Electric Theatre Collective Appoints Ryan Knowles as Creative Director

Electric Theatre Collective has announced Ryan Knowles as creative director. Previously co-head of 2D and VFX supervisor at Electric, Ryan has 20 years of experience in the industry, spanning London and Los Angeles. 

Ryan’s journey at Electric began nine years ago and during that time he has been instrumental in the studio’s success. Perfecting his craft as a compositor, Ryan has supervised and composited on a back catalogue of huge VFX projects, from the Yellow Pencil winning Jägermeister (directed by Ben Strebel) to the ground breaking Meta - Tiger and the Buffalo campaign (directed by Andrew Thomas Huang). Most recently Ryan supervised and creatively directed Coca Cola - Masterpiece (directed by Henry Schofield). The campaign is one of the most complex and technically challenging projects in Electric’s recent history. A combination of traditional VFX and animation techniques, combined with generative machine learning processes led to the project winning a Yellow Pencil for VFX at the 2023 D&AD awards, along with a Bronze at Cannes lions and a double win at AICP for CGI and Compositing. 

“This is something that has been in the works for a while now. Ryan has an ability to provide creative wisdom, guidance and support on some of the most creative projects that we do. His approach to teamwork, his sensibility, his keen eye and his taste make him the perfect creative director. Good hair too.” said Jon Purton, MD. 

"Electric is so full of talented, brilliant artists, it’s going to be a dream collaborating with the crew. We’ve come a long way since I joined in 2015. The arc has been truly striking, and I couldn’t think of a better place or time to be afforded this opportunity." said Ryan Knowles, creative director.

Exciting times lay ahead for ETC as this marks two recent creative director promotions along with a string of impressive new hires.