Lanre Danmola

Unaffiliated

What was your first professionally directed work and when was it?
My first professionally directed work was the McDonald’s Fan Truth Highlight Reel in November 2022. A series of digital ads highlighting various relatable experiences associated with eating and ordering McDonald’s.

How did you get into directing?
For me, directing began as a pandemic hobby that accidentally blossomed into a career. I bought a Canon M50 camera with my stimulus check in 2020 and was immediately obsessed. I began filming anything I could from my mother cooking breakfast to my friends skateboarding in town. I taught myself VFX editing to get into music videos and eventually I got the attention of some producers at Widen+Kennedy. I joined on a 1-month contract without knowing anything about the company or the advertising industry. I worked there for two years as a creative and in-house director. This gave me the confidence and network to begin freelance directing in the summer of 2023.

What is your most recent project?
My most recent project is a branded music video called “Sunny D” by the artists Emei and Whethan. The music video doubled as an ad for Sunny D marrying my two passions of music video and commercial directing. It was a fun experience and I hope I get to direct more work like this in the future.

What is the best part of being a director?
Directors have the best job on Earth, I still don’t understand how it’s a real thing. So you’re telling me I get to come up with crazy ideas and get paid to bring them to life? As someone whose imagination has only grown since childhood, it’s the perfect outlet for my overactive mind!

What is the worst part of being a director?
Building a freelance directing career from nothing been the scariest, yet most rewarding experience of my life. Everyday comes with uncertainty, rejection, financial struggles and a whole lot of second-guessing. It’s taught me to be incredibly resilient. I still have so far to go and I know the toughest part have yet to come, but the only thing scarier than this journey is the thought of giving up and living with regret.

What is your current career focus: commercials and branded content, television, movies? Do you plan to specialize in a particular genre–comedy, drama, visual effects, etc.?
I am currently focused on commercials, but I love the speed, variety and creativity of anything short form. I’m building my portfolio to specialize visual effects. Growing up I viewed film as one big magic trick. My dream is to invent a new technique that leads people to hit pause and question “how did they do that?” Eventually I’d love to bring these skills to television and movies.

Have you a mentor and if so, who is that person (or persons) and what has been the lesson learned from that mentoring which resonates with you?
I don’t have a specific mentor, but I’m lucky to have made many friends in this industry who have been a part of my journey behind the scenes. I used to be very insecure about being self-taught, but learning their stories has taught me that everyone’s path is different. The most important thing I can do is run my own race and it’s worked out for me so far!

Who is your favorite director and why?
I really look up to Dave Meyers. Given the struggling state of the music video industry, his ability to continuously push boundaries is so vital to keeping the art form alive. I can’t imagine anyone has a career more fun than his. I’d love to build a portfolio that allows me to cement myself in culture like he has.

What is your favorite movie? Your favorite television/online program? Your favorite commercial or branded content?
My favorite movie is Kill Bill: Volume 1, my favorite TV show is Game of Thrones and my favorite commercial is the Nike “Write The Future” ad for the 2010 World Cup.

Tell us about your background (i.e., where did you grow up? Past jobs?)
I am a first generation Nigerian-American from South Orange, NJ. I studied mechanical engineering at Duke University and worked in tech for two years before I pivoted to creative work. My first creative role was with Wieden+Kennedy NYC where I worked at their social media subagency, Bodega. There, I primarily worked as an in-house director, but had the opportunity to produce, copy write and art direct for a variety of campaigns. I then began freelancing and have worked with many companies since. Most recently, I worked with Coinbase as a creative director to launch their new social video content strategy.

Have you had occasion to bring your storytelling/directorial talent to bear in the Metaverse, tapping into the potential of AR, VR, AI, NFTs and/or experiential fare? If so, tell us about that work and what lessons you have taken away from the experience?
I’ve yet to merge my filmmaking with emerging technologies, but my commercial for Meta features the Meta Quest Headset and its ability to enhance education using virtual, augmented and mixed reality. It was an awesome experience that allowed me to lean into my vfx skillset and visualize how these technologies can bring fun back to the classroom!

Contact

Website: https://lanredanmola.com/
Contact via email here