You might know him as the guy who shoots those unconventionally cool music videos or sexy sneaker spots, but with the announcement that Adriaan Louw has joined Robot, we caught up with a filmmaker evolving into a storyteller passionate about bringing his emotive documentary filmmaking mind and visual aesthetic to narrative-driven work.

Adriaan has established himself as a director who understands industry trends in the advertising world. From fashion films, documentaries and music videos, Adriaan has worked with big names like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Lewis Hamilton and Black Coffee and on brands like Nike, Adidas, Vogue and Puma.

You can’t talk about Adriaan and not mention that he is a brilliant photographer. Without realising it he describes his own filmmaking experience like a photographer would describe their work: ‘I have gone into so many interesting situations, places and met people that I wouldn’t have if I wasn’t holding a camera. I have found myself face to face with people and spaces I would never have met/seen thanks to a camera. It lets me connect to the moment. My camera is like a magnet that pulls me around the world.’

Adriaan will be joining Robot directors Nelis Botha, Meghan Daniels, Zandi Tisani, Paul Ramaema and Craig Moore with the support of Executive Producer and Owner, Liam Johnson. Liam has carefully handpicked a group of young directors whose work are all testament to a changing industry where the lines of commercials, content, and documentary are becoming increasingly blurred. Adriaan adds: ‘When I heard that one of the best service companies in the country were representing directors, I got really excited. When I then saw who Liam had on his roster already, I knew I had to be part of it. These directors are all redefining the parameters of what advertising looks like and are leading the charge as fresh new school commercial directors.’

Adriaan Did This

Adriaan’s reel showcases the work of a filmmaker who has found a balance between his own artistic style and commercial appeal. Approaching his work with the mind of photographer and documentary filmmaker has led to his work having an intimate, raw and emotive quality. Whether directing commercials with big crowds running through the city for German brand Deichmann, building a set from scratch for Remy Martin and Riky Rick or shooting a short film in Jamaica armed with a 16mm camera, Adriaan has certainly proven himself to be an agile filmmaker. With an equal split between local and international jobs, Adriaan now finds himself in Cape Town on a more permanent basis and we couldn’t be happier. Here are a few of our favourite spots from his most recent work.

We can’t wait to see Adriaan bringing more narrative-driven content to his commercials work, without losing that Adriaan aesthetic of course. And what better place to do it than with the team at Robot?! Wanna (s)talk some more? Robot on IDIDTHAT or Company Website.