Let’s get into it. Hungry Films director Juniper recently wrapped one of the most ambitious car campaigns we’ve seen in a while. The brief? Shoot nine Mercedes vehicles, deliver six hero 30-second spots for AMG, four retail ads, and a truckload of extra content. It all had to be done in just five days. For sixteen different regions. And she made it look good.

When we catch up with Juniper, she’s en route to yet another car shoot for Toyota, video calling us from the front seat of her truck. Big truck, big energy, big ideas. All very Juniper.

Juniper is a rebel. Not the clichéd knuckle-duster kind, although we wouldn’t be surprised if she knew how to land a punch. She just does the things people say can’t be done. She thrives under pressure, navigating mayhem with humour and charm. “I love a challenging commercial. I love the complexity. I love the chaos. And I love the feeling of pulling all these things together into this polished end product. This mini movie,” she says.

That was the case on the Mercedes campaign. Every single angle had to be carefully replicated across multiple vehicles. A beauty shot of the wheels? Re-shot on five different cars. A tracking loop of the sedan’s rear? Recreated again and again, all with pinpoint precision.

Look at all this work!

Juniper credits part of the campaign’s success to her dream team. “I knew I needed a badass DOP, someone brave in their decisions and brilliant at shooting cars, and the first person I thought of was Vicki Turpin.” It was the first time the two worked together, and the start of what’s quickly become a powerhouse pairing.

With a background in stop-frame animation and a deep love for cars, Juniper has a knack for making machines feel human. “I find the personality in a car,” she says. “It’s about how you frame it, how it moves, how it breathes in a shot. That’s how you bring it to life.”

BTS ‘Mercedes’, ‘Teisseire’ Juniper & Ian Difford and Juniper and team. 

So it’s no surprise that when Claudi Potter, ECD and founder of the newly launched Joe Public UK, needed a director who could pull off an ambitious, authentically French lifestyle commercial for Teisseire, she called Juniper. One badass enlisting another. While Juniper led the performance direction and technical transitions, fellow Hungry director Ian Difford focused on the liquid side of the ad.

“Juniper, Difford and the team at Hungry Films were incredible partners in dealing with the complexity of finding us the right cast, locations and performances, to ensure that this film felt authentically French and true to the Teisseire brand. With the complexity of a cross-continent project, Juniper was our master problem-solver, and her sense of humour and easy-going style of leadership made this production feel effortless and fun. And it shows in the playful performances of our cast,” says Claudi. 

Teisseire ‘The Little Something That Changes Everything’

We’d love to see more South African creatives working abroad come home to shoot with local talent and maybe squeeze in a visit with friends and family while they’re at it.

Between the massive car campaigns and the international lifestyle spots, Juniper is showing just how versatile she is. “I love the tech. I love the craft. I love working with smart people to solve complex problems. But most of all, I love making ads,” she says.

Wanna (s)talk some more? Hungry Films company website.