Pro Hello: Nate Camponi
Born in Leeds, now based in London via Manchester, Nate Camponi is a dynamic and visionary director known for innovative cinematic storytelling, striking visuals and the unique ability to work with actors and non-actors alike. In short, he stole his parents' VHS copy of 'Blade Runner' at 12 years old and never looked back -- a transgression that marked a lifelong obsession with cinema, giving him an unnerving ability to make any script come to life. The result? Films laced with mischievous energy, cinematic quality and layered emotional depth.
His knack of blending narrative, cinematic visuals and strong performances has made him a sought-after director, helming campaigns for some of the most prestigious global brands, including Hyundai, M&S, Jack Daniels, Suzuki, Johnnie Walker, Chivas, NHS, Nike, William Hill, US Foods, NEOM, Goodyear, Qatar Airways, Talisker and Amazon among countless others, earning him accolades at Cannes Lions, Clio, The One Show, Creative Circle, D&AD and LIA as well as finalist places at Virgin Media Shorts, Straight8 and many international film festivals.
To make up for this bio sounding a tad self-indulgent, rest assured, Nate is always up for a proper pint in a proper pub.
LBB> What do you do, and where are you based?
Nate> I’m a film director represented by Chief in the UK and Picture North in the US. I’m based in London and make a lot of commercials and (fingers crossed) about to dive into features with a couple of exciting scripts I’ve been working on for a while.
LBB> What recent campaigns might we know you from, and what was your input on these campaigns?
Nate> The latest campaign I directed was this years M&S Food ‘Farm to Foodhall’ series with Michelin star chef Tom Kerridge, which we capped off with a really cool standalone spot for their new Gastropub range. Both were really rewarding projects to work on and involved a lot of travel around the most incredible parts of the UK from a picture-perfect cherry farm in Kent all the way up to the rugged coastline at Peterhead, creating cinematic documentary stories about six carefully selected farms (and the North Sea).
I’m just about to finish a feature length documentary that covers the history of Battersea Power Station called 'The Masterplan', starring the brilliant Jason Flemyng, and I also directed a cool piece for US Foods with Picture North.
I like to dig deep into the substance behind the visuals, create characters and try to build worlds within the films I make. I like to make ads that are not just visually stunning but emotionally compelling. I also love humour, but I tend to weave that into my work in a mischievous way through the tone or atmosphere rather than doing straight up comedy.
God, what a grump…
Then, the Gastropub spot brought us back to London and took a lot of influence stylistically from 'The Bear', which was exciting and a welcome switch of gears.
LBB> How did you first get into the industry, and how did you realise what you wanted to do?
Nate> I started out as a runner at Chief, the same company that have represented me since day one, while juggling film school at Leeds Met. Eventually, I became an in-house showreel editor and landed a small directing opportunity when I was about 22. It wasn’t quite ‘off to the races’ after that, but I kept building my reel with small gigs until I made the leap to full-time directing a couple of years later.
Growing up, my Dad was a creative director at an ad agency in Leeds, and my Mum worked in fashion retail, so I was lucky to be born into a very creative family, surrounded by strange arthouse movies, eclectic music, photography and art. ‘Paris, Texas’, ‘Jamon Jamon’, 'Badlands' and 'Nikita' are confusing films to get your head around when you’re 12, but they definitely had a profound effect on me and opened my mind to a more unique and less mainstream form of cinema. That meant I caught the creative bug early and started writing movie scripts and decided, after being completely mind-boggled and blown away watching 'Blade Runner', that filmmaking might be something I wanted to aim at.
Growing up, my Dad was a creative director at an ad agency in Leeds, and my Mum worked in fashion retail, so I was lucky to be born into a very creative family, surrounded by strange arthouse movies, eclectic music, photography and art. ‘Paris, Texas’, ‘Jamon Jamon’, 'Badlands' and 'Nikita' are confusing films to get your head around when you’re 12, but they definitely had a profound effect on me and opened my mind to a more unique and less mainstream form of cinema. That meant I caught the creative bug early and started writing movie scripts and decided, after being completely mind-boggled and blown away watching 'Blade Runner', that filmmaking might be something I wanted to aim at.
I was about to go to film school and decided I needed work experience. My Dad handed me a scrap of paper with a phone number scribbled on it, and said: “I’ll give you the number but I won’t make the phone call.” I think it took me about two years to work up the bollocks to finally call the number. I have a lot of respect for the way he played that.
LBB> Tell us about your journey so far.
Nate> I’ve got to admit, it’s been an incredible journey over the past 15 years, full of experiences that I never could have imagined when I first started out. I’ve had the privilege of working with some amazing clients and agencies, and I’ve been fortunate enough to shoot all over the world in some truly breathtaking places. Every project has been a learning experience, and has pushed me to grow with each new challenge -- something I’m always conscious of.
I came into the industry as a director at a really pivotal moment -- right at the tail end of the film era, as digital was just starting to take over. My first 10 or 20 projects were shot on film by default, which meant I got to experience what is now known as, I suppose, ‘old school’ filmmaking disciplines. At the same time, I was part of the generation that first embraced digital technology as it began changing how we work, meaning I figured out pretty early how to blend the discipline and patience of film with the speed and flexibility of digital.
Over the years, I think this combination has served me really well, allowing me to adapt to whatever the project demands while still holding onto those core principles of storytelling and meticulous preparation but innovating when it comes to how to physically execute a job. I think that balance eventually became a key part of my approach and style, and has made me really comfortable with the advances in film technology we’ve seen over the past few years, and will continue to see in the very near future.
In short, I’m used to rolling with it...
LBB> What projects / campaigns that you’ve been involved in have been the most personally satisfying to work on, and why?
Nate> Anything that involves travel always stands out for me because of the places I see and the people I meet -- that's one of the most beautiful things about what we do. I try to weave in as much of that experience into the project as I can. I’m obsessed with exploration and learning. Throw me into a new location with some real-world grit and I’m dead happy working in pretty much any genre.
I’ve loved working on the whiskey campaigns for Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels and Talisker because they’ve all explored the connection between people and the outdoors.
I’ve loved working on the whiskey campaigns for Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels and Talisker because they’ve all explored the connection between people and the outdoors.
Car campaigns are always loads of fun, and anything that involves meaty logistics and great storytelling feels exciting and rewarding. It’s hard to pinpoint one, but anything that allows me to create a ‘world’ is the most satisfying to me.
LBB> What’s been your proudest achievement?
Nate> I’m in danger of sounding a bit too humble here, but I honestly mean this when I say it’s when the cast, crew, agency and client all walk away feeling like we’ve created something memorable, or we’ve overcome something creatively challenging as a team.
I’m laser focused on the end product of course, but the process is just as enjoyable for me as getting a great result. We are incredibly lucky in this industry to always be working with a team of really smart people getting their heads together, and I never forget or ignore that. And winning awards is cool sometimes, too...
LBB> What do people (clients, agencies etc) come to you for specifically?
Nate> I think people come to me for authentic stories that need transporting to a place that has a more cinematic and elevated feel. I think I’m good at making non-actors or real people look like the hero in their own movie or scaling a location or scenario to a more cinematic level.
I like to dig deep into the substance behind the visuals, create characters and try to build worlds within the films I make. I like to make ads that are not just visually stunning but emotionally compelling. I also love humour, but I tend to weave that into my work in a mischievous way through the tone or atmosphere rather than doing straight up comedy.
LBB> What are your strongest opinions relating to your specific field?
Nate> I find a lot of the work now just looks exactly the same, and I get quite bored by that. I love the power that strong advertising has and how groundbreaking, exciting and cutting edge our industry can be. But, I think our increasing level of visual literacy is in danger sometimes of pushing the industry towards being entirely ‘cool shots first’, which is making a lot of work quite throwaway and soulless. It’s like we get stuck copy-pasting the same visuals or ripping off the last ad we saw. Don’t get me wrong, there are exceptions to that grumble, and I love innovative visual styles, but it’s most effective when it’s built on the strong foundations of a great idea or motive.
Trends will always exist in advertising of course and there will always be a place for sexy ‘style over substance’ but I think we’ve lost a lot of the boundary pushing and the risk-taking that makes a commercial really cut through.
Trends will always exist in advertising of course and there will always be a place for sexy ‘style over substance’ but I think we’ve lost a lot of the boundary pushing and the risk-taking that makes a commercial really cut through.
I often find myself in situations where the agency or client are sending me YouTube links to ads that were made last week as references. Surely we’re more creative than that? Periscope lenses and cool transitions are amazing tools, but they’re not a concept or an idea.
God, what a grump…
LBB> What sort of projects really get you excited at the moment?
Nate> I really enjoy big and bold concepts that give me the freedom to build a world -- somewhere we can break out of that rinse-repeat cycle. Relatively open briefs with a simple, single idea as a jumping off point never fail to excite me because I love to get stuck into the development of the story and world it’s set within.
LBB> Who are your creative heroes, and why?
Nate> Ridley Scott is an enormous inspiration. His work in commercials and cinema is probably the constant in my reference library. His ability to create mind blowing atmosphere and mood whilst still being totally focused on executing the idea is amazing. Tony Scott can never be forgotten here, either.
Then, I go through mini-obsessions and study entire back catalogues of a directors’ early work like a madman. Recent deep dives include William Friedkin for the madness, James Gray for the sophistication, Katheryn Bigelow for the extremes, Oliver Stone for the political rock n’ roll, and John Cassavetes for 'Killing of a Chinese Bookie' alone. I also watch 'The Long Goodbye' about three times a year, too. It’s not all arty stuff, though -- give me 'Die Hard' or 'Bad Boys' any day of the week.
Ultimately, I just love seeing amazing work that almost makes me just as jealous as I am inspired. You have to make every day a school day.
LBB> Outside of the day job, what fuels your creativity?
Nate> Being social and exploring. I love diving into music, art and movies, but also conversations -- listening to people’s stories, experiences and ideas. I really value and respect my network and mates. I also think travel is a huge part of my creativity. I try to take pictures as soon as I land somewhere new, as I often discover that when I look back, I can really see how a new place made me feel through those first images. They transport me right back to that first moment. New places, faces, cultures, conversations -- that’s where inspiration comes to me.
