spring has sprung!

London finally seems to be heating up (having said that it has just hailed in Camden and it's now raining) However, there is blossom on the trees, the sun has been shining and people are starting to sit outside with their morning coffees - the clocks even spring forward this sunday (see what we did there?) We think there's no better way to start a new post than with good news...

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We're excited to announce that we've just signed one of New York's emerging beauty director's Austin Lynn Austin. His portfolio is charged with stunning imagery and energy. With an extensive visual range which is graceful, elegant, avant-garde and dynamic. 

You can read the full press release HERE and watch his showreel HERE 

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In other news Ron Scalpello is just putting the finishing touches to his new feature film Pressure. 

He talks all about it over on David Reviews and you can read the full interview on our news page right HERE. Keep a look out here for release dates etc! 

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We have some new work out as well. Doug Keeve has just shot a new short titled 'The Fight' in collaboration with Victoria Bartlett of NY fashion label VPL and legendary fashion writer and New York Bon Vivant, Glenn O'Brien. 

The brand's stylish active wear-inspired clothing is showcased by Belgian model Hannelore Knuts who comes to blows with boxer Kwame Davis, over the course of an unpredictable boxing match between the sexes. You can watch the film HERE

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Moving on from new signings and work - last week Gunners Jane and Elise stepped in for Ilya Naishuller at the Creative Circle awards at the Roundhouse in Camden (he's currently finishing his first feature film). Ilya was up for Best Direction and he took home GOLD on the night!

(apologies for all the overly pink photos - it was VERY pink!)

arriving on the pink carpet! 

We ate watermelon, parma ham and cream with baby leaves. Followed by lamb shank with mashed potatoes and veggies

and topped off with a huge selection of desserts. Strawberry & cream macaroons, tiramisu chocolate pots, mini treacle tarts and a lemony mousse with lavender biscuits. 

A huge congratulations to Ilya for another win! The rest of the evening descended into a dance off with Eliza Doolittle so the photos end here! It was a fantastic night - thanks Creative Circle. 

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To tie it all up here's our weekend restaurant suggestion. If you're in NYC this weekend you have to check this place out. Tucked away in a little corner of Soho Back Forty West is an effortlessly cool bar / restaurant with great food and drinks to boot. 

We highly recommend the Damson Gin & Tonic 

 

It's a great little spot to dive into when you've had enough of shopping or the cold (it's still freezing there!)

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Enjoy the rest of the week & look out for a new post soon. 

The Gunners x 

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