinkedIn and Lotus, and music videos for popular European artists Roméo Elvis, Lefa and JeanJass, among others. One of Van Wichelen’s most notable projects is ‘Céline Dion’ for Spotify. The commercial focuses on a bodybuilder going through a breakup, listening to ‘All By Myself’ to cope. Sidney played with various cliches in his directing to break the typical breakup stereotypes and surprise the audience. 

“As a director I love mixing genres and mediums, from comedic commercial work to strong, emotional PSAs and documentary-style short films. No matter what genre I’m working in, my inspiration comes from the talent. I am very hands-on, and make it my mission to pull the best performances out of every actor and authentic individual I work with. This way, we all achieve our greatest potential,” said Sidney. “By joining London Alley, I am being given the unique opportunity to bridge my background in creativity with my passion for directing. I cannot wait to dive in.” 

Sidney began his career in broadcasting and soon after transitioned into advertising, working at agencies Hotel Hungaria and Grey Worldwide-owned agency FamousGrey. Van Wichelen’s work has been recognised by the top advertising awards including D&AD, The Effie Awards, The One Show, The Webby’s, and Epica Awards. In 2022, his emotional film, ‘Break Away’, was awarded two Grand Prix's and Sidney was named a top performing director by Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

“We are thrilled to have Sidney join us as we expand our international roster of directors,” said Brandon Bonfiglio, London Alley partner. “He is extremely accomplished and has the drive to create amazing work. Paired with his creative agency experience, Sidney brings a unique perspective and we are looking forward to seeing what he does next.”

London Alley marks Sidney’s first representation in the United States, and is repped by Paris-based film studio Caviar internationally. Sidney is based in Brussels.