Sweetshop Australia’s newest director, Zac Ella, is legendary. He has written his legend himself. Some of it is true. He was born Kippax, a small coal-mining village in West Yorkshire in the UK. The rest of his story is humorous. Either he was “advised by his vocational guidance counsellor, Jenny Gilroy, to pursue a career in plumbing, Zac went to Leeds College of Art and Design to chase his dreams of drawing naked people,” or “from a young age, Zac wished for a career in the Arts. In his spare time, he dabbled in comic books, attended Sooty’s puppet-making classes in Shipley and even achieved a paid award with Jeremy Beadle’s You’ve Been Framed Class of 1999. Thankfully, Brigshaw High School burnt down on April 1 2000, and all of Zac’s academic records were lost. So, he gained access at Leeds College of Art and Design to study Visual Communications.”
Apparently, he studied at Leeds College of Art and Design. Clearly, he has a flair for comedy. Sweetshop, which has done the research, says that Ella has a fun on-set presence, knack for drawing the light-hearted beats out of briefs and he brings a fresh and current take on comedy to the table.
Ella’s portfolio shows that a wide range of brands have put their faith in his directing talent – Adidas, Sports Direct, Lawn Tennis Association, Dominos, Tik Tok, Dr Martens, McDonald’s, Amnesty International and Converse, among them. He has also directed music promos for Little Minx, Bastille, Superfood and The Magic Gang.
Edward Pontifex, managing director of Sweetshop Australia, stated, “When I saw Zac’s work for the first time, I remember thinking how he was from a completely different planet that I wanted to visit straight away. He has such a future-facing style that I think creative agencies in Australia will absolutely love.”
Zac added, “YES! Just when life couldn’t get any sweeter. I have long admired the work that comes out of Australia. The opportunity to explore a renowned comedy territory and work with Australian creatives is exciting.”
Wilf Sweetland, Global chief executive officer at Sweetshop, commented, “Zac is a beautiful man. His outlook on life and his energy is absolutely contagious. Zac’s work has an ingenuity, a boldness and a creative vibrancy that we feel is unmatched. Whether it’s live-action or animation, his craft and ideas make you feel that often forgotten child-like sense of amazement.”
Watch Zac’s recent work here. To work with Zac contact Edward Pontifex or Greg Fyson.
