Blink (production Company)
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Blink is a British development studio and
production company A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...
. They make TV series, commercials, music videos, short films, branded content and video games. The company structure comprises Blink Industries (TV & Film), Blinkink (commercials & music videos with a focus on mixed media/animation), Blink Productions (commercials & music videos with a focus on live action) and Blink Games (video game development). The group operates from 3 studio locations in London.


Overview

Blink is known for discovering and developing new creative talent. Having started out as a TV commercial production company, Blink has evolved into one of the UK's rising independent entertainment studios with several completed productions and a slate of original IPs in development. Their roster of directorial talent is drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds, whose work incorporates a variety of film crafts, including live-action, stop motion, puppetry, 2D animation and CGI.


Blink Industries

Blink Industries was founded in 2012 by James Stevenson Bretton to focus on long form development for TV and Film. They are best known for the series ''
Don't Hug Me I'm Scared ''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'' (''DHMIS'') is a British surrealist adult puppet musical horror comedy web series created by Becky Sloan and Joe Pelling. The series is notable for its blending of surrealism and morbid humour with horror and musi ...
'' created by Becky Sloan, Joe Pelling and Baker Terry. After building an audience as a
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
series running from 2011-2018,  where it has reached over 300 million views and 3.3 million subscribers on the platform, it was developed into 6 x 22 minute episodes for Channel 4 with support from the
BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, d ...
's Young Audiences Content Fund and aired in Autumn 2022. ''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'' was awarded the BAFTA for Outstanding Production Design at the 2023
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
Craft Awards. Their other major series to date is '' Dead End: Paranormal Park'', created by Hamish Steele. It was developed from Steele's original graphic novel series “Deadendia” into 20 x 22 minute episodes for
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
. Season 1 was released in the summer of 2022 and Season 2 was released soon after in the autumn. Other notable work includes: "All Through The House", an episode in season 2 of Tim Miller & David Fincher's animated anthology series, ' Love, Death + Robots' (Netflix 2021). Directed by Elliot Dear]. 'All Through The House' was awarded an Emmy Awards, Emmy for Best Character Animation in 2022. 'Enkai', an episode of Triggerfish Studios' Afro-futurist animation anthology ' Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire' (Disney+ 2021). Directed by Ng'endo Mukii. Executive Produced by Peter Ramsey. 'Peter & The Wolf', a half hour special made in collaboration with
BMG BMG may refer to: Organizations Music publishing companies * Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 ** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that was pur ...
for
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
&
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
, with international distribution through
BBC Studios BBC Studios Limited is a British content company. It is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC that was formed in April 2018 through the merger of the BBC's commercial production arm and the BBC's commercial international distribution arm, BBC Wor ...
. It was developed from the 2003 album & book by
Gavin Friday Gavin Friday (born Fionán Martin Hanvey, 8 October 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter, composer, actor and painter, best known as a founding member of the post-punk group The Virgin Prunes. Early life Fionan Hanvey was born in Dublin an ...
and
Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...
, who also served as Executive Producers. Directed by Elliot Dear & Stephen McNally and produced by Adriana Piasek Wanski. Proceeds of the film will go to support the Irish Hospice Foundation, as with the original book and album release. Blink Industries are currently in production on 'The Sunnyridge 3' a 20 x 22 minute episode original series for
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
. Created and directed by Stevie Gee & Essy May. In 2012, Blink Industries produced a mini series for
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
entitled 'The Grumpy King'. Written and directed by Jonny Sabbagh and Will Harper, it was nominated for a BAFTA in 2012. In 2019, Blink Industries produced 'Get Real Dude' a sketch show pilot written by and starring
Edinburgh Comedy Award The Edinburgh Comedy Awards (formerly the Perrier Comedy Awards, and also briefly known by other names for sponsorship reasons) are presented to the comedy shows deemed to have been the best at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Establ ...
2022 winner Sam Campbell for
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
. It was directed by Joe Pelling.


Blinkink

Blinkink was founded by Bart Yates in 2005 to specialise in animation and mixed-media filmmaking, predominantly for commercials, music videos and broadcast promos. Their projects often make use of a combination of analogue and digital animation techniques, with a focus on unusual characters and comedic storytelling. They have been the recipients of several advertising industry awards including D&AD (Design & Art Direction) Pencils,
British Television Advertising Awards The British Arrows (formerly the British Television Advertising Awards (BTAA)) is an advertising awards body in London, which honours the best moving image advertising in the UK. Founded in 1976, the British Arrows awards advertising agencies and ...
and the Cannes Lions Festival Of Creativity Grand Prix. Blinkink are active in the UK music industry and have made videos with artists including
Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Lipa worked as a model before v ...
,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
,
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
,
Ashnikko Ashton Nicole Casey (born February 19, 1996), known professionally as Ashnikko ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Her 2019 single "Stupid (Ashnikko song), Stupid" featuring Yung Baby Tate gained viral popularity on the video-sha ...
,
Jon Hopkins Jonathan Julian Hopkins (born 15 August 1979) is an English musician and producer who writes and performs electronic music. He began his career playing keyboards for Imogen Heap, and has produced but also contributed to albums by Brian Eno, Co ...
&
Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...
.   Notable projects include: 'The Bear & The Hare' for British department store chain
John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
, in their popular series of Christmas commercials. Directed by Elliot Dear. The character animation was led by former Disney animation supervisor Aaron Blaise and featured a
Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...
re-recording of the Keane ballad '
Somewhere Only We Know "Somewhere Only We Know" is a song composed and performed by English alternative rock band Keane, officially released as the first single from their debut album, '' Hopes and Fears'' (2004). The single peaked at number three on the UK Single ...
' which went on to become a commercial radio success.
Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols Group Limited ( trading as Harvey Nichols) is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831 by Benjamin Harvey; it is headquartered at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections ...
'The Shoplifters' commercial. Directed by Paul Layzell. The commercial won the Film Grand Prix at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in 2016 and was featured during the third act of the
Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...
film '
T2 Trainspotting ''T2 Trainspotting'' is a 2017 British black comedy-drama film directed by Danny Boyle and written by John Hodge. Set in and around Edinburgh, Scotland, it is based on characters created by Irvine Welsh in his 1993 novel '' Trainspotting'' and ...
'. 'The Writing On The Wall' is a music video directed by Nicos Livesey in 2022 for
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
. The story was written by vocalist
Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Dickinson has performed in the band across two stints, from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to the present d ...
and former
Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
animators Mark Andrews and Andrew Gordon contributed as creative directors. The video was incorporated within the concert visuals of Iron Maiden's ' The Future Past' world tour in 2023. 'The Return Of Volvy' is a showcase video made for publisher
Devolver Digital Devolver Digital, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Austin, Texas, specializing in the publishing of indie games. The company was founded in June 2009 by Nigel Lowrie, Harry Miller, Graeme Struthers, Rick Stults, and Mike Wil ...
's presentation at
Summer Game Fest Summer Game Fest is a live video game event organized and hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley. The event takes place annually over multiple live streams during the North American summer period, the most notable of which is the "main show ...
2023. The story follows the rise, fall and reinvention of a fictitious 90s video game mascot, a vole called 'Volvy'. 'Tumbleweed' is a branded short film created for
Peak Games Peak Games is a mobile gaming company based in Istanbul, Turkey. The privately held company was acquired by Zynga in June 2020 for $1.8 billion. The company launched the games ''Toy Blast'' in 2015 and ''Toon Blast'' in 2017, both collectively hav ...
' 'Toon Blast' series of mobile games. The 3 minute animated short features the game mascots Bruno, Cooper & Wally. It was directed by Louis Clichy and to date has been viewed 154 million times on YouTube. '
Club Future Nostalgia ''Club Future Nostalgia'' is a remix album by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa and American DJ the Blessed Madonna. A DJ mix edition of it was released on 28 August 2020, with the standard edition following on 11 September of the same y ...
' Mixtape, a visualiser for
Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Lipa worked as a model before v ...
's 2021 remix album by the
Blessed Madonna Marea Renee Stamper (born October 22, 1977), better known by her stage name the Blessed Madonna (formerly the Black Madonna), is an American DJ, producer and musician. ''Mixmag'' named her the DJ of the year in 2016. She founded her own record l ...
. It was directed by James Papper, featuring contributions from artistic collaborators including Ignasi Monreal, Jonathan Zwada,
Missy Elliot Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the R&B girl group Sista during the 1990s, who were part ...
,
Hot Chip Hot Chip is an English synth-pop band formed in London in 2000. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard (musician), Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former memb ...
, Mmoodyman and
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
. ' Cold Heart' (Pnau Remix). Music video for the
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
&
Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Lipa worked as a model before v ...
duet, directed by Raman Djafari. The video has garnered over 475 million views on YouTube and was incorporated into
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
's concert visuals for the '
Farewell Yellow Brick Road Farewell Yellow Brick Road was the forty-ninth concert tour by English musician Elton John. It began in Allentown, Pennsylvania, US, on 8 September 2018, and ended in Stockholm, Sweden, on 8 July 2023. It consisted of 330 concerts worldwide. Th ...
' tour, which included his Pyramid stage headline set at the 2023
Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...
.


Blink Productions

Blink Productions was founded in 1985 by producer James Studholme and director Bob Lawrie, originally with a reputation of being a “quirky, small animation shop” before they reinvented the company as a live action commercials operation during the first half of the 1990's. Michelle Jaffe joined the company in 1991 as a live action producer and became a partner in 1997, with responsibility for operations and production. Lawrie left the company in 1999 while Studholme went on to lead the company through its expansion and evolution over the subsequent decades. Blink has represented many of the industry's renowned directors, often during the breakthrough stage of their career, some of whom have also progressed into successful film and television careers as well. Examples include
Dougal Wilson Dougal Stewart Wilson (born August 1971) is an English director of commercials, music videos and films. His work includes directing several John Lewis Christmas adverts and the Grammy-nominated music video for "Life in Technicolor II" (2009) by ...
, Nick Ball, Ivan Zacharius, Tom Kingsley,
Aoife McArdle Aoife McArdle ( ) is an Irish writer, director, and cinematographer working across film, television drama, music videos and commercials. She has received an IFTA Rising Star Award, a WFTV Best Director Award as well as Directors Guild of America ...
,
Ben Wheatley Ben Wheatley (born 1972) is an English filmmaker, film editor, and animator. Beginning his career in advertising, Wheatley first gained recognition and acclaim for his commercials and short films, before transitioning into feature films and tele ...
, Andreas Nilsson, David Wilson, Pedro Martin Calero, Mark Denton, Blue Source, Juan Cabral,
Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptised 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics"——— or ...
, Benito Montorio, Tom Tagholm, and Chris Sweeney. During the 2000's, Blink Productions provided the foundation to launch a number of specialised sub-divisions in addition to Blinkink and Blink Industries. These included Major Tom (music for film & tv), Colonel Blimp (music videos), Blink Art (illustration & photography) and White Lodge (fashion film). Blink Productions has remained the group's live-action commercial focused division throughout its history. Blink's peers within the advertising industry have credited the company's success to a "clever diversity of a brand giving it greater longevity and taking full advantage of an expanding marketplace". Paul Weston joined the group as Executive Producer of Colonel Blimp in 2013. Colonel Blimp merged into Blink Productions in 2017 and Weston became the Managing Director of Blink Productions in 2022. Blink have made commercials for major brands including
Ikea IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services. IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...
,
Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...
,
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
,
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
,
Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. ...
,
John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
,
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
,
Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols Group Limited ( trading as Harvey Nichols) is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831 by Benjamin Harvey; it is headquartered at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections ...
,
giffgaff Giffgaff Limited is an MVNO, marketed as a budget service provider and flanker brand of Telefónica UK (trading as O2 UK). The stylised 'giffgaff' brand was founded by Gav Thompson a former marketing executive for Telefónica UK and was lau ...
,
Fifa The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
and
Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...
. Blink / Colonel Blimp have produced music videos for artists including
Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...
,
The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...
,
Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Lipa worked as a model before v ...
, Sad Night Dynamite,
Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...
,
Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...
Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...
,
Rag'n'Bone Man Rory Charles Graham (born 29 January 1985), known professionally as Rag'n'Bone Man, is an English singer. He is known for his deep baritone voice. His first hit single, "Human", was released in 2016, and his first album ''Human'' was released ...
,
The Streets The Streets is an English musical project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner (musician), Mike Skinner. The project was founded in the early 90s, while Skinner was still a teenager; however, no music would formally eventuat ...
,
Bree Runway Brenda Wireko Mensah (born 18 November 1992), known professionally as Bree Runway, is a British singer and rapper. She signed to EMI Records (former) in 2018 and subsequently released her first commercial EP '' Be Runway'' (2019), followed by he ...
,
George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...
, U2,
Tinie Tempah Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu (born 7 November 1988), better known by his stage name Tinie (formerly Tinie Tempah), is a British rapper and singer. He has been signed to Parlophone since 2009, now a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his ...
, The Maccabees,
Bat For Lashes Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released six studio albums: '' Fur and Gold'' (2006), ''Two Suns'' (2009), '' The Haunt ...
, and
Declan McKenna Declan Benedict McKenna (born 24 December 1998) is an English singer-songwriter. He initially gained recognition for winning the Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition in 2015. McKenna self-released the song "Brazil (Declan McKenna s ...
. Blink Productions has been the recipient of numerous industry accolades. It was named the UK's "Production Company of the Year" by ''Campaign'' in 1996, 2011 and 2012, by Televisual Magazine in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 and at the British Arrow Awards in 2013 and 2015. Blink has also been the recipient of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity Grand Prix in 2008, 2015, and 2016. Notable Projects include: "
We're the Superhumans ''We're the Superhumans'' is a television advert which was produced by Channel 4 to promote its broadcast of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. Serving as a follow-up to '' Meet the Superhumans'' (which was used to promote the 2012 ...
" for
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
's
Rio Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, f ...
coverage in 2016. Directed by
Dougal Wilson Dougal Stewart Wilson (born August 1971) is an English director of commercials, music videos and films. His work includes directing several John Lewis Christmas adverts and the Grammy-nominated music video for "Life in Technicolor II" (2009) by ...
, the ad was launched in 2016 as part of the channel's Year of Disability and features a cast of more than 140 people with disabilities. It won the Film Grand Prix at the 2017 Cannes Lion Festival. Blink has produced several of the popular John Lewis Christmas commercial series - these were directed by
Dougal Wilson Dougal Stewart Wilson (born August 1971) is an English director of commercials, music videos and films. His work includes directing several John Lewis Christmas adverts and the Grammy-nominated music video for "Life in Technicolor II" (2009) by ...
and soundtracked by cover versions of famous songs by contemporary musical artists. Released in 2011, 'The Long Wait' featured a cover of
The Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...
' '' Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want'' by
Slow Moving Millie Amelia Warner (born Amelia Catherine Bennett; 4 June 1982), also known by her stage name Slow Moving Millie, is an English musician, composer, and former actress. Early life Warner was born Amelia Catherine Bennett in Birkenhead, Merseyside, t ...
. Wilson went on to direct 'The Journey]' (2012), ' Monty's Christmas', (2014)  'Buster The Boxer' (2016) and 'Excitable Edgar' (2019).
The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...
' Secrets' Music video. Directed by Pedro Martin Calero, the video was filmed against the Brutalist architecture of the University of Toronto Scarborough and the Toronto Reference Library. Featuring fellow Canadian singer,
Black Atlass Alexander Fleming (born March 19, 1994), professionally known as Black Atlass, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and model. His song, Paris, debuted in a Louis Vuitton campaign, and was also featured in a Saint Laurent fragrance ad. He was previou ...
, the music video has culminated 205 million views on YouTube to date. '
Gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...
', a commercial directed by Juan Cabral for
Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. ...
. The advert first aired in 2007 and features an actor in a gorilla costume drumming to '
In the Air Tonight "In the Air Tonight" is the debut solo single by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released as the lead single from Collins's debut solo album, ''Face Value (album), Face Value'', in January 1981. It was selected as the s ...
' by
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
. 'Gorilla' was voted
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
's favourite TV advert of 2007 and 5th best advert of the decade in an online poll by tellyads.com. It also won numerous top advertising industry awards, such as the Film Grand Prix Lion at the
Cannes Lions The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (formerly the International Advertising Festival) is a global event for those working in creative communications, advertising, and related fields. It is considered the largest gathering of the ...
2008, Gold at the
British Television Advertising Awards The British Arrows (formerly the British Television Advertising Awards (BTAA)) is an advertising awards body in London, which honours the best moving image advertising in the UK. Founded in 1976, the British Arrows awards advertising agencies and ...
in 2008, and Black and Yellow Pencils at the
D&AD Design and Art Direction (D&AD), formerly known as British Design and Art Direction, is a British educational organisation that was created in 1962 to promote excellence in design and advertising. Its main offices are in Spitalfields in London. ...
Awards 2008.


References


External links

* http://www.blinkprods.com * http://www.blinkink.co.uk * https://www.blinkindustries.tv/ {{Authority control Film production companies of the United Kingdom