Avril furness CREATIVE DIRECTOR

For creativity, adventure, and relentless curiosity . .

Hi, I’m Avril, a Creative Director and Director with a deep passion for storytelling across film, theatre, gaming, and cutting-edge technologies like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and AI applications. Over the last 16+ years, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with some of the most talented people in advertising, filmmaking, and immersive content creation, delivering innovative brand experiences and crafting stories that inspire, move, and connect audiences.

My creative journey began in 2007 when I worked as an assistant to Lord Maurice Saatchi at M&C Saatchi. It was there that I discovered the magic of advertising—the art of blending creativity with solving business challenges. That spark led me to Watford College, where I honed my skills in art direction and copywriting. From there, I joined London ad agencies Fallon and Wieden+Kennedy, where I created award-winning integrated campaigns for iconic brands like Coca-Cola, Nike, Cadbury, Three, Orange, Tesco, and Skoda, spanning cinema, TV, digital, and print.

After taking a filmmaking postgraduate diploma at the London Film School, I directed and wrote my debut interactive 360 VR film The Last Moments, which was showcased at The Met Museum in New York as part of their In Our Time Symposium. The film was recognized as one of the “Most Exciting and Critical Spatial Projects of 2017” and screened globally at events WIRED LIVE London and Bafta recognised Encounters Festival. It was also nominated for Best Director and Most Immersive awards.

During the pandemic in 2020–2021, my production company secured multiple seed-funding opportunities through government-supported agency Story Futures. These projects included a trauma-informed immersive VR prototype designed to help young people transition out of the care system, and a second initiative in collaboration with BBC and the British Film Institute. This involved directing and writing a Virtual Reality film prototype for the Unboxed Festival UK 2022, which celebrated innovative storytelling.

My passion for immersive storytelling has since led me to write and direct several impactful VR films. One of the standout projects, The Right Choice, was created for the International Committee of the Red Cross in partnership with Google. This VR experience won a Lovie Award and the Social Impact Media Award (SIMA 2020) for the VR+360 category. It was also nominated for the Most Social Impact Award at the VR Awards in London 2019 and showcased at prestigious platforms like The World Economic Forum in Davos and international film festivals.

Beyond immersive filmmaking, I’ve worked extensively as a Creative Director at agencies McCann and Iris. At these agencies, I led pitches and oversaw creative campaign productions from brief to delivery, collaborating with diverse teams to create impactful global advertising campaigns. I’ve worked across healthcare, banking and finance, automotive, tech, and FMCG sectors, delivering everything from experiential activations to product launches. Some notable clients include Teva, Roche, GSK, and Samsung. My most recent campaign for the charity Acid Survivors Trust International earned a Cannes Gold Lion nomination in June 2024.

In addition to my work in advertising and film, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring and leading workshops at esteemed institutions such as University of the Arts London, Royal College of Art, and Goldsmiths. Working with individual SMEs and emerging artists has been a particularly rewarding experience, as it allows me to share insights, inspire others, and foster creativity in the next generation of talent.

What drives me is the continuous pursuit of bombastic storytelling with emerging technologies. Whether it’s crafting immersive VR prototypes or delivering impactful campaigns, my work has been about creating memorable moments that spark awareness, inspire change, and connect people. It’s an honor to have seen my projects showcased globally.

I approach every project with curiosity, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of innovation in the ideas and format that keeps the work meaningful and exciting. I’m constantly inspired by the intersection of technology and storytelling and look forward to the next project that challenges me to push creative boundaries.