Image of Greg Bell
Jury

Greg Bell
Director
Backyard

SAN FRANCISCO, USA // Greg Bell became a director the day he broke 5 ribs, cracked 2 vertebrae, and punctured his lung snowboarding.

Up until that point he spent over 15 years as one of the most awarded creatives in the ad industry with stints at Cliff Freeman & Partners, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, and later co-founding his own creative shop- Venables Bell & Partners.

During that time he was the winner of just about every possible ad prize in existence, including Cannes Gold Lions, One Show Gold, and has had his work included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, the Clio Hall of Fame, and two different campaigns included in USA Today’s “Best of the Decade.”

Then one day he caught a nasty edge while boarding in Tahoe. The following painkiller-laden week in a hospital bed led to a realization— life was too short to be spent in client meetings.

His writing/directorial debut, the five-part short film, “El Vendór” garnered 700K views worldwide and got Greg selected for Shoot’s New Directors Showcase, and the coveted closing slot of the Showcase Screening at the DGA in New York.

Since then he’s directed comedic commercial works for acclaimed agencies including BBDO, Ogilvy, Crispin and DavidandGoliath for such clients as Snickers, Old Navy, Best Buy, Kraft, Amazon, Lowes, Toyota and US Bank to name a few. His work has received recognition in Creativity, AdCritic, Communication Arts, AICE, CNN and Forbes.