Ampersand, the production company under the aegis of managing director Phillip Detchmendy, has signed directing duo The Berry Boys for representation in the U.S. and Japan for branded content, commercials and music videos. This marks The Berry Boys’ first representation in both the American market and Japan.
Comprised of filmmakers Ryan Burnham and Luke Robson, The Berry Boys mix their energetic, unique style with vibrant pop culture, visual effects and CGI. Growing up together as kids, Burnham and Robson were drawn towards filmmaking through their love of action and comedy. Over the years, they’ve built a distinct directing style that pushes creativity through filmmaking technology, live action, CG, animation and visual effects.
Their passion for filmmaking and emerging postproduction technologies, combined with their knowledge of the creative industry, led to the birth of their creative production company The Berry in London–a post-first studio, which specializes in animation and VFX.
The Berry Boys have worked with a number of established brands and agencies including Disney, Adidas, RedBull, Sainsbury’s, Niantic and Dell, as well as global celebrities like Ice Cube, Snoop Dog and Brazilian footballing legend, Ronaldo. On top of the narrative directing, The Berry Boys have recently ventured into the Metaverse through immersive projects and NFT creations, which allows the boys and their team at The Berry to push creatives well into the future.
The duo’s agile approach to filmmaking and their passion for directing and content creation has also exposed them to the festival circuit and in recent years, they have been shortlisted and won a slew of awards including a 2022 Shiny Award, a Vimeo Staff Pick, and inclusion in Saatchi & Saatchi’s 2022 New Creators Showcase. They have also been shortlisted at the YDA 2022.
Ampersand’s Detchmendy said, “We met in Cannes this year and all just connected instantly. It’s all about the work and The Berry Boys’ is so fresh–it’s comedic and combines live action with VFX, animation and filmmaking technologies. Their reel is one of those that you just need to share. And the fact that The Berry [their 15-person, post-first studio] is there to finish their work just adds another layer to what we can offer agencies and clients.”
In a joint statement, Burnham and Robson shared that they immediately felt simpatico with Detchmendy upon meeting him in Cannes. “We’re super proud and excited to be working with the team at Ampersand. Their deep production knowledge and connections in the U.S. and Japanese markets are going to massively support our unique filmmaking styles.”
