Lawrence Jacomelli

Jacomelli directed his first television commercial in 2002, an IKEA spot that received a Cannes Lions shortlist nomination and a bronze Epica Award.^[1][2] His breakthrough came in 2004 with Precious, a Lord of the Rings parody for Pot Noodle that he wrote, produced and directed. The spot earned him Best Director at the Viral Awards in London and New York and led to a shortlist nomination for the CFP-E Young Director Award at Cannes Lions. His commercial work includes campaigns for brands such as British Airways, Pepsi, Persil, Toyota, Chevrolet, Lexus, Orange, T-Mobile, Tuborg, Carlsberg, Vanity Fair, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Swatch.^[2]

In 2014, Jacomelli and creative director Victoria Taylor co-founded Beast Films, a production company and creative agency based in Haggerston, London.^[3] The company became known for cinematic commercial storytelling, producing award-winning work for clients including Cambridge Audio, Burger King, Goodman Masson, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Herbalife and Voltaren. In 2019, Jacomelli directed a commercial for Simba Sleep as part of the brand's Try for 8 campaign promoting rest and recovery ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, featuring Saracens F.C. and England captain Maro Itoje.^[4][5]

In 2023, Jacomelli and Taylor founded Fastback Films, a sister company to Beast dedicated to long-form narrative production.^[6][7] Its first project was Blood Star, Jacomelli's feature debut as writer, producer and director, filmed over ten days in the California desert, starring John Schwab and Britni Camacho.^[8][9][10]