Hey Wonderful Signs Danish Directorial Sensation Ada Bligaard Søby for Commercials
By Egotist / /
Hey Wonderful welcomes acclaimed director and photographer Ada Bligaard Søby to the roster for commercial representation in the U.S. and Canada. Her work stands apart for its authentic performances, film craft and cinematic visuals. She has directed standout spots for Scandinavian brands such as Telenor, Arbejdernes Landsbank and mental health foundation Psykiatri Fonden. Her extensive photography portfolio includes the photo book “The Best Is Yet To Come;” it features portraits of Kate Moss and the Danish queen and is described as “painfully beautiful” with “oceanic depths that make everything else look like puddles” by Erik Kessels, a founder of legendary Dutch advertising agency KesselsKramer.
Søby’s most recent project is a puppet comedy short film called My Baguette / Your Baguette, a satire about sexism in the advertising industry shot during lock-down. It’s voiced by Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) and Andre Royo (Bubbles from The Wire), and slated for release later this year.
Søby’s work defies typecasting and gravitates toward campaigns that are topical and thought-provoking, anything from comedy to cause-related work. She didn’t take the traditional route to directing, attending film or advertising school, instead getting her education living in different cities, traveling and meeting all sorts of people. Stops along the way have been in New York, where she landed a job when she was in her 20s assisting famed photographer Terry Richardson, then rode cross country on motorcycles with her camera and her boyfriend; in London, both in her free-spirited, squat-hopping youth on up to pre-pandemic; and in rural Canada where she once lived in a town of 3,000 people and went to rodeos every weekend for a year. After an introduction by Martin De Thurah in 2014, she holds the distinction of being the first female filmmaker signed to production company Bacon in her hometown of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Although Søby is self-taught, art was a steady part of her diet growing up. Her mom was an art historian so they lived along with her colleagues north of Copenhagen in the castle housing the Danish National Portrait Gallery. “I think the best education anyone can have is to hang out with cool people,” she said. “I don’t mean people who look cool, but people who do things. People who have their hands in the dirt and make stuff every day.”
Søby’s additional credits include the award-winning documentary The Naked of Saint Petersburg and highly praised Petey and Ginger. Hey Wonderful’s latest work includes campaigns for Chevy (Commonwealth // McCann) directed by Peking and Clorox (FCB West) directed by Sam Cadman.
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