Lawrence Jacomelli

Lawrence Jacomelli

Film Director, | Film Director| Co-Founder of Beast Films Los Angeles

Lawrence Jacomelli is a British film director, commercial director, writer and producer working between Los Angeles and London across feature films, television commercials and branded storytelling. As co-founder of Beast Films alongside creative director Victoria Taylor, he has helped build a filmmaker-led production company recognised for cinematic advertising, emotionally driven campaigns and visually distinctive narrative filmmaking.

Over the past two decades, Lawrence has directed international campaigns for brands including British Airways, Burger King, Pepsi, Toyota, Chevrolet, Lexus, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Swatch and Apple — developing a directing style that blends cinematic atmosphere with commercial precision.

In 2024, he made his feature-film debut with Blood Star, a psychological desert thriller filmed in California and premiered at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival before later screening at Grimmfest and the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival.

Today, Lawrence works across both commercial and narrative filmmaking through Beast Films Los Angeles and Fastback Films, focusing on projects that combine emotional storytelling, visual craft and strong cinematic identity.

Building Beast Films Between London and Los Angeles

Lawrence Jacomelli and Victoria Taylor founded Beast Films in 2014 as a director-led production company focused on cinematic storytelling for brands, agencies and broadcasters.

While the company’s main office was established in London, Beast Films maintained strong creative ties to Los Angeles from the beginning, reflecting Lawrence’s long-standing relationship with American filmmaking, commercial production and independent cinema.

As the company expanded internationally, Beast Films Los Angeles was launched as the US division of the studio — enabling direct collaboration with American brands, agencies and narrative productions across California and the wider US market.

Today, Beast Films operates between London and Los Angeles, producing commercials, branded content, corporate campaigns and narrative projects for international clients while maintaining the flexibility and creative independence of a filmmaker-led studio.

Commercial Directing & Global Campaigns

Before transitioning into feature filmmaking, Lawrence spent years directing commercial campaigns across automotive, lifestyle, food, travel and entertainment sectors.
His directing work became recognised for combining cinematic storytelling with the clarity and structure required in advertising — often focusing on atmosphere, emotion and visual rhythm rather than traditional commercial formulas.

Throughout his career, Lawrence has directed campaigns and branded films for clients including:

• British Airways & Burger King
• Toyota & Chevrolet
• Lexus & McDonald’s
• KFC & Pizza Hut
• Swatch & DAZN
• IKEA & Liberty Global

His commercial work has received recognition at major international advertising festivals including Cannes Lions, Eurobest, Epica Awards, Dubai Lynx and Golden Drum.

One of his earliest commercials — an IKEA campaign released in 2002 — received a Cannes Lions shortlist nomination and won a Bronze Epica Award, helping establish his visual style early in his directing career.

His breakthrough project followed with Precious, a Lord of the Rings parody campaign for Pot Noodle that Lawrence wrote, produced and directed. The campaign later received Best Director honours at the Viral Awards in London and New York, alongside a Cannes Lions CFP-E Young Director shortlist recognition.

From Branded Content to International Broadcast

A defining example of Lawrence’s cinematic commercial approach came through a collaboration between Beast Films, London creative agency Mr H and the Cayman Islands Tourist Board.

The campaign focused on creating emotionally driven destination films designed around mood, atmosphere and cinematic storytelling rather than conventional tourism advertising.

Following the success of the project, the films later attracted the attention of British Airways Holidays and were adapted for international television broadcast and distribution across British Airways’ in-flight entertainment network.

The campaign demonstrated how cinematic branded storytelling can evolve beyond its original brief — becoming globally distributed commercial content while retaining a strong emotional and visual identity.

Blood Star & Narrative Filmmaking

In 2024, Lawrence directed his first feature film, Blood Star, a character-driven desert road thriller produced in California over just ten shooting days.

Blending psychological horror, road movie tension and survival thriller elements, the film reflects Lawrence’s interest in atmosphere, isolation and visual pressure — themes that had already shaped much of his commercial work.

The production adopted a highly controlled filmmaker-led approach, combining extensive storyboarding, animatics and commercial production discipline to maximise visual ambition within a limited independent budget.

Premiering at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival before later screening at Grimmfest and Cinequest, Blood Star marked Lawrence’s transition into long-form narrative filmmaking and established a new chapter in his directing career.

The film was later released internationally across streaming and digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Google Play.

Fastback Films — Long-Form Narrative Production

Alongside Beast Films, Lawrence and Victoria Taylor also founded Fastback Films — a production company dedicated to feature films, television and narrative storytelling.

Created to support the development of original long-form projects, Fastback Films focuses on psychologically driven stories, contained thrillers and filmmaker-led genre cinema designed for international audiences and festival distribution.

The company reflects Lawrence’s continuing movement between commercial production and narrative filmmaking, bringing the same cinematic discipline and visual storytelling approach into long-form content.

Awards & Industry Recognition

Lawrence Jacomelli’s work has been recognised internationally across advertising, branded storytelling and filmmaking.

His work and directing approach have also been featured across industry publications discussing commercial filmmaking, cinematic advertising and independent feature production.

Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2002 Home Furnishings / Retail / Consumer Goods Go Uncubic (IKEA) Shortlist
2006 Not-for-Profit / Charity / Government Hide and Seek (ANDCP) Shortlist
2009 - Girls Night Out (121.ro) Shortlist
2010 Health & Wellness / Pharmaceutical Commentator (Voltaren) Shortlist
2011 Not-for-Profit / Charity / Government Earthquake (Multiple Sclerosis) Shortlist
2018 Acquisition & Retention Whopper No Show (Burger King) Bronze
Dubai Lynx Awards 2008 Cars & Automotive Services The Mime (Chevrolet) Silver
New York & London Viral Awards 2004 Best Direction Precious (Pot Noodle) Won
Epica Awards 2002 Home Furnishings / Retail / Consumer Goods Go Uncubic (IKEA) Bronze
Golden Drum Awards 2009 Best Use of Film Direction Girls Night Out (121.ro) Bronze
2010 Health & Wellness / Pharmaceutical Commentator (Voltaren) Silver

Directing Style & Creative Approach

Lawrence’s directing work is built around cinematic storytelling, emotional realism and strong visual composition.

Whether working on feature films, television commercials or branded campaigns, his approach prioritises atmosphere, pacing, character and emotional tension — combining the visual language of cinema with the clarity and discipline of commercial production.

This philosophy continues to shape the identity of both Beast Films Los Angeles and Fastback Films: creating work that feels emotionally human, visually cinematic and internationally relevant.

Selected Press & External Profiles

Further information about Lawrence Jacomelli’s directing work, commercial campaigns and feature filmmaking can be found through the following industry profiles and publications:

  • Wikipedia
  • IMDb
  • Shots Magazine — Making a Feature with a Commercial Mindset
  • British Cinematographer — Blood Star Production Feature
  • Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival
  • Grimmfest
  • Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival
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