He blended genres, he broke tabus, he surprised his audiences making them always expect the unexpected even if that meant a psychedelic journey encapsulated in a seemingly classical live action short. He is David Wilson a queer director specialising in work that is often radical, subversive, cinematic and ALWAYS playful!
Showing audiences what they didn’t know they needed to see, making artsy promos with a commercial edge, always in motion, Davis Wilson is definitely one of the most exciting music video directors out there!
More than a decade ago, David Wilson was one of the people re-vamping and rescuing from oblivion the music video format, back in the days when promos were struggling to once again become relevant story-telling environments. He made artistic cutting-edge videos look sexy, mesmerizing and appealing to large crowds.
Over the years, his work has won him multiple acclaim: from being named ‘Best Director’ at the UK Music Video Awards, to a Grammy Nomination, to winning Cannes Gold and a Eurobest Gold.
David has created work for artists such as Arctic Monkeys, David Guetta, Lady Gaga, Metronomy, Royal Blood, We Have Band, The Maccabees, Japanese Popstars and Tame Impala, receiving copious accolades including being crowned Best Director at the UK Music Video Awards and a Grammy nomination in 2015 for his video for Arcade Fire, ‘We Exist’. He was one of the flagship directors of Colonel Blimp production company, a Blink segment specially dedicated to highly creative music video projects.
He’s most well know for his music video work, but his output spans various mediums including commercials and even VR installations. He takes great enjoyment from crossing disciplines between animation and live action, often combining the two to create something totally unique. Along with directing, he also regularly VJs with his home-made visuals at clubs and music festivals.
He is also known for his innovative personal projects. In December 2012 he for instance created a unique personal project called Alternative Advent where he released a marathon 25 new films in 25 days, all soundtracked by exclusive tracks from a jukebox of musical artists including Metronomy, Les Savy Fav, Battles, Caribou, Van She, Woodkid, Jon Hopkins and Spiritualized.
David doesn’t shy away of making bold statements with his works, such as the Race For Life – Cancer Slam ad, or the What Are Girls Made Of campaign for Nike in which he discusses feminine mass media representations. His efforts for the latter even landed him a Cannes Gold Lion.