Declan Lowney Brings Mayhem to Merman
The celebrated comedy director Declan Lowney has been signed for US commercial work by Merman US based in New York and Los Angeles, having been on the roster of Merman UK since 2021. His signing brings a major comedy talent to the US advertising scene, which has seen an explosion of comedy campaigns from top brands. Most of Declan’s work in the US to date has been as a director and supervising producer on Apple TV’s global smash hit “Ted Lasso”. Declan received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Directing, and a DGA nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in comedy, for Seasons 1 and 3, and he won an Emmy as Producer for Season 2.
The Irish director’s first new commercial work in the US market, produced by Merman, has been directing the latest installments of Allstate’s hilarious Mayhem saga, featuring the character actor Dean Winters as a deadpan, bruised and shape-shifting provocateur of catastrophes who wreaks havoc everywhere. In “Leafblower” Winters becomes an illegal “overpowered leafblower” blowing debris into traffic, causing an auto wreck. In a holiday spot promoting the Walmart Protection Plan by Allstate, Winter is an “Overworked Elf” who carelessly drops a bag of Christmas gifts down a working chimney, destroying a pile of new electronic devices. Allstate also will be dropping a soon to be announced third installment in the Mayhem series directed by Declan.
“When I moved to the US four years ago, one of the first ad campaigns I noticed was Allstate’s Mayhem spots,” said Declan. “I loved the character’s glee and excitement at creating MAYHEM and thought… yea, I want to be part of that! I totally get the humour, and the visual gags play perfectly to my skill set. Dean’s a brilliant actor, he brings so many ideas to the part, and he's a lot of fun to work with! The creative team at Allstate really know their stuff. There’s a very specific conceit with Mayhem and they know what works and what doesn’t, which is a really fine line. It’s great to have that guidance. Comedy is a collaborative sport, and coming from TV, I bring that spirit of collaboration to the commercials I make. I love working with the creative team to make sure we're telling the very funniest version of their story. That collaboration is crucial to me.”
“We are so happy to have Declan with Merman this side of the pond” said Merman global managing director, Kira Carstensen. “We have had the pleasure of working with him in the UK, and just knew that his brand of humor and delightful direction would play well in this market. His work is not just funny, it is heroically hilarious, with his great storytelling and eye for detail. Declan is one of a kind, a supremely gifted talent, but an even better human being. We are lucky to have him.”
Declan is renowned for his work on some of the UK’s best-loved TV comedies and commercials, from the cult hit of “Father Ted” to comedy hits such as “Little Britain” and “Cold Feet.” He has won two BAFTAs, is six time BAFTA nominee for comedy direction over his career, and two of his British comedies have won International Emmys.
In the commercial world, Declan is highly sought after for his Irish wit and light comic touch. His commercial work covers a large breadth of brands including BT, Halifax, Santander, Sky and the AA. His awards span from Cannes Grand Prix, Gold & Silver Lions, D&AD Pencils, British Arrows, Kinsale Sharks and Clios. Declan’s most popular commercial work is a series of blockbuster, star-studded Warburtons bread spots which feature epic comic turns from Sylvester Stallone, The Muppets, Peter Kay, Robert De Niro, George Clooney and Samuel L. Jackson.
“Speaking to your audience with humor shows that you respect your audience's intelligence and they in turn appreciate the advertiser for that,” said Declan. “It can form a bond between the brand and the consumer that you don’t often get. Great comedy commercials are like the best comedy TV shows - the audience feels they’re in good hands and are happy to go along for the ride. My commercials are funnier because I direct funny TV shows, and my TV work looks better now because I’ve learned so much from shooting commercials. It’s a win-win situation!
