A tight knit team who have worked closely together for some twenty five years, where each contributes their own specialist area of expertise and covering all aspects of production, animation, post production and digital. Our vast, combined experience enables genuine value for money and the flexibility to work to tight deadlines within controlled budgets while giving full rein to creativity.

We have filmed on all formats all over the world - from China and India to the USA, Europe and Africa - for major international clients including Toyota, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Peugeot and Kellogg's, we have produced a 110 episode animation series for ITV and we've won numerous awards, including D&AD, Mobius and New York Film Festival.

    • Experience: Hands-on and hard working with our clients’ best interests at heart.

    • Creativity: With a wide selection of excellent directors to choose from, together with our in-house creative resources, we can afford far greater creative input than relying purely on outside resources.

    • Value for Money: Transparent budgets and an open approach plus the negotiating skills to make the most out of any budget. We don’t just make phone calls; we actively become involved to achieve the best deals without compromise.

    • Trust: As demonstrated time and time again, we can be called upon to deliver at very little notice and for pre-determined budgets. We always deliver over and above client expectations.

    Our longevity is due to consistently putting more of your budget on screen. Using our experience and inventiveness – and a degree of lateral thinking – we know how to control costs and forge relationships. To us, it’s not about big margins; it’s about enjoying what we do best.

Neil Molyneux
Producer/director

Specialist skills – production/location management & VIP interviewer

Neil is an organiser – and a damn good one. Attention to detail, minutia and the small print matters; not only in the interests of getting the most out of the budget but in the best interests of the client and the job overall. He’s a sticker for the less glamorous, invisible issues that are unsung yet vital within a creative context.

But Neil is far more than an administrator; he’s hands-on in the fullest sense, having produced hundreds of commercials worldwide for the whole spectrum of highly diverse clients in many exotic (and not so exotic) locations - many involving considerable budgets, large crews and cast.

He’s also regularly called upon for his creative and organisational skills to direct / produce multi-national corporate / brand films, where his specialist area of expertise is filming and interviewing VIP’s and the directors of major companies across the globe.

Neil has gathered many friends along the way, with clients and colleagues respecting his boundless good humour, his honesty and integrity. Neil can be relied upon to get it right, to get you there (and back) and to ensure that all the organisational details along the way throw up no omissions or surprises. Directors and creatives simply delight in his diligence.

Neil is married with two children and has a love of the Blues. When he has time (not often) he’s pretty average at golf.

Simon Devine
Producer/director

Specialist skills – post production, animation & production management

From the humble origins of assistant editor, Simon applied his keen eye, sharp ear and tenacity to become one of the most highly respected ‘post guru’s’ in London. This, together with his kind, cheerful nature, led him to being an integral part of the Commercials Unlimited team.

Simon is a highly valued, experienced producer with a comprehensive understanding of the ever evolving digital camera workflows and, with post-heavy commercials taking more and more precedence, he more often than not takes responsibility for the post production. He’s also a director in his own right, with his specialised areas being animation, CGI and SFX. There’s simply no other producer/director more painstaking or committed to the pursuit of excellence.

As well as admiring his attention to detail and trusting his judgment implicitly, everyone enjoys the time spent in Simon’s company, even after several weeks spent in the dark of an edit suite.

Simon is married and is a staunch supporter of Manchester City, as well as being a regular at Lords.

Jo Marsden
Producer

Specialist skills – writer, art director and food stylist

Writers’ Guild jurist (Children’s TV) and the original writer of the now cult programmes Chorlton and the Wheelies and Jamie and the Magic Torch, Jo still gets requests for her autograph. With 30 years experience in the business – and the wisdom and a sense of humour to match – Jo is often the voice of common sense and fair play.

Priding ourselves on our pitch presentations, Jo plays a key role in correlating and writing these presentations which serve very much as the templates for production.

Jo is also a highly experienced art director and food stylist and is happy to work in this role (particularly when the budget is tight). Her highly practical nature often makes the impossible possible and her calm demeanour soothes the stresses of any shoot.

Jo is married with several grandsons. When she has time, she loves country living in its fullest sense and is an excellent cook.

Luke Kemp
Client Services Manager

Specialist skills – IT, digital and web design/management

Apart from when he went off to get his post graduate qualifications in software technology at Liverpool University, Luke has been closely allied to the company for most of his adult life. A qualified Microsoft systems engineer, Luke has a lifelong background in his other passion – film production.

Responsible for client services, the CU website and technical infrastructure, Luke is also the company’s biggest fan - believing in the team’s combined ability and the future of the industry as a whole.

While the producers are immersed in production, Luke runs client services; making sure all agencies and clients have access to, and can interact with, every stage of the production, as well as facilitating new business requirements and pitching.

Luke is lively, optimistic and dedicated - everything is possible and nothing is ever too much trouble for colleagues and clients alike.

Luke is married and has two young sons. His other passions include Adobe CS5, Drupal, big budget effects movies and modern warfare on the PS3.

Key visuals and animation tests

No cost, no obligation animation tests and visuals

Since animation is so varied, we like to provide initial animation tests, character designs and key visuals as part of our Pitch Presentations. Here are a few examples of tests provided at no cost and no obligation.
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Some examples of animation tests

Pitching & Services

  • Icon Pitching
    Whatever your concept, script or end usage, on receipt of your brief/script we’ll put together one of our comprehensive production reports, which are informative, polished and client friendly. This is all part of the pre-sales service, so there is no cost, no obligation and no commitment and everything is treated in the strictest confidence. We also offer a secure client login on our website to facilitate fast and easy communications from start to finish.
  • Icon Directors
    You can nominate any director or a number of directors to submit a treatment; alternatively we can suggest a selection of directors who may be appropriate.
  • Icon Regulations and Usage
    We have a great deal of up to the minute knowledge regarding usage fees (artists, music and VO) as well as being an authority on end usage requirements, from the regulations surrounding captions and disclaimers to station, web and cinema technicalities. We’re always happy to handle all these areas and to negotiate on your behalf to achieve the best deals. These services are to be taken for granted, saving clients time, hassle and money.

Real-time Reels

At the initial stages, take advantage of our 'Real Time Reels' (i.e. selected spots from multiple directors who have appropriate work similar to your brief/concept/style).

We can make these available and posted in to the secure clients area on this site within a couple of hours, as well as forwarding hard copy DVD versions.

User login

Value for money

We endeavor to provide genuine value for money by compiling open budgets, which highlight the deals we can negotiate with crews, cast and facilities. If the production budget is pre-determined we will design our approach to get the very most out of what is available with the same straightforward transparency.

These preliminary budget assessments are treated as working documents and we work closely with our clients to determine the priorities before sign off.

Budget Indicated work