"Remember to Be Confident and Be Your Own Biggest Fan"

Honor Northridge may be young, but as a content director at creative production agency cain&abelDDB, she’s already started making a name for herself in the industry. Having worked on a number of global ad campaigns for brands such as IAMs, Volkswagen, and Waitrose, she’s collaborated alongside award-winning creative teams and directors at adam&eveDDB. Honor has even worked for Wes Anderson on his last two film sets.

Honor also recently became a Cannes-award-wining director with her work on Pot Noodle’s ‘Nothing Fills a Hole’ taking home a Bronze Lion for Film at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival. Filled with a restless enthusiasm, her secret to success lies in hard work, self-confidence, and immersing herself in the film-making world – however that looks.

Q> What first attracted you to directing and filmmaking? Have you always been interested in film and production?

Honor> I’ve always wanted to work in film in some aspect, whether it was just being an attention-thirsty ten-year-old who wanted to act, to wanting to paint sets and work in costume, and now directing. I have (cliché) always loved storytelling, and whether it was in plays I put on when I was younger or within drawings, these stories were always visual, and film quickly became my favourite medium to do this in. 

With a background in fine art, I initially pursued art direction. However, I soon realised that film directing also allowed me to express my creative vision, while having a say in shaping the final product. I still bring my love for fine art into my work though, and my films are very cinematography focused. I sketch out all my story boards, spend a lot of time on set design and plan out all the shots, how they’ll look and be shot, normally before I’ve even finished the scripts or got a DOP involved.

Q> Tell us about your journey working at cain&abel? How has your role evolved?

Honor> I started at cain&abelDDB as a production assistant doing a three-month internship. It was a great opportunity to learn about the pre-production process, and although there were no full-time roles available at the time, the company extended my internship for an additional month, allowing me to explore more creative and studio-based work.

I was thrilled to eventually be offered a full-time position as junior creator, where I continued to grow my skills in the studio. I’ve now been promoted to the role of content director, which is the latest step in an exciting journey. I’m super grateful for the opportunities that have come my way at cain&abelDDB and the support they’ve given me.  

Q> What are some of the favourite projects you’ve worked on and why?

Honor> One of my favourite projects I’ve worked on was my first at cain&abelDDB; an IAMS shoot, which involved working with over 30 cats and dogs and a big cast and crew. It involved a lot of logistical coordination for travel and catering, not to mention the unpredictability of shooting with animals. It definitely was a crash course in advertising shoots and how they run, and it certainly taught me how to handle client expectations and navigate the complexities of production.

Another standout project was the National Lottery shoot, which was a large-scale production involving multiple units shooting a TV ad, social media content, and GIFs across different locations in London. It was exciting to see everyone collaborate and work together, and it taught me to have more confidence in my abilities. Being in charge of capturing the GIFs and photography for the second unit was a big learning curve, but it pushed me to be more assertive and proactive.

Q> You recently became an official Cannes-award-winning Director after Pot Noodle’s ‘Nothing Fills a Hole’ took home a Bronze Lion for Film. Tell us about your involvement and the wider campaign?

Honor> I was actually brought on as a behind-the-scenes videographer, but Andy Clough and Richard McGrann, the creatives behind the campaign, were keen to get a social video off the back of the three-day shoot. So, we chatted on set that morning and plotted up an idea. After the main campaign stills-shoot was done, I went in with my camera and found new angles, rearranged the props, and directed some movement to happen in the background of each shot, whether it was asking someone from the Art Department to grab a bowling ball or asking the head of production to roll a golf ball into shot. I had new ideas I added into the set-up, like a car driving through the pothole of noodles, or a dog walking past to try to eat the noodles (sadly no dogs walked past). The following week I then crafted together the offline edit.

Q> Do you have any advice for young people looking to succeed in production or directing?

Honor> My advice to young aspiring directors is to immerse yourself and absorb all there is out there. I’m definitely guilty of just binge-watching bad cartoons, but I’ve realised that inspiration can come in different ways and in many different forms; from short films to Vimeo staff picks, YouTube shorts, Discord communities, Instagram reels, TikTok's by young filmmakers to old Hollywood classics. Read books, scripts, articles about other directors and how they work on sets, watch YouTube interviews, behind-the-scenes videos (great to watch if you haven’t yet been on a set) - there’s so much out there, from so many diverse sources, to absorb.

Secondly, remember to be confident and be your own biggest fan. At this early stage no one else will promote you, so you need to act as your own manager. You have to push yourself out there in order to network and get work, so don’t be afraid to promote yourself. I think this is something us Brits are especially bad at, pitching ourselves and being proud of our work! Reach out to people, the worst they can do is not reply. Share your work and start building your online presence.

Q> What does the future hold for you? Any big goals?

Honor> My focus at the moment is expanding my portfolio to take on more directing opportunities. I’m pushing myself to film a new ‘mini project’ a month in our studio at cain&abelDDB, testing out more kit and learning more editing tricks. I hope to work on a variety of commercial projects this year and even try my hand at a music video or two.

Q> Do you produce and direct in your spare time outside of work? Any exciting projects?

Honor> Oh, absolutely! As soon as I finish a project, I feel restless. I feel I need to be always making - it’s like a light at the end of the tunnel for me to be chasing. Outside of work, I do freelance editing gigs and I even have my own production company I started with a friend. Right now, I’m in the post-production stage of my first-ever short film which is super exciting and has been such a fun and rewarding experience. On top of that, I’m also currently writing another short and I’ve been chatting with a few writers about potentially collaborating. It’s all very exciting and busy and definitely keeps me creatively fulfilled!