Role: Art Director & Picture Publicist
Client: BBC Creative
Production: Mammoth Screen
Campaign assets: Key art, VOD, social, press and print

The Challenge
To create a key art campaign that felt authentic and relatable, capturing the coming-of-age journey of the key characters while appealing to a younger audience. The work needed to reflect both the backdrop of early-2000s East London and the universal story of youth on the cusp of adulthood.

Creative Development
Drawing from the tone of the scripts and the cultural context of the series, I developed a concept centred on the feeling of that final summer before adulthood—hopeful, warm, and full of anticipation. The idea focused on capturing a natural, unguarded sense of connection between the characters. Visually, this translated into an approach that felt intimate and observational, evoking nostalgia without becoming overly retrospective.

Execution
I art directed the photography campaign and commissoned photographer Hanina Pinnick, whose style perfectly fitted the energy and tone of the brief, to shoot the key art. Shot entirely in-camera on location in London, the approach focused on capturing a natural, unfiltered sense of energy and connection.

I also oversaw unit and gallery photography, collaborating with Des Willie and Ryan O’Donoghue to deliver a cohesive set of assets for publicity and campaign use.

Adapted from the memoir by DJ Target and written by Theresa Ikoko, Grime Kids follows five teenage friends growing up in East London during the rise of grime music culture.

© Mammoth Screen
(reproduced with permission)