Special Problems at The Sweet Shop
Groundbreaking directing collective Special Problems has joined The Sweet Shop for commercial and branded content work worldwide.
Special Problems, led by Campbell Hooper and Joel Kefali, has quickly made a reputation in the advertising world for the striking animated visuals behind the Cannes Lions winning work for Yellow Chocolate.
Special Problems, whose work combines live-action, motion graphics and animation, first started working in the commercial realm with adventurous established brands and agencies on projects such as HP with Alicia Keys, Vodafone, Burger King and Yellow Chocolate.
Kefali and Hooperʼs aesthetic style evolved from a fine arts background where they developed their signature elements of graphic design, filmmaking and music, melding them into freshly innovative visuals.
Kefali explains: “Moving into client work was very organic for us. When HP did a spot with Alicia Keys it was natural to use a director who had high standards aesthetically and had done music videos.”
Hooper describes their working process as unconventional for a directing collective: “We donʼt necessarily split up the work; we tend to work in segments and meet in the middle. Sometimes Joel will tackle the ending of a project, and Iʼll start at the beginning. That way of working has always made sense for us; it fits our style.”
Says George Mackenzie, The Sweet Shop’s managing director for Asia/Pacific/MENA: “Joel and Cam are undeniably talented. I have been a fan of their work since I stumbled across their clip for Tame Impala a few years back. Since then they have gone from strength to strength. They have an exciting future ahead of them and I am pleased to be invited to be a part of that future.”