Thinkbox
Denney began his career in 1996 as an art director at Y&R, picking up a Gold Lion for his St Mungo’s interactive cinema commercial in his first year. From there he moved to Saatchi & Saatchi, creating notable work for Visa and the NSPCC, including the multi-award-winning Carlsberg “Old lions” campaign. After this, he moved to DDB as creative director and created award-winning work for Volkswagen, Budweiser, Harvey Nichols, The Economist, Kwik-Fit, Tropicana and Virgin Media.
In 2011, he joined MullenLowe London as joint executive creative director and quickly turned the agency around, creating campaigns for Halfords, Morrisons, Unilever and MicroLoan.
In August 2017, Denney moved to St Luke’s London where he works across the agency’s accounts including KP Snacks, South Western Railway, Heathrow and Which? Now the agency's joint chief creative officer, Denney has been named among Campaign’s top 20 creative directors.
VW Polo “Protection” (1997)
Beautiful cinematography is pitched perfectly with a classical score to give an epic ambience to this commercial. In a number of scenarios, including a riot, horserace and boxing match, people in danger curl themselves into balls to protect themselves from dog, fire, hoof and glove. The ad relates this survival instinct to its small car, ending with the line, “Have you ever noticed how protected you feel when you make yourself small?”
- Agency: DDB, London
- Creative team: Jeremy Craigen
- Client: VW Volkswagen
- Production company: Academy Films
- Director: Jonathan Glazer
Fox Sports “Nail gun” (2002)
Part of the “Beware of things made in October” campaign for the Major League Baseball playoffs on Fox Sports, this short won many international advertising awards, including Gold Cannes Lions and One Show Pencils.
- Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day San Francisco
- Creative team: Chuck McBride
- Client: Fox Sports
- Production company: Harvest
- Director: Baker Smith
Macmillan “Whatever it takes” (2021)
A powerful, emotionally-driven campaign that portrays the realities of living with cancer through a series of intimate, human moments, showcasing how Macmillan’s teams provide the support required in the most vulnerable situations. The big idea is rooted in the human truth that Macmillan does whatever it takes. Winner of the January/February 2021 Thinkboxes Award.
- Agency: AMV BBDO
- Creative team: Alex Grieve, Nadja Lossott, Nicholas Hulley, Andy Clough, Rich McGrann Client: Macmillan Cancer Support
- Production company: Iconoclast
- Director: Jonathan Alric