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HOBBY welcomes the surreal charms of US director Emma Debany to its Nordic roster.

Emma started out on Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre show, quickly graduating from Street Prank PA to director’s assistant. Her directorial debut, the hilariously unsettling ‘Steve’s Kinkoes’, made waves on the festival circuit and caught the eye of Natasha Lyonne, who called it one of her favourite shorts ever. Emma’s films find the absurd in the everyday, with a unique style that she describes as Y“a kind of hyperreality – surreal and heightened but with grounded elements that force you to question what ‘normal’ really is.” 

Emma’s commercial work takes brands to unexpected places, as seen in the disturbingly funny worlds she created for Totino’s in her native US. Her recent campaign for Arby’s featured a deliriously eccentric turn from Kyle Maclachlan, no stranger to the strange himself.

“I want to make adverts that people haven’t seen before,” says Emma. “It’s easy to play it safe, but you have to take chances. I’m not interested in just shoving a product in someone’s face. I’d much rather give people something unexpected, something interesting, something that makes them laugh. Or cry.”

It’s this irreverent, disruptive approach that captured the attention of creative production company HOBBY. “I’m so excited to let Emma loose in the Nordic landscape,” says HOBBY founder and CEO Oskar Bård. “The moment I saw her work I felt this frisson of recognition; I sensed a kindred spirit in the world of the weird. Emma’s films reach surreal heights, but always keep one foot on the floor – that’s a very special skill and we’re so happy she’s found her Scandi home here at HOBBY!”

“I think the Nordic market is an incredibly creative space,” says Emma. “They’re not afraid to do unusual stuff, darker stuff; not so afraid to offend people’s expectations, unlike in some markets! When I heard about HOBBY I thought ‘this works - these guys make exactly the kind of films I love to see, the films I love to make’. So let’s give the Nordic people something good to look at when they're watching ads - no more white noise!”