The Hey Wonderful director on working with powerful brands like Nike, Netflix and Vogue, the importance of authenticity, and the rising representation and diversity in advertising:
Emily McDonald is a London-based director who’s been prolific in the branded documentary space, creating outstanding content that amplifies the voices of the unheard and underrepresented. She is known for directing work that focuses on uncovering honest and unique stories that challenge cultural ideas, encourage diversity and broaden perspectives about humanity. She is represented for commercial work in the US by full-service production company, Hey Wonderful.
Her work includes powerful brand documentaries for Nike, Netflix, Facebook and Vogue, the latter of which earned her Gold at the Creative Circle this year. Her latest collaboration this past summer was with Jimmy Choo and Sink the Pink – titled ‘Family Ties’, it features members of the LGBTQ+ collective celebrating the power of chosen family and how glamour is for everyone.
Emily’s emphasis on authenticity in storytelling and using the media as a platform for social change has recently led her to the BBC, who has hired her to direct a film for the prestigious Arts Strand Arena. She is currently finishing production on ‘Worth Saving’, a film about Savage Sisters, a non-profit organisation which grapples with the impact of the narcotic and opioid crisis in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighbourhood.
Read the full interview here.
