England and Chelsea footballer, Raheem Sterling, and industry icon and music video director, Carly Cussen, have today launched their own creative production agency – Playmaker Films.
Sterling and Cussen have a track record of working together to create entertaining and quality video products for brands and Playmaker Films was born from the passion and excitement that were a hallmark of the projects they collaborated on.
Playmaker Films will specialise in producing branded content, advertising and music videos, delivering the impact and emotional resonance of world-class entertainment to brands and their customers.
The agency’s core approach will be ‘entertainment first’ inspired by Cussen’s and Sterling’s work, both behind the camera and on the pitch, over the last two decades.
The launch comes as Sterling has begun to establish himself outside of football, becoming a fashion icon working with brands such as Bottega Veneta and Burberry – as well as becoming a powerful and influential advocate for social change. His Raheem Sterling Foundation brings opportunities for young people around the UK and he was appointed MBE for his services to racial equality in 2021.
Sterling’s co-founder, Cussen, has 15 years in the industry, directing videos for some of music’s biggest names including Ed Sheeran, Keke Palmer, Little Mix and Lil’ Baby. Additionally, she has worked with household brands such as Disney, Pretty Little Things and Samsung, winning multiple awards along the way including a Gold Lovie in the ‘Weird and Wonderful’ category for her acclaimed OnePlus ‘Never Settle’ campaign.
Raheem Sterling commented on the launch “Part of the day job involves a lot of time on sets at video shoots for brands. Over time I was more and more interested in what was going on behind the camera. I’d worked with Carly on a number of projects, for brands like Gillette and Samsung, and I started to ask her questions about different aspects of the process. When it came to starting my own production company, she was the obvious choice.
“We’ve got some great projects lined up, with some amazing brands and talent, including Clarks ‘Back To School’ campaign which was a lot of fun to create and shoot. I can’t wait for the world to see what we’ve got up our sleeves.”
Carly Cussen continued: “I knew Raheem was a natural performer on the pitch, but I didn’t know that he also had the talent in front of the camera as well! I loved working with him, and when he started to pop up behind the scenes as well, I knew he had a future on the other side of the camera.
“Playmaker Films is a truly collaborative endeavour between myself and Raheem, as well as the amazing people that perhaps don’t get a mention in the headlines. There’s a real buzz about the place, what we are trying to do and we have some exciting projects in the pipeline. I can’t wait to kick off.”
Playmaker Film’s in-house capabilities will include specialist strategy, creative and production functions, fronted by Royston Reeves, former Head of Strategy at JOE Media, and Kem Ekundayo – an international producer with a background working with top influencers and musicians such as Anne-Marie, KSI and Popcaan.
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