We tell a good story with films and videos that reach and influence audiences with powerful moving image content across all platforms.
And now with Hotheads’ own automotive arm, Berlinetta Films, we are also providing a specialist one stop shop for automotive story telling.
Visit berlinettafilms.com to find out more.
moreIt’s hard to imagine life BC (Before Content). This was a time when dedicated filmmakers pursued their craft safe in the knowledge that the audience would watch what they made, no matter what.
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Fast forward to the new digital reality and the good news is… content is king. The bad news is there’s a million channels, a bombardment of brands and more content released every day than you could watch in a lifetime. Worse, you also have to be an expert on audience viewing trends, on social media platforms, on tailoring content to channels, on delivery and distribution, on rights and on brand strategy. Yes, these are all part of our world and, if you think having a good idea for a film is enough, you’re going to be selling your client short.
At the Hotheads Content Lab, we like to make the complicated simple. So we might just say that we fill the space usefully. However, in order to do that we have to understand all the above; the alchemy, the wizardry of multi platform media, of digital, of social media. Don’t get us wrong, our stock in trade is making films… but making the right stuff is an art and a science.
‘It has never been so easy to reach your audience’ and ‘it has never been so hard to reach your audience’ are truisms of the digital landscape. Our instinct and experience will always make the best film possible and, above all, a film worth watching, worth sharing and worth it.
In the Content Lab, we add the word Strategic to Creative Visual Agency. There is, after all, some clever shit going on out there and, in the grand scheme of things, we’re the content partner providing the fully integrated moving image solution.
The social stagecoach is riding into town, loaded with bright sparks and buzz words, conjuring up a media medicine show. At the Hotheads Content Lab, we’re not reinventing the wheel: we’re helping it to turn in the right direction with a dose of the good stuff.
Here’s a glimpse of how the good stuff is created – behind the scenes with the legendary Ernie Els.
Hotheads has become a leading producer of content for brands in sport. Over the years we have been lucky enough to work with many sporting legends and enjoyed access that has been truly privileged. more
Up there has got to be filming Pete Sampras on Centre Court at the US Open for Heineken… shooting a Matchplay between Ernie Els and Gary Player and later dinner at Mr Player’s house… David Beckham blowing a kiss down the lens of our pitchside camera at Old Trafford during an epic Champions League encounter.
The list goes on… A day with Sachin Tendulkar in Southall, or Gazza in Bournemouth… an in-depth interview with Kimi Raikonnen (yes, in-depth!)… filming Andy Roddick’s serve in super slow motion… doing daily updates with the Team USA athletes at London 2012.
We work across the sporting spectrum but, if push comes to shove, motorsport is probably what we’ve done most of. In Formula One, we have long standing relationships with Teams and Partners alike, and have worked with no fewer than 6 World Champion Drivers.
It’s not really luck, though. It has more to do with really knowing our stuff, being trusted by brands to handle their most valuable assets and having the experience to get the most out of the situation, whatever access or contractual issues we have to deal with.
It’s all down to giving fans what they want and bringing them closer to their passion with unique, must-see content.

The best Matchplay ever. Gary Player v Ernie Els with David Leadbetter…
The best Matchplay ever. Gary Player v Ernie Els with David Leadbetter as the host. Top banter and tips in this unique bit of content shot in Florida – in the rain.

We’re working with Iris on Shell’s Formula One activation around Scuderia Ferrari.…
We’re working with Iris on Shell’s Formula One activation around Scuderia Ferrari. This has meant a lot of trips to Maranello and generally chasing the drivers around Europe and beyond. We made sponsorship idents for Sky and watched Fernando’s facial hair evolve over 19 episodes of Inside Track, Shell’s biggest online hit ever.

In which the Great Man told us about his career highlights in…
In which the Great Man told us about his career highlights in a most genial and engaging way. Later, he hit our Director on the head with a cricket ball, but that’s another (very funny) story.

Umbro was brave enough to use Paul Gascoigne to kick off their Faces of England campaign, putting icons in the England shirt, devised by Anomaly NY. His interview was so powerful Umbro commissioned a 30 sec TVC to run with their stand out poster campaign. The content was used by the BBC, at Wembley Stadium and across all digital touchpoints. Gazza was back and trending on Twitter. We laughed and cried with Gazza all day – we wish him well.

In Avanade’s first full year as a Formula One Team Partner, they…
In Avanade’s first full year as a Formula One Team Partner, they started making moving image content and they haven’t stopped with a monthly e-zine and an ongoing online advertising campaign. The result is strong internal and external engagement, unprecedented brand building and great exposure. This is a film about how they help Lotus F1 Team collect and analyse trackside data.

We caught Kimi in his second season at McLaren in 2004 and did an in depth interview with him. The Ice Man had plenty to say and in view of his latter day persona, this is well worth a watch.

Innovative branded content format released over six weeks on the web to…
Innovative branded content format released over six weeks on the web to find Britain’s Best Driver. In conjunction with Top Gear Magazine and The Sun, presented by Jodie Kidd and Ian Wright.

At London 2012, we hung out with the Team USA athletes. You haven’t met a more talented yet approachable bunch, who, in the States are superstars. We worked with Ogilvy USA, filling the social media channels with daily updates. We got to see quite a few gold medals but this great clip is with Lolo Jones and Jonathan Horton, who both fell short of their targets.

Another day, another legend. Andy Roddick had the fastest serve in tennis…
Another day, another legend. Andy Roddick had the fastest serve in tennis , which we captured in super slow-mo on the Phantom camera on a memorable day in Miami. We then interviewed him about his serving technique and combined this with the awesome footage. ‘The Perfect Serve’ captures a sportsman at the top of his game

Chris is one of Mizuno’s Tour Players. We all remember him narrowly…
Chris is one of Mizuno’s Tour Players. We all remember him narrowly missing out on the British Open in 2009. This is a really nice short interview at the end of a great day we spent with him at Long Ashton Golf Club.

As part of IG’s first season as Quins’ Official Partner, we are…
As part of IG’s first season as Quins’ Official Partner, we are working with Synergy to bring the latest from inside the Team Camp around key fixtures throughout the season featuring back room staff and players. This one for The Big Game played at Christmas every year at Twickenham.

We took Ernie into a south London studio and filmed his swing…
We took Ernie into a south London studio and filmed his swing in super slow-mo. Warning. Hitting a golf ball really hard in a studio can break things. This is Ernie’s favourite film with him in, except any which involve him winning a Major!

An integrated campaign by Samsung agency Chiel, we were called in to…
An integrated campaign by Samsung agency Chiel, we were called in to film and interview the athletes. This is James Woods or Woodsy, one of the new generation of slopestyle athletes. From Sheffield – not traditionally associated with winter sports.

Shell agency Crunch Communications asked us to develop the format In The…
Shell agency Crunch Communications asked us to develop the format In The Red to support Shell Advance’s partnership with the Ducati MotoGP Team. Shooting at a wet Mugello test, we managed to interview the whole Ducati Team in an afternoon, securing the base content for the season. In The Red runs across multiple online channels and as free content on the motogp.com home page guaranteeing big viewing figures.

Quick turnround, fun, digital content for ebay Motors with BTCC champion, Colin…
Quick turnround, fun, digital content for ebay Motors with BTCC champion, Colin Turkington. Promoting a personal appearance and the new click & collect service.
Some of the brands we’ve made films for…
Altran
Andrex
Avanade
Ballantine’s
Canon
CANSO
Coca-Cola
Genworth
Heineken
IG
Ian Stuart
Lexus
Mizuno
NATS
Natural History Museum
Philips
RBS
Samsung
SAP
Shell
Sony
Sustainable Aviation
Umbro
UPS
UST Global
Vodafone
OK. There’s a lot of stuff here. It might be an idea to narrow your choices down by sector. Click one of the sectors below to filter what you see:

Tyre smoking antics with BTCC champion, Colin Turkington, as he demonstrates the…
Tyre smoking antics with BTCC champion, Colin Turkington, as he demonstrates the fastest way to click & collect.

Shell’s new generation of lubricant developed from the breakthrough gas to liquid…
Shell's new generation of lubricant developed from the breakthrough gas to liquid process. Part of the global launch communication.

As a long term partner of the Lotus F1 Team, Altran had…
As a long term partner of the Lotus F1 Team, Altran had never made much noise about their work helping the Team fight at the top. This film made up for that and their presentations, recruitment, event stands got an adrenalin packed centerpiece. Or masterpiece, they say.
“We have been extremely impressed by every aspect of the work delivered for us by Hotheads and by the excellent client service that they provide. Their exceptional creative expertise has played a key role in helping us to improve the way that our brand is positioned and perceived.”
Owen Burdekin, UK Marketing & Communications Manager

Our first film for Centrica Energy put us through our paces in…
Our first film for Centrica Energy put us through our paces in a 2 week shoot across Canada, Norway, Scotland, Holland and Morecambe Bay. An intense schedule and a very well received film.

Our first job for The Aesop Agency, master storytellers. On home territory,…
Our first job for The Aesop Agency, master storytellers. On home territory, really. A film to show how Shell Helix Ultra is race proven and road ready thanks to the partnership with Scuderia Ferrari. A story well told, they said.

As part of IG’s first season as Quins’ Official Partner, we are…
As part of IG’s first season as Quins’ Official Partner, we are working with Synergy to bring the latest from inside the Team Camp around key fixtures throughout the season featuring back room staff and players. This one for The Big Game played at Christmas every year at Twickenham.

An integrated campaign by Samsung agency Chiel, we were called in to…
An integrated campaign by Samsung agency Chiel, we were called in to film and interview the athletes. This is James Woods or Woodsy, one of the new generation of slopestyle athletes. From Sheffield – not traditionally associated with winter sports.

We created the format In The Red to support Shell Advance’s partnership…
We created the format In The Red to support Shell Advance’s partnership with the Ducati MotoGP Team. Shooting at a wet Mugello test, we managed to interview the whole Ducati Team in an afternoon, securing the base content for the season. In The Red runs across multiple online channels and as free content on the motogp.com home page guaranteeing big viewing figures.

We have a long standing relationship with NATS and as a result know a lot about air traffic control. We help them communicate complex and sensitive issues. We made this film in a week from brief to delivery, including some highly involved explanatory animations. Not a lot of people could do that.

We’re working with Iris on Shell’s Formula One activation around Scuderia Ferrari.…
We’re working with Iris on Shell’s Formula One activation around Scuderia Ferrari. This has meant a lot of trips to Maranello and generally chasing the drivers around Europe and beyond. We made sponsorship idents for Sky and watched Fernando’s facial hair evolve over 19 episodes of Inside Track, Shell’s biggest online hit ever.

Revealing our softer side, we spent a week in the company of puppies, making 4 widely shared, very cute little digital films with top photographer Dan Burn-Forti and Making Pictures

In Avanade’s first full year as a Formula One Team Partner, they started making moving image content and they haven’t stopped with a monthly e-zine and an ongoing online advertising campaign. The result is strong internal and external engagement, unprecedented brand building and great exposure. This is a film about how they help Lotus F1 Team collect and analyse trackside data.

A day spent in the company of true greatness left us feeling humble and elated. We interviewed Sachin and played cricket with him at a local club in North London, who really couldn’t believe what was happening. Multi channel international content of RBS’ brand ambassador. Epic.

In which the Great Man told us about his career highlights in…
In which the Great Man told us about his career highlights in a most genial and engaging way. Later, he hit our Director on the head with a cricket ball, but that’s another (very funny) story.

The Ballantine’s Championship is a key tournament on the European Tour. This…
The Ballantine’s Championship is a key tournament on the European Tour. This raft of player interview content conducted in Florida was created for TV and social media in the Far East, so was styled to meet their more conservative tastes.

Another film among the many we’ve made for Avanade supporting their F1…
Another film among the many we’ve made for Avanade supporting their F1 partnership. This one for use at events, hospitality, presentations to give a topline on the story, so no voice over or interviews. Just a great soundtrack, progressive graphics and animation and top editing of great footage.

The second portrait from Umbro’s Faces of England campaign. Damon turned up…
The second portrait from Umbro’s Faces of England campaign. Damon turned up looking rock star cool in cherry red Docs and a Harrington, put on the England shirt and looked even cooler. He donated Song2 as the soundtrack to the cut. Top chap!

Interesting interview on what ‘Englishness’ means to him and how it influences…
Interesting interview on what ‘Englishness’ means to him and how it influences his music. And why wearing the England football shirt is special.

There is honestly nothing cooler than driving a Ferrari F1 car down…
There is honestly nothing cooler than driving a Ferrari F1 car down the high street. The Poles loved it, so did Felipe Massa. We shot it on multiple cameras, we edited it in the Ferrari garage and it was up on Ferrari’s online channels and the global wire by early evening. Nice one, Shell!

A bit of fun with the Princess of Golf and a pink Cadillac with fins. All golf shoots should be like this.

Behind the scenes and on the catwalk at one of the UK’s top designers shows at Vinopolis during Fashion Week.

As part of Shell’s global promotion for its range of Advance motorcycle…
As part of Shell’s global promotion for its range of Advance motorcycle lubricants, we were sent to Kerala to shoot Ducatis on the ultimate riding route as voted by Shell customers. We created this 60 second digital promo to run in international markets alongside TV, print, POS, experiential and web activities.

At London 2012, we hung out with the Team USA athletes. You haven’t met a more talented yet approachable bunch, who, in the States are superstars. We worked with Ogilvy USA, filling the social media channels with daily updates. We got to see quite a few gold medals but this great clip is with Lolo Jones and Jonathan Horton, who both fell short of their targets.

Another day, another legend. Andy Roddick had the fastest serve in tennis…
Another day, another legend. Andy Roddick had the fastest serve in tennis , which we captured in super slow-mo on the Phantom camera on a memorable day in Miami. We then interviewed him about his serving technique and combined this with the awesome footage. ‘The Perfect Serve’ captures a sportsman at the top of his game.

An animated film to explain the future of air traffic control to…
An animated film to explain the future of air traffic control to air traffic controllers who don’t like the idea of change. Researched and developed with a cross functional stakeholder group over the period of a year, this film had to land well!

The best Matchplay ever. Gary Player v Ernie Els with David Leadbetter…
The best Matchplay ever. Gary Player v Ernie Els with David Leadbetter as the host. Top banter and tips in this unique bit of content shot in Florida – in the rain.

Heineken’s global music platform. Footage of people partying from all over the…
Heineken’s global music platform. Footage of people partying from all over the world packaged by us to show the scale of the programme and the universality of the message.

Made for our good friends at Line Up Communications. There was only one car in existence at the time, worth millions of pounds. We had some pretty complicated camera equipment and a crew of 50 Japanese. It was a time for Coolheads. This is the Director’s Cut, capturing the beauty and power of an incredible design.

This premium iPad app has to be seen to be believed for…
This premium iPad app has to be seen to be believed for the quality and amount of information presented. We put on our brainy hats and interviewed the Museum’s top Evolution scientists to provide the moving image content for the app.

Chris is one of Mizuno’s Tour Players. We all remember him narrowly…
Chris is one of Mizuno’s Tour Players. We all remember him narrowly missing out on the British Open in 2009. This is a really nice short interview at the end of a great day we spent with him at Long Ashton Golf Club.

We’ve shot lots of golf clinics with some great golfers. In fact,…
We’ve shot lots of golf clinics with some great golfers. In fact, it’s a bit of a speciality. We really enjoyed this one with the West Country’s finest. We made 27 clips from the day’s shoot, which gave Mizuno a year’s worth of content and represented jolly good VFM, not to mention tip top ROI.

We’ve worked with 6 Formula 1 World Champions and Jenson is right…
We’ve worked with 6 Formula 1 World Champions and Jenson is right up there. Ace driver and all round good bloke, here he takes us through what makes a Formula 1 car the automotive daddy, aided with a load of special effects.

We developed the On Track format and branding so that McLaren Technology…
We developed the On Track format and branding so that McLaren Technology Partner, SAP could align themselves with Technology and Science in F1. Here, we look at the effects of G-Force on drivers with the help of JB.

Umbro was brave enough to use Paul Gascoigne to kick off their Faces of England campaign, putting icons in the England shirt, devised by Anomaly NY. His interview was so powerful Umbro commissioned a 30 sec TVC to run with their stand out poster campaign. The content was used by the BBC, at Wembley Stadium and across all digital touchpoints. Gazza was back and trending on Twitter. We laughed and cried with Gazza all day – we wish him well.

Gazza’s misdemeanour’s in his own words. Here the legendary ostrich story. Enjoyed…
Gazza’s misdemeanour’s in his own words. Here the legendary ostrich story. Enjoyed and shared by a lot of people.

Getting a classic portrait of Gazza is an entertaining process. Non stop…
Getting a classic portrait of Gazza is an entertaining process. Non stop buffoonery had us all laughing but what we weren’t prepared for was that, with his shirt off, he was ripped and tattooed like a Red Hot Chilli Pepper.

Vodafone helps you get more out of your time. Here is a web film for the Dutch market about speeding up and slowing down your time. Clever

A top Brit designer, Lily Cole and a paper dress made from photos taken and printed on Canon. Very authentic and popular content for London Fashion Week.

We took Ernie into a south London studio and filmed his swing…
We took Ernie into a south London studio and filmed his swing in super slow-mo. Warning. Hitting a golf ball really hard in a studio can break things. This is Ernie’s favourite film with him in, except any which involve him winning a Major!

We were the content production company for the refurbishment of the Heineken…
We were the content production company for the refurbishment of the Heineken Museum into a dynamic brand experience and Amsterdam’s leading tourist attraction. The World of Heineken saw us travelling the world filming people drinking Heineken. Nice.

Shell Advance is a Technical Partner of the Ducati MotoGP Team. We made a series of 5 films telling the story. The best bit was filming at the Ducati factory in Bologna, where automotive magic is made.

For the launch of Lexus’ ground breaking executive saloon. Shot on location…
For the launch of Lexus’ ground breaking executive saloon. Shot on location in Southern Italy and in a studio in Belgium, content for all internal and external applications. Again for Line Up Communications. Music by Kasabian on this one.

A great golfer and down to earth chap took us round his home golf course of Wentworth. Here’s his story.

Innovative branded content format released over six weeks on the web to…
Innovative branded content format released over six weeks on the web to find Britain’s Best Driver. In conjunction with Top Gear Magazine and The Sun, presented by Jodie Kidd and Ian Wright.

An internal comms film explaining a brand repositioning proposition to the Dutch…
An internal comms film explaining a brand repositioning proposition to the Dutch market.

Televisual toolkit for Heineken’s tennis sponsorship in the Far East, included TVC,…
Televisual toolkit for Heineken’s tennis sponsorship in the Far East, included TVC, break bumpers and event support.

We know a lot about the aviation industry and CANSO is one of its most respected representative bodies. This is the keynote film for an industry in transformation played at a global event attended by the leading stakeholders. Packing no punches, ‘Are We Ready?’ asks the tough questions.

A day in Worksop was cheered up massively by the presence of…
A day in Worksop was cheered up massively by the presence of Lee Westwood shooting a whole bunch of content for UPS. Chubby said he had 3 hours, he stayed all day and a lot of fun was had by all.

We’ve shot lots of Clinics with the best golfers in the world and it’s been a privilege. We know how to do them quickly and well.

We caught Kimi in his second season at McLaren in 2004 and did an in depth interview with him. The Ice Man had plenty to say and in view of his latter day persona, this is well worth a watch.
M: +44 (0)7710 782885
E: josh@hotheads.info