Production company Not To Scale has signed on to its roster multidisciplinary director Drew Lightfoot for representation in the US, UK and Europe. The award-winning Canadian helmer, craftsman and animator has worked on projects ranging from commercials and music videos to TV shows and feature films.
“Drew is a great addition to the Not To Scale family, his strong live-action work supported by an animation background makes him an amazing asset for any project,” said Eve Strickman, EP at Not To Scale New York. “He can tackle projects from so many different angles, and is always a pleasure to work with. We are excited to have him on board.”
A young recruit to the artform, Lightfoot began making LEGO animations in his basement at age 10, leading him into clay animation and an internship at a small studio when he was 13 years old. His stop-motion career kicked off at age 17, when he flew to New Zealand to work on an animated TV series before moving into commercials in Australia, Canada and the US.
After studying classical animation and dabbling in directing, Lightfoot scored a gig as lead animator on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride in London, which lead to his work as a UK-based animation director on major campaigns including, D&AD Pencil winners Big Yellow Tide and Sony Bravia Play-Doh Bunnies. Lightfoot went on to direct for himself, creating spots for brands including Volkswagen, PlayStation, Orange, Bud Light, Toyota, Maynards and Virgin Mobile, and a variety of music videos.
Recently, Lightfoot directed the 360-degree film Horizon commissioned to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary, which will tour the country this year as a dome experience and then as a VR film. The director traveled across Canada, collaborating with outfits like National Ballets, Symphonies and Olympic teams to encapsulate the creativity and performance strengths of Canada sometimes found in unexpected places.
“My approach is to never execute the same visual twice, I’m constantly experimenting and dabbling in new technologies,” said Lightfoot. “I’m very excited to join the global network of talent [at Not To Scale] and to craft animated and live-action stories to life for international clients. I’m also very much looking forward to getting back to the UK marketplace – I do miss London.”
