Blog writing for an Oscar-nominated director
Capturing a unique perspective on a competitive industry
The client
An Oscar-nominated director
The challenge
Directing commercials is lucrative work if you can get it, but the sector is outrageously competitive. Despite having an Oscar nomination on his CV, our client still had to pitch and prod for work. So, to give himself the networking edge, he started a monthly blog to email out to his contacts. Our job was to write it in a style that captured his offbeat, effusive personality and his wary yet positive outlook on the industry.
The solution
There are hobby blogs and there are business blogs. This was the latter. So we made sure each installment contained industry insights and anecdotes that would appeal to our audience. Each post was titled with an evocative question, studded with self-deprecating humour and finished with a subtle example from the director’s impressive portfolio.
The writing
As artistic types, us directors like to think that foreign markets aren’t an issue. Film is universal. Creativity doesn’t bow to geography. And anyway, a good storyboard can get you out of even the biggest mess. But when you land in Istanbul these views are put straight to the test.
Like when a car remorselessly ploughs into the back of your taxi at 50mph. If this were to happen in England it would be a talking point for at least a couple of days. Here it seemed par for the course – would you like a drink with your whiplash, sir?
The results
We carried on writing the blog for two years and during that time our director landed numerous interesting gigs.
The credits
Copywriting agency: Barnaby Benson Copywriting London
Copywriter: Barnaby Benson, Joseph Richardson
Client: A mystery, Oscar-nominated director
