HOBBY welcomes the surreal charms of US director Emma Debany to its Nordic roster.
Emma started out on Adult Swim鈥檚 The Eric Andre show, quickly graduating from Street Prank PA to director鈥檚 assistant. Her directorial debut, the hilariously unsettling 鈥楽teve鈥檚 Kinkoes鈥, made waves on the festival circuit and caught the eye of Natasha Lyonne, who called it one of her favourite shorts ever. Emma鈥檚 films find the absurd in the everyday, with a unique style that she describes as Y鈥渁 kind of hyperreality 鈥 surreal and heightened but with grounded elements that force you to question what 鈥榥ormal鈥 really is.鈥
Emma鈥檚 commercial work takes brands to unexpected places, as seen in the disturbingly funny worlds she created for Totino鈥檚 in her native US. Her recent campaign for Arby鈥檚 featured a deliriously eccentric turn from Kyle Maclachlan, no stranger to the strange himself.
鈥淚 want to make adverts that people haven鈥檛 seen before,鈥 says Emma. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to play it safe, but you have to take chances. I鈥檓 not interested in just shoving a product in someone鈥檚 face. I鈥檇 much rather give people something unexpected, something interesting, something that makes them laugh. Or cry.鈥
It鈥檚 this irreverent, disruptive approach that captured the attention of creative production company HOBBY. 鈥淚鈥檓 so excited to let Emma loose in the Nordic landscape,鈥 says HOBBY founder and CEO Oskar B氓rd. 鈥淭he moment I saw her work I felt this frisson of recognition; I sensed a kindred spirit in the world of the weird. Emma鈥檚 films reach surreal heights, but always keep one foot on the floor 鈥 that鈥檚 a very special skill and we鈥檙e so happy she鈥檚 found her Scandi home here at HOBBY!鈥
鈥淚 think the Nordic market is an incredibly creative space,鈥 says Emma. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not afraid to do unusual stuff, darker stuff; not so afraid to offend people鈥檚 expectations, unlike in some markets! When I heard about HOBBY I thought 鈥榯his works - these guys make exactly the kind of films I love to see, the films I love to make鈥. So let鈥檚 give the Nordic people something good to look at when they're watching ads - no more white noise!鈥