Merv

27/12/2024

20/11/2024

Drawing inspiration from his own beginnings with a Polaroid camera, Christopher IRELAND’s latest work for OFFICEWORKS captures the magic of creativity and connection.

Developed by CHEP Melbourne and directed by Dom Meehan, the campaign follows a young woman as she embarks on her own creative journey. Gifted a Polaroid camera at Christmas, she captures moments that ultimately become a heartfelt gift.

For Ireland, this project resonates deeply, aligning with his passion for crafting images that evoke nostalgia, human connection, and emotional authenticity.

“This campaign gave me the opportunity to do what I love — capturing moments that feel genuine and timeless,” says Ireland.

Ireland’s approach to storytelling continues to move viewers, blending personal history with universal themes of discovery and connection. The work serves as a reminder of photography’s unique ability to inspire and bring people closer together, one frame at a time.

Credits

Executive Creative Director - Tian Murphy
Art Director - Rowan Marshcroft
Copywriter - Cam Watson
Executive Producer - Jen Livingston

For all enquiries contact Tim Berriman – [email protected]

15/10/2024

Alina Gozin’a DIRECTS A NEW TVC FOR Garnier

MERV's interdisciplinary artist Alina Gozin’a has just completed a major TVC and social campaign for GARNIER with Medium Rare Content Agency.

The campaign is focused on the stories of three real women, who all have different hair colour needs and expectations, and who are able to meet them with Garnier’s GOOD Permanent Hair Colour.

Alina is known for her cinematic lighting and ability to capture the human spirit in an arresting way. That and her ability to work with real talent and make them look amazing was one of the key reasons Garnier selected her for this launch project.

Previously, Alina has been commissioned to create portraits of industry leaders and notable figures like Scott Farquhar, Frank Lowy, Andrew Forrest, Anthony Pratt & Kevin Rudd, as well as an ongoing notable advertising campaign for Pymble Ladies’ College.

For all enquiries contact Tim Berriman – [email protected]

CREDITS:

CLIENT: L'Oréal Paris
Business Brand Lead, Garnier: Holly Stellini
Brand Manager, Garnier Hair Colour + Hair Care: Samuel Murphy

CREATIVE AGENCY: Medium Rare Content Agency
Head of Creative Production: Chantelle Love
Creative Producer: Lauren King
Partnerships Manager: Tania Turner

PRODUCTION COMPANY: MERV
Director: Alina Gozińa
Executive Producer: Tim Berriman
Line Producer: Amanda Slatyer

1st AD: Brendan Donoghue
DOP: Don Buppapirak
1st Camera Asst: Sandy McLennan
2nd Camera Asst: Giulio Raimondo
Gaffer: Matt Willis
Best Boy: Craig Knight
2nd Elx Asst: Nik Damianakis
Key Grip: Mark Abrahams
Grip Asst: Scott Parsons

Sound Recordist: Predrag Malesev

Production Designer: Pat Howe
Standby Props: Andy Playford
Art Dept Asst: Michal Krzywda
Stylist: Katherine Green

Key Makeup Artist: Nadine Monley
Makeup Artist Asst: Vanessa Barney

Key Hair Stylist: Travis Balcke
Hair Stylist Asst: Anno Shimzu
Hair Technician: Lauren McCowan
Hair Technician Asst: Joey King

POST PRODUCTION
Editing, grade + online: Tom Pennel
Sound Mix: James Martell

10/10/2024

Christopher Ireland Captures Natural Humanity in Officeworks Brand Campaign with a Star-Studded Guinea Pig Cameo

Award-winning photographer Christopher Ireland, known for his ability to capture the effortless humanity in everyday moments, returns with a fresh set of lifestyle stills for Officeworks. Shot on the heels of the television commercial, this new work blends natural, cinematic photography with a touch of playfulness.

Set around a family’s journey to design and build the ultimate enclosure, the campaign’s unassuming star, Bruce, a modest but dashing Sheba mini yak managed to steal more than just a few scenes.

“These are the moments you can’t script—natural, relatable, and just a little bit unexpected,” said Ireland.

“The Shiba mini yak is a morphotype of Guinee Pig I’m yet to photograph, so I’m stoked to add it to my wildlife collection.”

Ireland’s images encapsulate the warm, authentic connection he’s celebrated for, seamlessly marrying the spontaneous energy of the TVC with his distinct cinematic vision.

The result is a series of stills that feel lived-in, human, and yet polished—perfectly complementing the story at the heart of the campaign.

The talent behind the scenes were Rowan Marshcroft and Cam Watson, James Coumans, & ECD Tian Murphy @ CHEP and director Dom Meehan from The Producers.

For all inquiries contact Tim Berriman – [email protected]

www.mervmakes.com

16/09/2024

MERV director GEMMA LEE shoots for PANADOL via Leo Burnett

Director Gemma Lee has just completed the new Panadol campaign for Leo Burnett. The campaign features supers that are fully integrated with the live action to match the real-world aesthetic of the rest of the campaign. This approach allowed Lee to shoot and light the scenes naturally, aligning

27/07/2024

Aaron Wilson joins MERV :: Campaign Brief

Award winning filmmaker Aaron Wilson has joined MERV.

22/07/2024

AWARD WINNING FILMMAKER AARON WILSON JOINS MERV

With two critically acclaimed feature films under his belt, “Canopy” and “Little Tornadoes”, Aaron infuses his commercial directing work with a refined cinematic perspective, enriched with emotive character performances and subtle humour.

Raised along the Murray River, Aaron has lived and worked in and around the neighbourhood South-East Asian region, and resides in inner-city Melbourne. With this background, he focuses on work that emphasises difference, inclusivity, q***r representation and cross-cultural connection, mirroring the values of modern Australia.

Wilson has directed some truly atmospheric campaigns, most notably on the “The Best” for John West, and the impactful “Love The Game, Not The Odds” for Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. He has crafted a diverse range of work for international brands and brings extensive experience working with multi-platform, VR and activation projects.

He is also well known for his aptly named campaign ‘The Hipstervention”, for BIC Australia, which takes aim at the hipster beard.

For all inquiries contact David Curry - [email protected]

Or Tim Berriman – [email protected]

www.mervmakes.com

02/07/2024

MERV OPENS MELBOURNE OFFICE

MERV announces the opening of it's Melbourne office, which will be headed up by Executive Producer David Curry, who brings with him decades of experience on both the agency and production house side of the business.

David joins on the heels of his long-time collaborator, director Craig Melville who recently joined the MERV roster. Together they have an impressive body of work locally and internationally for brands including Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, McDonalds, Gillette, Carnival Cruises and SEEK.

“I’m really looking forward to helping build the MERV brand in Melbourne and working with the great team of directors and artists they have curated. I’m also keen to bring on board some additional great Melbourne talent who might be looking to change things up and join a fresh and new team, together we are building something really exciting”, says David.

Sydney inquiries contact Tim Berriman – [email protected]
Melbourne enquiries contact David Curry – [email protected]

www.mervmakes.com

25/06/2024

MERV is excited to announce that comedy director Craig Melville comes on board and brings with him over two decades of experience and an impressive body of commercial, as well as, long-form work.

His work spans 120 episodes of broadcast television and more than 100 spots for clients such as Pepsi, Disney, Expedia, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Target, McDonald’s and Honda.

Craig’s work has been recognized at award festivals including wins at Cannes, Grand Prix at Spikes Asia, Grand Prix at Mumbrella BeFest, Australian Film Institute Awards, and multiple Australian Directors Guild Awards.

For all enquiries contact Tim Berriman – [email protected]

14/06/2024

Click on the link to read the full Campaign Brief article ➡️https://rb.gy/pbllav

Daniel Fenech
Matt Formston
Sydney Film Festival
MassiveMusic

12/06/2024

MERV's co-founder and EP Tim Berriman on the red carpet with THE BLIND SEA director Daniel Fenech, executive producer Erin Fenech and it's star Matt Formston

05/06/2024

MERV's incredible roster of DIRECTORS ::

Jason Ferrand
Gemma Lee
Damien Toogood Director
Sean Dunne
Jonathan May Photography
Matt Kazman
Daniel Fenech
Peter Henderson
Alina Gozin’a
Samantha + Arturo
Chris Ireland

03/06/2024

MERV's Jonathan May directs the new CeraVe Skincare spot staring Dylan Alcott and Millie Ford for Medium Rare.

Jonathan's ability to concurrently direct and capture stills, once again proves invaluable when dealing with time pressures while allowing the talent to relax and let their personalities shine.

All this added to the mix has allowed for a great ad and a day full of laughs.
Client L'Oréal Group
Sophie Lacorne
Alice Hansen
Izzy Pehlivanidis

Agency Medium Rare
Chantelle Love
Katherine Green
Portia Lauchlan

Production MERV
Tim Berriman

23/05/2024

Today MERV attended Artist Talk #2 held by our very own Chris Ireland at TAFE NSW.

It was very inspiring to hear Chris speak about following his passion and making a difference, as well as to see his very rare Palladium prints not shown in public.

To see Chris’s personal and commercial work, both in print and motion, head to mervmakes.com or contact Tim at [email protected]

14/05/2024

MERV welcomes Chris Ireland to it's growing ranks

14/05/2024

PHOTOGRAPHER AND FILMMAKER CHRIS IRELAND JOINS THE GROWING RANKS AT MERV

Known for his authentic storytelling and multidisciplinary approach, Chris Ireland makes a strategic move to MERV – a powerhouse production house that champions versatility and craft. This alliance will further hone and expand Ireland’s directing abilities and add to MERV’s growing roster of exceptional talent.

Ireland’s ability to photograph and direct, in equal measure, is evident in his executions for clients such as Army and Uber, to name a few.

Adding to his diverse portfolio, Chris recently exhibited at Sydney Contemporary, showcasing his artistry in the contemporary scene. His poignant Greenway exhibition reflects his commitment to revealing everyday beauty and human resilience.

“Chris’ unique ability to capture the subtleties of the human condition perfectly aligns with MERV’s motivation,” says Executive Producer Tim Berriman. “His talent and vision are invaluable additions to our roster.”

To see more of Chris Ireland’s work, visit our website mervmakes.com

For all enquiries contact Tim Berriman – [email protected]

20/03/2024

Coming off the back of this year’s box office smash hit “MEAN GIRLS” directing duo SAMANTHA JAYNE and ARTURO PEREZ JR have joined up with MERV for exclusive representation in Australasia.

Learn more here ➡️ https://bitly.ws/3gohC

08/03/2024

Merv celebrates

Merv is celebrating International Women's Day by showcasing some of the amazing women on its roster and a snapshot of their incredible work.