OB's Thomas James Wins Gold at Creative Circle Awards

Being a working class lad from Wolverhampton, tackling the inequalities of the class pay gap was a cause close to Thomas’ heart. Other than his instinctive understanding of cinematic storytelling and some sublime casting choices. The stroke of genius that lead to much of this film's success was his insistence on writing and making the short film, before cutting the required trailer from it. In doing so, it provided much-needed depth and emotion to the finished piece.

Jeremy Green, CEO at Creative Circle said, “First of all, I think the work is outstanding on so many levels. The issue it identifies is also the driving force for the existence of the UK Creative Festival. I started the festival to be a home for the creative careers fair. The festival also has great inspirational speakers, panels and workshops for the people already working in creative industries. But at the heart is the careers fair which is free for any young aspiring creatives to attend and discover their pathway to a creative career. We have also just recently completed an in-depth research project that identifies the barriers young people face on entering the creative industry.’ 

Otis Bell, CEO at OB said, “So proud to have been able to collectively contribute to such an important and neglected issue within the workplace, particularly in the creative industry. Not only did the inspired creative concept tap into Thomas’ strengths as a compelling and impactful storyteller, it also further ignited our ambition for creating work that sits at the intersection of advertising and long form entertainment. To also be awarded with a gold from the Creative Circle Awards is especially gratifying. Big thank you to the amazing team at Creature for putting their unreserved faith in Thomas and our production team.” 

Thomas James, OB director said, “It feels strange to win an award for something so many people worked so hard on, but it was an incredible project for an incredible cause, and I’m over the moon with the recognition for the film. Thank you to everyone. It’s a been a ride.” 

Sam Holmes, EP/ head of production at OB said, “Thomas is an original storyteller with an authentic voice and to find and collaborate on a project with a message so deeply relevant to him and so many of us involved, is an opportunity we all jumped at. 

Class is often an overlooked and malignant issue within the workplace and we were only too happy to help shine a light on the struggle faced by so many. 

To have such efforts recognised with a win, in such a prestigious category, is an undeniable breath of fresh air and will hopefully lead to the projects continued exposure, enabling industries such as ours to promote real changes in the way we find talent going forward.”