Lawrence Jacomelli

Lawrence Jacomelli Film Director & Co-Founder of Beast Films

Lawrence Jacomelli is the co-founder of Beast Films alongside creative director and producer Victoria Taylor — a filmmaker-led production company with offices in London and Los Angeles specialising in cinematic branded content, television commercials and long-form storytelling.

Lawrence Jacomelli is an English film director, commercial director, writer and producer working across feature films, television commercials and branded content, known for cinematic storytelling, emotionally driven advertising and filmmaker-led creative direction.

Over the last two decades, Lawrence Jacomelli has directed award-winning campaigns for global brands including British Airways, Burger King, Pepsi, Toyota, Chevrolet, Lexus, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Swatch, IKEA and DAZN, developing a visual style that combines cinematic tension, emotional realism and strong commercial clarity.

In 2024, Lawrence Jacomelli made his feature film debut with Blood Star, a psychological desert road thriller that premiered at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival before screening at Grimmfest and the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival — marking a major transition from commercial filmmaking into long-form narrative storytelling.

From Commercial Directing to Feature Filmmaking

Before moving into narrative features, Lawrence Jacomelli established himself as a commercial director known for blending cinematic visual language with emotionally grounded storytelling. His work often sits between advertising and filmmaking — prioritising atmosphere, rhythm, character and visual control rather than traditional commercial formulas.

His directing career began in the early 2000s, directing campaigns that quickly attracted industry recognition. One of Lawrence Jacomelli’s earliest television commercials, an IKEA campaign released in 2002, received a Cannes Lions shortlist nomination and won a Bronze Epica Award.

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

Over the following years, Lawrence continued directing campaigns across automotive, food, lifestyle and entertainment sectors, developing a reputation for cinematic commercials that retained emotional authenticity while delivering commercial impact.

Founding Beast Films

In 2014, Lawrence Jacomelli and Victoria Taylor founded Beast Films — a filmmaker-led production company built around cinematic storytelling for brands, agencies and broadcasters.
Originally operating from London, Beast Films was created with the intention of combining the craft of filmmaking with the speed and discipline of commercial production. Rather than functioning as a traditional advertising production company, Beast positioned itself as a director-led creative studio capable of developing emotionally driven campaigns with a strong visual identity.

Under Lawrence and Victoria’s leadership, Beast Films expanded into an internationally recognised commercial production company working across London, Los Angeles and global markets.

The company has produced campaigns, films and branded content for international clients including:

• British Airways & Apple
• Burger King & IKEA
• DAZN & Liberty Global
• Swatch & Cambridge Audio
• Tommy Hilfiger & Zalando
• Clarks Originals & Herbalife

Today, Beast Films operates between London and Los Angeles, allowing the company to collaborate across European and North American productions while maintaining a unified cinematic approach.

Establishing Beast Films Los Angeles

As Beast Films expanded internationally, Lawrence and Victoria established Beast Films Los Angeles as the company’s US division — strengthening its ability to work directly with American brands, agencies and narrative productions.

The Los Angeles office reflects the company’s ongoing relationship with both commercial filmmaking and long-form narrative cinema. With Lawrence regularly directing projects in California and across the United States, the expansion allowed Beast Films to bridge the worlds of advertising, branded storytelling and feature film production more directly.

Operating between London and Los Angeles also enables Beast Films to collaborate across multiple creative industries simultaneously — including fashion, entertainment, automotive, music, tourism and technology — while maintaining the agility of an independent filmmaker-led studio.

Blood Star — Transition Into Narrative Cinema

In 2024, Lawrence made his feature-film debut with Blood Star, a psychological desert road thriller filmed across the California desert over just ten shooting days.

The film follows a young woman hunted across isolated desert highways by a corrupt sheriff, combining elements of road movie, survival thriller and psychological horror. Rather than relying on spectacle, the film focused on tension, atmosphere and character psychology — themes that had already become central to Lawrence’s commercial directing style.

Produced on a micro-budget with an intentionally lean filmmaking approach, Blood Star was heavily storyboarded and pre-visualised before production began. Lawrence applied the efficiency and precision of commercial production methods to narrative filmmaking, using extensive preparation, animatics and tightly controlled visual planning to maximise production value under extreme time constraints.

The film premiered at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival before later screening at Grimmfest and the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival.

Critics praised the film’s atmosphere, performances and visual control, with MovieMaker Magazine describing it as:

“A genre film that finds time for unforgettable Tarantinoesque moments.”

The release of Blood Star marked the beginning of Lawrence’s long-form narrative directing career and established his transition from commercial filmmaker into feature film director.

Fastback Films — Long-Form Narrative Production

In 2023, Lawrence Jacomelli and Victoria Taylor launched Fastback Films, a sister company dedicated to feature films, television projects and long-form narrative storytelling.

Fastback Films was created to develop original narrative projects alongside Beast Films’ commercial work, allowing the pair to expand further into psychological thrillers, elevated genre cinema and filmmaker-led independent productions.

The company focuses on contained, performance-driven stories designed around cinematic tension, strong visual identity and emotionally grounded storytelling — reflecting the same creative principles that shaped Beast Films’ commercial output.

Current projects in development include psychological thrillers, dark comedies and contained feature films intended for both festival and international distribution.

Awards & Industry Recognition

Throughout his career, Lawrence Jacomelli’s work has been recognised internationally across both advertising and filmmaking.

His work has also been featured in publications and industry platforms discussing cinematic commercial production and independent filmmaking.

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
Golden Drum Awards	2010	Health & Wellness / Pharmaceutical	Commentator (Voltaren)	Silver

Directing Philosophy

Lawrence’s directing style is rooted in cinematic storytelling, emotional realism and visual precision.

Whether directing a feature film, commercial campaign or branded content piece, his work prioritises atmosphere, tension, rhythm and character — often combining the emotional language of cinema with the structural clarity required in commercial storytelling.

This filmmaker-led approach has become central to the identity of both Beast Films and Fastback Films: creating work that feels emotionally authentic while remaining visually disciplined and commercially effective.

Across advertising and narrative filmmaking alike, Lawrence continues to explore stories built around psychology, identity, isolation, ambition and human vulnerability — using cinematic form to create emotionally resonant experiences for audiences worldwide.