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Emily Freda Sharp joins Hobby
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Production Company Hobby welcome UK Director Emily Freda Sharp to its Scandinavian and US roster.
Creative Production Company Hobby is delighted to welcome UK Director Emily Freda Sharp to its Scandinavian and US roster.
Sharp has made quite the splash in her native UK, creating films that feature colourful camp comedy, often with a sharp satirical edge. She has lent her highly visual Gen-Z comic eye to brands such as Twix, Tinder, Surf, Eurovision and the BBC.
“I like exploring bold visual comedy styles, so I love a brief that goes big on set design and art direction, where I get to build surreal worlds with practical effects, custom props and crazy costumes…as you can see in my recent Twix commercials,” said Sharp. “And on the flip side, I’m just as passionate about more playful, scripted work. I’ve worked with some amazing talent from celebs and comedians to a BAFTA winning Gaulier-trained clown.”
A sensibility for childlike creativity is another aspect of Sharp's work. “I have a sentimentality for childhood and I love the energy children can bring to a film, like in my spot for Tesco,” said Sharp. Her commercial for the UK’s leading supermarket chain featured a sassy eight year old who had recently gone viral with her uncompromising views on the price of ice cream.
Sharp traces her love for filmmaking back to her own formative years, when she worked as an extra on a Harry Potter movie. “I had just lost my dad to cancer and was in a pretty dark place... but being on set took that all away. I just thought that if something could make me that happy when I was that sad, it was worth pursuing. I had no idea what role I wanted to do, I just wanted to be near the action.”
Her acclaimed short film Uh Oh tackles worrying biases in emerging tech. “As someone with a limb difference, I learnt from experience that Virtual Reality was being developed for able-bodied people,” said Sharp. “That led me down a rabbit hole of things like skeuomorphic sexism and AI bias. So I thought, why not use my skills to make a dark, surreal comedy to spread the word?” The film had a major impact upon release, leading to the creation of the UK government’s AI Ethics Taskforce.
“Emily’s work is so fresh and ingenious. She has such a pure, colourful, creative energy in her craft,” said Hobby Founder and CEO Oskar Bård. “And that’s an energy the world really needs right now!”
“Thanks to their Nordic roots, Hobby have an unmatched understanding of the satirical, unhinged tone of voice that I love to play with,” said Sharp. “With a truly international team and keen eyes for visual comedy, I couldn't be in better hands stepping into the US and Scandinavia.”
