Olly Blackburn is a British commercial and film director and screenwriter. Olly graduated from Oxford University in 1993 where he studied history. Having always had a passion for film, Olly won a Fulbright Scholarship and pursued graduate studies in film and television at the Tisch School of the Arts. While there, his film ‘Swallowed’ received New York University’s Martin Scorsese Post-Production Award.

Blackburn began his professional film career directing music videos, shooting promos for the likes of Tin Star, Embrace, Six By Seven and ’78 Stone Wobble’ for Gomez, which was nominated for the CADs Best Newcomer award. Music videos led on to commercials, and Olly has since shot spots for clients including: BBC, HSBC, Carlsberg, National Lottery, Boots, Head & Shoulders, Industry Trust, and most recently BBC Local Radio which picked up BTA and LIA awards.

In 2009 Olly co-wrote and directed ‘Donkey Punch’, his first feature, a thriller set on a luxury yacht off the coast of Mallorca. ‘Donkey Punch’ had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, and was released theatrically in the UK by Optimum Films and Magnolia Films in America. The film was a huge success with the Guardian calling it ‘expertly made and painfully tense’.
2013 sees a return to commercials for Olly who has just finished filming his new feature ‘Random’ with Hollywood star Ashley Green (Twilight series).

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