Dan Roberts back in the director's chair

Dan Roberts is back in action after taking time out of the director's chair to start up Terraplane which is the stable for young, fresh, unconventional directors.

Roberts is mentor to some of the most sought after young directors both locally and abroad. He took a break from the ol' routine when directing for him started to become a 'job' rather than a passion. He decided to take a sabbatical from his directorial pursuits and invest in the enthusiasm of young creative minds and the exciting work of digital convergence. He now heads one of the busiest production shops in the country. Roberts has found that working with the 'rookies' has refreshed his passion for film and his views on directing and now feels confident to loosen the reins and get back into what it is that he loves doing most - directing.

Apart from South Africa, he has directed in London, Barcelona, Paris, Hamburg and Milan. His love lies in creating what he calls populist work - work with universal appeal, particularly humour and pathos. His stories are primarily emotional experiences. Though he has a love for the visual craft, it's with the knowledge that no one has ever laughed - or cried - at a good camera move.

Roberts emphasised his warm, understated style when he recently broke his shackles together with the help of O&M's Exclusive Books commercial entitled 'Fanatics' where we see a high-powered executive, faced with a difficult decision... Roberts moved onto another of O&M's commercials, this time taking a look down the throat of a man for DSTV's Fear Factor. Last and certainly not least, Roberts, together with Net#work BBDO, kindly points out to an old lady, that Opel Astra 'doesn't do slow'. Three spots shot literally - all in a day's work.