Selena Schleh
Deputy Editor
selena.schleh@extremereach.com@selenaschleh
Selena Schleh is the deputy editor of shots and, since joining in 2015, has travelled around the globe reporting on creative work, people and trends.
Poetry in motion
Fuelled by an immense imagination, multi-faceted creative Caleb Femi unites words and visuals to magical effect, effortlessly moving from page to screen and back again with a body of work that spans poetry, short films, commercials, TV and even a live catwalk show. Whatever the field, he tells Selena Schleh, the story remains his north star.
The Way I See It: Jess Coulter
From wannabe child actress to professional burlesque dancer, the career path of comedy director (and one-time Britney Spears lookalike) Jess Coulter has taken some hairpin bends. Having begun directing while a CD at BBDO New York, she’s found her spiritual home at O Positive, bringing a humorous touch to spots for IKEA, the Red Cross and Snickers. She tells Selena Schleh about healthy feminist rage and why she’s laughing in the face of her own mortality.
Raising the bar
As ex-professional rugby players turned directors, brothers Michel and Nico Arribehaute have parlayed their sporting experience into stories of passion that transcend purely physical achievements. From Muay Thai to Irish football, Formula One to the Winter Olympics, their track record is enviable – and they’re now looking beyond the sports arena for new challenges.
Par for the cause: the rise of 'sportivism'
Brands have always sought to harness the godlike power of sports personalities but, these days, sporting partnerships are less about shifting product, more about pushing social change. From the rise of ‘sportivism’ to a new squad of TikTok influencers, Selena Schleh examines how -and why – the goalposts have moved.
The health of the high street
With Topshop and Debenhams the latest in a long line of the UK's household names closing the doors to their bricks-and-mortar stores, Selena Schleh investigates whether it’s a terminal diagnosis for the high street, or if brands can find a cure.
Shock ‘n’ troll: Is moral outrage stifling creativity?
Ever since Gutenberg invented the printing press, people have vented their spleens. Now, with huge social media reach at our fingertips, amplified by clickbait-chasing media, public opinion has the power to pull down brands in hours. But if the best creative ideas always polarise, when does healthy debate become something more sinister? Selena Schleh investigates.
Meena Ayittey: Showing it like it is
The daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, Meena Ayittey eschewed her parents’ conventional career aspirations to forge a successful career in the creative industries. Recently signed to Great Guns, she finds rich filmic inspiration in the concept of racism, from her heartrending tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement to a new documentary lifting the lid on creatives of colour and the challenges of adland.
The advertising industry's clash with coronavirus
As countries across the world battle to contain the spread of Covid-19, global businesses strive to find their place in a wholly altered landscape. Advertising's approach comprises interchangeable isolation ads alongside groundbreaking creative thinking. Selena Schleh talks to industry experts about how brands can either build or struggle, and why this is a chance to reboot the world.
Maker by name, maker by nature
Melody Maker began her career in the world of fashion, before turning her talents to helming ambitious promos. Now, the Mill director is bringing her blend of reality, fantasy, live-action and VFX to commercials and creative tech. Selena Schleh meets a rising talent who exemplifies the new breed of creative ‘slashies.’
Ali Kurr's naked ambition
After a dazzling start to her career, making award-winning promos, director Ali Kurr had a spell in the wilderness. Now she's back with an impressive reel of spots and a comedy porno to boot. Fascinated by all things female, the creative polymath tells Selena Schleh why she refuses to make “stereotypical female work”.
A Michelin-starred master of flavour
Cooking up culinary TV triumphs with Jamie and Nigella alongside a commercials reel sizzling with scrumptious spots for Lipton’s, Knorr, Asda and Laphraoig, Mike Matthews is no flash-in-the-pan success story. Selena Schleh meets a food and drink director who finds ‘delicious moments’ in everything from a stock cube to a boiled egg.
Nissan Rogue lets you navigate a World of Distraction
The Tom Kuntz-directed spot, which sees all and sundry glued to their phones, is uncomfortably close to reality.
Selena Schleh is the deputy editor of shots. Since joining shots as features editor in 2015, she has travelled around the globe reporting on creative work, people and trends in territories as diverse as China, South Africa and the US Midwest.
As well as overseeing shots’ annual young talent initiative, Rising Stars, she regularly serves on awards juries including the Young Director Award, D&AD and the shots Awards, and has chaired panels at Ciclope and the Berlin Fashion Film Festival.
Prior to joining the world of advertising, Selena specialised in fashion journalism and contributed to publications including Time Out, The Telegraph, Dazed & Confused and Harrods Magazine. She has never met Anna Wintour but she is the proud owner of a Chihuahua with its own Instagram account (@crappygoyard).
Global focus, Interviews, Profiles, How To..., Rising Stars