Born in Australia, Craig Gillespie moved to the United States when he was 19 years old to attend the School of Visual Arts in New York City where he studied illustration, graphic design and advertising. An internship at J.Walter Thompson soon led to a decade-long career as an agency art director with some of New York’s most prestigious advertising agencies. At DMB&B Gillespie won a Silver Pencil for his work on Burger King and a Silver Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival for his work on Pepsi at BBDO. But it was while working at Ammirati Puris & Lintas that he decided to trade in his award-winning career as an agency art director for an award-winning career as a director.
Beginning with the H&R Block spot, “Worried about Bill”, that depicts a man gone crazy from the pressure of filing his taxes, Gillespie’s rise has been meteoric. (Creativity magazine recently described him as “a major commercials funnyman with a future.”) More dark comedy work for H&R Block, followed by character-driven spots for Citibank, Chevy, Budweiser (“Whassup?!”), Holiday Inn Express, Honda and SBC Communications have earned Gillespie America’s highest advertising honors (two One Show Gold’s and a One Show Silver) as well as some of America’s most prestigious commercial accolades, including recognition by the AICP for his Citibank “Delivery Room” commercial for Best Talent/Performance. He has also earned a Clio, a British D&AD, a London International Advertising award and a Communication Arts award, all for campaigns that cause audiences to laugh and wince with recognition at Gillespie’s offbeat, performance-driven spots that draw on the fragility of our humanity. Known for reality-based performances, Gillespie has earned the respect of many of his colleagues who appreciate his sharp comedic sense, strong casting skills and dedication to talent to get the performances he needs, resulting in what can only be described as the unexpected.
Gillespie, who Boards Magazine calculates is one of the top 10 directors worldwide, has been twice nominated by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) for Best Director in 2002 and 2003.
