Perhaps best known as advertising’s go-to director for real people and hidden camera, director Sam Cadman’s latest work is a hilarious campaign with canned water company Liquid Death, known for its “Murder Your Thirst” tagline. In another recent spot – Verizon “Cornered Store” – Sam directs a hidden camera shoot at a NYC bodega where customers get miffed after being conspicuously overcharged to illustrate other carriers’ “hidden fees.” Sam was honored in 2019 with a Cannes Lion and Clio Award for his stunt film for Popeyes called “12-Hour Drive-Thru.” It chronicles customers going the distance for Popeyes’ famous 12-hour chicken marinade, placing orders in Fort Stockton, TX and picking them up 12-hours later in New Orleans. Sam’s expertise doesn’t stop with real people and hidden camera. He is sought out for scripted comedy, and has delivered standout performances and dialogue-driven campaigns for many brands, including American Express, PlayStation, Heineken, Food Lion, Gillette and Sprint.

Sam is always in tune with the culture, everything from technology solutions and fast food to cause-related initiatives, often making him a repeat partner for prominent brands and their agencies. They draw from even more exemplary work such as Virgin Atlantic’s “Upper Class Bench,” an experiential stunt in NYC’s Madison Square Park that won a Cannes Silver Lion. Another standout is his Safe Roads’ “Texting vs. Drinking” PSA which received an AICP Honor and Adweek Arc Award. Sam’s irreverent campaign for Hardees – “A-holes vs B-holes,” earned the Top Spot on TBS’s “Funniest Commercials of the Year.”

A versatile narrative storyteller as well, Sam’s allegorical short film The Snow Maze, based on the children’s book by Jan Mark, played the film festival circuit including London Independent Film Festival and Toronto Shorts.

Sam began his career as co-creator of the renegade UK cult TV series “Trigger Happy TV,” orchestrating the show’s famous pranks with comedian Dom Joly.