Director Spotlight series: Abdou Cissé, Adam Berg & Agustín Alberdi
this is an Editorial celebration; we’re simply applauding the craft and sharing casting takeaways for producers, agencies and brands.
Abdou Cissé — south London verve, cinematic heart
Abdou Cissé’s shorts and branded pieces hum with lived-in warmth and punchline-sharp timing. His debut short Serious Tingz (2019) — a compact poem on masculinity and the “screwface” — screened at BFI London Film Festival and now streams via BFI Player. In 2023 he followed with Festival of Slaps, which nabbed the LFF Audience Award for Best British Film/Work and drew a BAFTA 2024 short-film nomination. Cissé was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow 2024, with a debut feature in development — momentum that signals a storyteller audiences are actively rooting for.
In branded and online spaces, he’s directed culturally tuned work (e.g. Green Flag “Green Flags Got You”) and collaborates as part of creative duo Abdou & Akwasi on Apple, Netflix Supacell, AirPods and Converse x John Boyega — a cross-disciplinary edge that feeds the films’ authenticity.
Casting takeaways
Community truth > cliché. Cissé’s worlds breathe because the faces do. Street-casting mixed with trained talent, plus careful outreach via schools and community orgs, keeps performances precise but unforced.
Safeguarding and pace. Youth-led stories demand kid-safe sessions and nimble coverage. We design playful workshops to unlock instinct without over-directing.
Elevate the ordinary. When the brief is “make a tiny life moment feel epic”, our audition notes hinge on micro-behaviour (breath, glance, physical listening) so small beats read on camera.
Adam Berg — precision, scale and the one-shot that changed the internet
Swedish director Adam Berg is adland royalty. In 2009 he directed Philips “Carousel”, a frozen-moment, cops-vs-clowns odyssey that won the Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix and reset expectations for online film craft. Stinkdigital (now Stink Studios) details how the single “time-slice” shot was engineered — a masterclass in choreography, timing and plate-post. His commercial roster spans Apple, Nike, PlayStation, Mercedes-Benz and more, with shelves of Lions, D&AD, Clios, Arrows, AICP and Ciclope metal.
Berg’s feature debut, Black Crab (Netflix, 2022) — a sub-zero survival thriller starring Noomi Rapace — deepened his reputation for physical, elemental storytelling; he co-wrote it and shot in brutal moonlit conditions, training actors to skate and staging helicopter chases on real ice.
Casting takeaways
Tableau performance. “Carousel” proved how stillness can be acting. We brief for physical control and micro-expression — talent who can hold a freeze yet radiate story.
Stunt-adjacent, human-first. On post-heavy or movement-driven boards, we test mark-hitting under pressure and pair actors with doubles early to protect continuity.
Global polish, local realness. Berg’s brand mix demands faces that travel. We balance recognisability and freshness for multi-market usage without flattening the humanity.
Agustín Alberdi — Latin craft, London swagger, award magnet
A partner at LANDIA, Agustín Alberdi moves effortlessly between playful comedy and elegant craft. His Stella Artois films for Mother London (“Train”/“Lift”) brought cinematic flair to a heritage brand — Campaign’s 2011 write-up pegs “Train” as a centrepiece of a multi-channel push. He’s stacked trophies: three Cannes Lions Golds, multiple Silvers, and a Latin Grammy (Best Short Form Music Video) for Julieta Venegas’ “Bien o Mal”. LANDIA’s own records chart further wins across Film and Creative Effectiveness.
Recent reels keep the bar high across Schweppes and more, while his long-running collaboration with LANDIA’s new-talent arm The Movement shows a director invested in pipeline as much as picture.
Casting takeaways
Ensemble timing. Alberdi’s comedy sings when the entire cast lands the rhythm. We audition in groups to test chemistry and calibrate the collective beat.
Pan-market savvy. Shoots spanning Europe/LatAm need usage structures and accent authenticity that travel — we build bilingual search grids and on-set language support.
Elegant side of everyday. His films elevate the familiar; our briefs hunt “ordinary-extraordinary” faces with natural charm over performance-y sheen.
We’re known for unearthing that unexpected gem of a face that truly elevates a project — and for keeping our finger on the pulse of audience trends so the casting connects. With our savvy navigation of talent costs, we build packages that keep more of your money on the lens.
If your next board wants authentic youth energy, precision set-pieces, or ensemble elegance, we’re here for it. With a track record of success on major campaigns and a reputation for finding stand-out talent, our schedule does tend to fill up quickly — so if you’re serious about exceptional casting, let’s chat sooner rather than later.
