lots of food and a bit of culture

We're writing this after our fantastic first Directors Lunch of 2014. We had a brilliant time at The York & Albany but more on that later... 

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We'll pick up from where we left off in the last blog post. We were talking about Klaus Thymann teaming up with BBH London to shoot a short film on Brazil's street kids. 

Well the film went live last week and has already racked up over 4000 youtube views.

The film is part of the joint initiative with BBH and The International Exchange (TIE) 'A leadership development programme that combines the expertise of corporate communications and the needs of NGO's to create positive sustainable change'. In this case it was for Ruas E Praças. 

If you're interested in helping out you can visit their website and get involved. 

You can read the official press release HERE

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Andy Morahan spent last Sunday filming Benjamin Britten's 'Peter Grimes' live from the London Coliseum to over 200 cinema screens nation wide. 

Lucky audience members got the chance to see the whole production from different cinemas across the UK. 

Have a read of the review on the ENO website

Did you see it? if YES let us know what you thought on twitter or in a comment on this post.  

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We finished off the week with a lovely get-together at the York & Albany at the top of Parkway in Camden. 

We like to get a group of our directors together with producers and creatives from advertising agencies for good food and great company a few times a year, and this thursday was our first one of 2014. 

Hendricks & cucumber 

Andy Morahan & Michelle from Leo Burnett's 

There was lots of great food and plenty of 'try this!' and 'shall we share?' going on 

chilli salami and olive pizza 

herb crusted cornish cod with leeks and a shellfish bisque 

The York & Albany burger 

Classic Caesar salad 

We spent the afternoon catching up with old friends, meeting new ones and laughing. a lot. 

the team photo. 

Thanks to all who came - we're looking forward to the next one!

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Up and coming things to look out for from the Gunners is a new spot for The Fabelists that Olivier Venturini shot a few weeks ago. It's currently in post-production so watch this space for updates on that very soon! 

Just to tick you over until its release, here's a behind the scenes picture from the shoot. 

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We realise this post has been very food-indulgent so we might as well stick to the foodie theme. We've got a brilliant pub to recommend for one of the best roasts going. 

It's actually apparently not raining in London all weekend - which at the moment is a bit of a miracle. 

Get yourself out of bed and cure that foggy Sunday head with lunch at The Princess of Shoreditch. 

photo credit

nestled on the corner of Paul Street just off from Hoxton Square and a stones throw from the City and Old Street, the pub boasts both a lively downstairs bar and a more relaxed upstairs eatery. Despite being over 200 years old it manages to escape that old man pub feel, while keeping it cosy. 

Gloriously simple british pub food at its best. 

Try booking a table downstairs as there's a bit more atmosphere, and definitely make a reservation and it gets busy. 

You can find all the info you need HERE.

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We've gone a bit old school in the London office today and have had Billy Joel blasting out all day so our weekend tune has to be Everybody Loves You Now

Happy weekend folks! 

The Gunners x 

love to love you

We thought we'd kick off this blog post in true Valentine style with Donna Summer and 'Love to Love You'. You might remember we blogged about this last year when Remo Camerota had just directed the spot. 

Well it's just been named as one of the best visual artist-directed music videos of all time! 

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A more unconventional take on the usual V-day message is Calum Macdiarmid's new short film / music video for new London band Three Laws. Liquid Spirit features a beautiful invisible woman who haunts an elderly church caretaker. 

The film is a twist on the traditional horror format, and plays on the fact that not all spirits are frightening. It was shot on Red Epic over two days on location in a North London church and a green screen studio. 

You can watch the film HERE

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Klaus Thymann has had a very busy few months. He's been filming a short documentary on Recife's street kids. The film goes live on the 17th Feb after an in-house launch at BBH today (check twitter for a live update from the Gunners at BBH at around 5pm) 

We can't give much more away just yet, but follow us on twitter / Facebook and look out for the release on Monday! 

Klaus has also just been featured in Creative Review for his photos documenting a whole town. 

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In other news... we sent Andy Morahan off to LA and Vegas to shoot a commercial for Virgin's new casino venture. 

'Virgins Welcome' was commissioned by Beta London and uses Andy's iconic Rock & Roll style to bring this spot to life. 

You can watch it HERE

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We're going to try and start including a favourite restaurant / cafe / place / thing to see in each post from now on. Seeing as the Gunners are all over the world, we're hoping we can start sharing things from our travels! 

This week we've got a suggestion from EP Jane Gershfield who recently popped across the pond to New York. 

She's declared KeKo Café on 121 Madison Avenue as her new go-to place for coffee, tea or brunch. 

Jane recommends their Tunisian Breakfasts & to drop in for a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon to sample their amazing cakes. 

Maybe if you're in The City for V-day you can treat your other half. 

p.s. if you've got any great suggestions of places to go and things to eat then let us know via a comment on this post! 

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Now to get your Valentines off to a smooth start, whether you're out with your partner or off to party with the singles... put this on and start your weekend the right way.

The Gunners x  

beat those january blues

Everyone knows that post all that festive fun January feels like a long, dark, cold month, with not a lot to look forward to. It seems like everyone just wants to just get it out the way as fast as possible. Well we don't believe in blue January's at Great Guns, and even if you're a firm believer in them, we hope this post will sway you (even if it's only for 5 minutes). 

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Just before the winter break Gunner Shearer jetted off to LA to team up state-side with Gunner Vincent Laforet to shoot a spot for Nike's new Flyknit footwear. The commercial features some of the greatest athletes on the planet right now: basketball all-star Kobe Bryant, Olympic Gold Medalist Allyson Felix, decathlon world record holder Ashton Eaton, American Footbal cornerback with the Seattle Seahawks Richard Sherman and world champion distance runner Mo Farah. 

This team of world class athletes were filmed training in their Nike Flyknits. The end result is a mix of stunning visuals backed by an awesome track. 

To really capture the tempo and pace at which these athletes train at, the film was shot using a Red Epic and Phantom camera, on a combination of tracking vehicles, Movi and Steadicam rigs. 

The spot 'Light. Strong. Nike Flyknit' was released globally this week, and you can watch it HERE. 

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Moving closer to home, this week also saw the release of 'The Chase' a new spot for KitKat shot by Gunner Ron Scalpello. 

Teaming up with JWT London, Scalpello Takes a Break from his movie to  create this fast-paced car chase which comes to an abrupt halt when they pause to have a KitKat.

The humorous spot is a great come back for KitKat after their 4 year TV hiatus. You can watch the spot HERE (warning: may cause sudden urge for chocolate) 

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Calum Macdiarmid's epic for Russian Standard Vodka is still being spoken about this January, with a new feature in LBB - you can read back through the blog to find out more about this commercial, but we thought we'd share some shots from the shoot with you here. 

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To really beat those Jan Blues we'll leave you with some of our favourite weekend suggestions. 

First up is the Wallace Collection. A firm favourite with Gunner Laura Gregory, her top tip is: go and see the erotic statues & have a cup of coffee in the café... its free and genius. 

Click here for their top 10 things to do while there. They're open from 10-5 all week and you can find them here.

What better way to spend a grey saturday in London than wandering through one of the city's free museums! 

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Jump across the pond to Shanghai, where Gunner Janene Fitzgerald has shared her go to eatery in the city.  

Lost Heaven prides itself on serving traditional food, prepared using unique ingredients and cooked by the best Yunnan chefs. 

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Our January has flown by and we can't believe it's almost February. We're kicking off the new month with Personal Training sessions at GG HQ in London. 2 or 3 times a week Laura Gregory's PT is coming in to the office bright and early to kick us into gear (and get us working on our Cannes Beach Bodies!) Watch this space for updates on this. 

If you're still feeling blue... CLICK HERE & turn up the volume! 

If that's not enough to get you dancing round the office on a Friday we don't know what is ;-) 

Have a great weekend! 

The Gunners x 

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pictures from:

http://www.lostheaven.com.cn/ 

http://www.wallacecollection.org

we couldn't resist… The Gunners Christmas Gift List!

We know, we know… We ended the last post with dramatic festive flair and promises of no more posts until early 2014… but since then we've found some gorgeous gifts & some winter warming tipples that we just HAVE to share…(it would be rude not to!) 

Lets start with gifts first - if you're like us the thought of attempting to navigate through hoards of people to do your christmas shopping is just not an option. Most of us at GG HQ have decided that online is definitely the best way to shop. Sitting on the sofa, leisurely scrolling through various online sites and then just having to click 'buy now'. Which is why our Gunners Christmas Gift List is all online. 

GG Director Olly Blackburn's brother has just launched 'The Artful Project'. A new online gallery and photography space where you can find beautiful high quality photos and prints.

This one is 128 Yards #12 by Armando Ferrari. 

The Artful Project is all about inspiring a new culture of art collecting by offering extraordinary pieces at affordable prices. The project champions the 'art for everyone' ethos; turning exhibitions into creative events and supporting new talent. 

So for a truly unique christmas gift for that special someone, treat them to something from The Artful Project. 

Gunner Laura Gregory is saving for this gorgeous piece. (Threshold Part. 1 #13 by Julian Hibbard). 

If framed art is not your thing and you want something a bit different for a loved one, you have to check out designer Solange Azagury-Partridge's designs. The London based jewellery designer is famed for creating gorgeous statement pieces. Our favourite is the Hot Lips lacquered sterling silver ring. 

At £990 it really is an investment piece but one we'd totally plump for. Team it with a gorgeous LBD - perfect for Christmas Day. 

We love this stoned perfume as well 

and for something totally out there invest in the ball crusher lamp!

For the little nippers in your life it has to be something from The Fabelists. Matt Cooper from LBBonline teamed up with Brothers & Sisters and the Mill to launch this super-cool ethical and sustainable clothing line for kids. (We're currently working on a film project for them with our director Olivier Venturini) 

Their current line includes gorgeous dresses and skirts for girls, lovely quality jeans and jackets for boys, and our favourites - the unisex t-shirts. The Fabelists collaborated with some great artists including Gregori Saavedra, Anthony Peters and Crispin Finn to create some truly unique designs. 

There are loads of different designs and items to choose from and the best thing about it is you can order with a clean conscience! 

(you've got to be quick - december 18th is the final day for standard UK mainland deliveries but you can order up until the 20th december to get next day deliver in time for Christmas.) 

Whatever you decide to buy, make sure you include a goat, a toilet or even a few mosquito nets! Oxfam Unwrapped gives you the chance to buy all sorts of gifts starting at £5 that help others around the world. There's nothing better than spreading a bit of festive cheer! 

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Now after all that internet shopping you deserve to kick back and relax with something special. Here are our 3 favourite Christmas tipples. Perfect for that party you're planning, a lazy evening in, or simply because you want to… it is Christmas after all! 

The first is Christmas Southside 

For 1 drink you will need: 35ml of gin, 15ml sugar syrup, 25ml fresh lemon juice, 8 fresh mint leaves, 10 frozen cranberries & 25ml cranberry juice. Add everything except cranberry juice to a tall glass and mix with crushed ice. Float the cranberry juice on top and add a sprig of mint. 

For something a bit more warming, perfect for those evenings spent in front of the fire, try a Hot Roots. 

For 1 drink you will need: 50ml of Kamm & Sons, 150ml cloudy apple juice, 2 teaspoons of orgeat syrup and 1 slice of fresh ginger. Crush the ginger in a pan, then warm all the ingredients together in the pan and strain into a heatproof glass. 

Finally the perfect party drink - Very Berry. 

You will need 25ml of Chambord black raspberry liqueur, 125ml of cabernet sauvignon, 25ml of fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of caster sugar and 3 raspberries. Crush the raspberries in a glass with the sugar and add the wine, Chambord and lemon juice. Top up the glass with boiling water then float a small slice of lemon studded with 3 cloves on top.   

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Have a fantastic break & look out for a new year post in early 2014! 

Love, The Gunners x 

a festive farewell… (updated)

(well farewell until 2014)… 

With the end of the working year in sight we're winding down with one final blog post for 2013. 

To kick this post off we're so excited to announce that Timothy Allen has just been awarded Travel Photographer of the Year 2013! His beautiful B&W images of the mud mosque replastering festival, and Dogon life in Mali along with his studies of individuals in Wales and Bhutan scooped the contest's highest award. 

If you'd like to read more about it and see more of Tim's amazing photographs you can click here 

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GG director Shearer has just shot this spot for Nike for the new Ordem football. In the film Rooney and McIlroy exchange impressive shots over the course of 18 holes - with Wayne using the new Ordem football. 

In the playful spot Rooney surprises McIlroy at the first tee by bringing out the new Ordem ball, which is inspired by the golf ball design. The film has amassed over 1.6 millions hits since its release less than 2 weeks ago. You can watch the film on youtube.

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As far as awards go we're excited to say we've won Mobile Campaign of the Year at the Shots Awards for Nike Hypershield.

Here it is looking lovely in our Camden office (next to our Gold LIA)! 
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LA based GG director Remo Camerota who signed with Great Guns earlier this year has ended 2013 on a high, he's just been commissioned by Verve Music Group to direct a music video to celebrate legendary disco diva Donna Summer's new album. 

With Remo's experience in modern street art, his aim was to create an art piece that could be painted on walls, put into animation or made into t-shirts and posters - basically something that could be used anywhere. 

The project was overseen by Randi Wilens who represents Great Guns in the USA for music videos and it proved so successful that the record label specially requested Remo to design the poster image from the animation elements of the promo.  

You can check it out here

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GG director Klaus Thymann has just come back from Brazil where he's been working on an exciting new project (keep an eye out for it in early 2014). He has also just had Project Pressure featured in The World Photography Organisation's magazine.

If you haven't already heard about Project Pressure you can read about it here and watch a film on it at the end of the feature. (pages 60 to 67)  

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Our EP Jane has nipped off to Courchevel to judge at the Cristal Festival. We're only a little bit jealous… just look at that view! 

UPDATE!! We are proud and very excited to announce that we won a Silver Cristal for Calum Macdiarmid's THE FARM book trailer for Tom Rob Smith's new book The Farm, along with the GRAND CRISTAL for Ilya Naishuller's Bad Motherfucker! 

Here's the silver cristal award next to our Gold Ciclope's award for Bad Motherfucker. (GRAND CRISTAL has yet to arrive so we will post a picture when we receive it) 

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And as you all know by now we like to round up our updates with a bit of fun & thats exactly what we got up to at our Christmas party last week. 

We had a lovely 3 course meal at The Prince Albert (our favourite Camden pub). It was an afternoon filled with food, laughter and wine and the perfect start to Christmas! 

(confession: this photo was from last year as we all forgot our cameras!) 

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and check back in 2014 for more Gunner's news and updates!