Ari Leavesley_
The people using the tools should be the ones building them_
Creative director who builds.
12 years shooting tier-one global brands.
Now I install that mentality inside creative teams.
On record_
- Speaker // Nikon Z r launch, London, 2025
- KOL & Educator // Nikon × RED Z r, IBC 2025, Amsterdam
- Tutor // Nikon is the Future, Printworks London // 100 Nikon ambassadors
- ICON // f-stop gear global ambassador program // highest tier
- Consultant // Nikon HQ Tokyo // delegation & development trip
- Featured creative // Nikon Z 6II, Z 7II, Z fc global launch campaigns
Act 1
SHOOT_
I started working on set at 13.
First TV credit at 14 on Land Rover Discovery. Youngest-ever RED Certified Professional the same year.
For the next 12 years I was on other people's sets. Director of Photography. Head of Content. Global campaign lead. Nikon Z-series. JLR across every brand. Reckitt. Genesis. Cartoon Network. Singapore Airlines. AlUla. Hyundai. Trainline.
Goodwood 2025: four JLR brand films delivered solo. DP, edit, grade, sound, VFX. One person.
Some of the work you have seen without knowing my name was on it.
“A truly gifted storyteller whose talent outshines seasoned peers. JLR owes Ari a great deal of gratitude.”
“A veritable bible of information. The only viable tutor for this workshop. The only person known to us with the product expertise and real world experience.”
SHOOT_
BUILD_
I stopped asking for better tools
and started building them.
Act 2
BUILD_
Five production-ready DaVinci Resolve plugins in seven days. Metal GPU compute shaders, zero-copy buffer pipelines.
- CRUSH_ // visual destruction, 14 effects, 6-slot chaining.
- FUZZ_ // analogue texture, 7 layers, 15 presets.
- CBA_ // lens-accurate chromatic aberration in Oklab space.
- SUBTRACKT_ // subtractive colour grading, 14 film presets.
- GRAPHFX_ // kinetic typography, progress-based animation.
Then a portable shader file format. Dotfiles that hold Metal configurations, load dynamically by output, port between DaVinci and Premiere through one generator backend.
Then an AI orchestration system, built in one afternoon. Roughly 80 percent more token-efficient than naive use.
Then an advisor-driven development pattern. Opus plans. Cheap models execute. Escalation on complexity. I rebuilt Anthropic's internal tool pattern from first principles before I knew it had a name.
I did not write the code. I defined the outcomes.
AI is smarter than me. I stopped managing it. I started briefing it like a DP.
Act 3
INSTALL_
The gap is not capability. It is friction.
Creative teams are fully kitted, fully staffed. The tools are there. The talent is there. The solo creator with a laptop still outships them because they have no friction.
Shadow Install installs the operating system that removes it.
Not a consultancy engagement. Not a deck that gathers dust. A two-to-four-week sprint inside your workflow. Measured before. Measured after. Handed over.
Your team does not become dependent on me. Your team becomes the builders.
References
What they said_
I trust the work to speak for itself.
These are the people whose words still do the talking.
“A veritable bible of information.”
Julian Harvie // Marketing Director, Nikon Europe
“A touch of genius.”
Tracey Tompsett // Head of Public Relations, Jaguar Land Rover (UK)
“Ahead of many long-established videographers.”
Jon Walsh // Head of PR & Communications, Genesis Motor Europe
“A truly talented individual, technician, and artist.”
Greg Morrison // Director of Communications, Reckitt
“A new hero in the imaging industry.”
Gen Umei // Creative Director, Vice President, K&L Inc., Tokyo
“A true professional with a great way with people.”
Rachel Palmer // Creative Content Producer, Duke of Edinburgh's Award
“Phenomenally talented. One of a kind.”
Chris Hershman // Filmmaker / Producer, Blokhaus (Max Verstappen F1 commercial)
Credits
Select work_
Awards
- 2023 // Best Digital Comms // Reckitt (Finish Ultimate Plus)
- 2019 // SABRE Gold, PR Moment Gold, PR Week Gold // Trainline
- 2017 // PR Week Gold // Cartoon Network (Ben 10 Rust Bucket)
- 2017 // PR Global Consumer Launch of the Year // ITV (Thunderbirds Thundercab)
Select clients
Nikon · Jaguar Land Rover · Reckitt · Cartoon Network · Genesis · Nissan · Tezos · AlUla · Hyundai · Western Digital · Singapore Airlines · ITV · Trainline · f-stop gear · Atomos
Headline projects
The Next Chapter
Nikon Z 6II / Z 7II global launch documentary. Six photographers, four locations, shot in lockdown. Beyond Content, 2020.
Nikon is the Future
Printworks London, 2023. Video tutor for ~100 Nikon ambassadors.
Defender VIP
Jaguar Land Rover, 2022. Remote Scotland VIP media experience across a multi-vehicle convoy.
Sunday Times × JLR F-TYPE
Portugal, 2020. Hero feature for the launch of the Sunday Times YouTube car channel.
Max Verstappen F1 commercial
Blokhaus, 2023. Shot and cut in London for a Chicago-based agency.
Goodwood 2025
Jaguar Land Rover. Four brand films delivered solo. DP, edit, grade, sound, VFX.
Showreel