Skunk Signs New Director Ben Strebel
SKUNK is thrilled to announce the signing of award-winning director Ben Strebel for transatlantic representation. This will be the ffith local signing for the London office.
Ben is a multi-faceted director of music videos, content and commercials who looks for the beauty in the unexpected and strives to give a voice to the outsiders in society.
The son of a DP, Ben’s first foray into filmmaking was at the tender age of 11 when he borrowed his dad’s VHS camera to make a film about the heroin epidemic that was rife in Zurich at the time. Managing to coerce his 9 year old sister into taking the lead role as addict / police secretary, the film dealt with issues of drugs, guns, gangsters… and swords (obviously!). Needless to say, it wasn't a pretty ending with the film culminating in a shoot-out on a Zurich rooftop – with no survivors.
Having left school and returned to England, Ben headed all the way up to bonny Edinburgh to study History of Art. However he found he spent little time there, preferring to create visuals for bands like Madness on their tours. He did somehow manage to scrape a degree between touring and putting on old skool garage nights in his spare time.
Ben seeks to tell stories that move him by representing subjects that he feels are misrepresented in the mainstream media. By finding truth in unexpected places, Ben hopes to diversify the viewer’s perception of the world. Describing his style as cinematic realism with a surreal, metaphorical twist, Ben commands a vivid filmic canvas with which to tell human stories.
Ben has picked up multiple awards and nominations for his shorts, music videos and commercials, including 1 Gold and 4 Bronze Lions as well as 5 D&AD pencils for his film ‘A Trip To Sea’ for Guy Cotton. His commercial reel includes work for Nike, Lexus, Apple, Adidas, BMW, LG and ALLSAINTS. He’s also made videos for Naughty Boy, Phoenix, Animal Kingdom, Clock Opera. In his most recent video for Parisi (feat. RZA) ‘No Refugee’, Ben boldly explored the uncertain and painful lives of refugees. All proceeds from streaming went to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
London MD Kate Taylor says “Ben is a rare and exciting director. He has a deft ability with storytelling, emotion and nuance that is incredibly engaging. We feel privileged to be able to build on what is already a striking collection of work and can’t wait to see what he’ll do next. His ability to transcend genres and styles means he’s capable of many things, which for us, is fantastic”.
