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The Directors

For Guimo Sartori, It’s Time for Creative Minds to Stand Out

08/12/2025

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08/12/2025

The GREATERGOOD director on avoiding formulaic treatments, a moment’s work become art, and capturing the “beauty that feels wrong but true”, as part of LBB’s The Directors series

From São Paulo to sets across the globe, Guimo Sartori is a director whose work blends bold visual storytelling, playful humour, and emotional resonance.

Represented by GREATERGOOD (US) and Rebolucion (Brazil, LATAM, England, and Spain), Guimo has earned recognition at Cannes Lions, D&AD, and Young Lions, and is celebrated for turning everyday moments into cinematic experiences that feel both human and meticulously crafted.

His projects showcase a fearless approach to character-driven stories, inventive camera work, and a sharp eye for texture, timing, and rhythm.

Guimo sat down with LBB to talk about his latest work, why personality matters more than ever in an AI-flattened industry, and how narrative, tension and texture shape his approach to every spot.

Name: Guimo Sartori

Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Repped by/in: GREATERGOOD (US), Rebolucion (Brazil, LATAM, England, Spain)

Awards: Cannes Lions, D&AD, Young Lions

LBB> What are some upcoming projects that you're excited about?

Guimo> Right now, I’m still high on the release of Tostitos’ ‘Rojo o Verde’, which was a wild experience full of Mexicanity, humour, and salsa literally flying everywhere. Then, there’s Nubank, which was a beautiful story told with fire, transitions, and a team that made me fall in love with the process again.

Next up, there’s something new cooking. Maybe a car project, maybe something even faster. Let’s see who signs the PO first. Perhaps then I’ll tell you which one it is.

LBB> What excites you in the advertising industry right now, as a director?

Guimo> AI is making everything look the same, which means it’s finally time for creative minds to stand out again.The industry feels like it’s waking up. People are hungry for personality, imperfection, and perspective. The more technology flattens things, the more space there is for actual human direction.

LBB> What elements of a script set one apart from the other, and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot?

Guimo> The ones that shouldn’t have been approved.

Scripts that take a risk (even if it’s subtle) excite me. I believe every commercial, even the most beautiful one, needs to see itself as character-driven. We’re not selling frames; we’re connecting to people.

If there’s a reason to position the camera – emotionally, narratively, even philosophically – then I’m in. Otherwise, I’ll pass.

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

Guimo> I try not to follow a formula. I start by understanding what we’re truly trying to communicate.

Once I know that, I can feel what should guide my eyes, text, and rhythm. I don’t want to give the same ‘natural light/smooth camera/cinematic movement’ nonsense unless it genuinely helps tell the story.

I’ll try to hurt your eyes just enough that you’ll know the piece will make us proud. Because that’s when it becomes art, not homework.

LBB> If the script is for a brand you’re not familiar with, how important is research for you?

Guimo> Very, because ‘not knowing’ is usually where the interesting stuff hides.

I start with field research. How does the brand feel on the street or online? And then I hunt for contradictions. Every brand says it’s ‘authentic’ and ‘fun’, but I want to find what’s awkward, broken, or secretly aspirational underneath that. That’s where the emotional truth (and humour) lives.

I love the ‘I’m not from here’ approach. Seeing a brand or culture with virgin eyes. It makes the obvious disappear, and the essential stand out again.

LBB> What’s the most important working relationship for a director to have during an ad?

Guimo> The creatives. Always. They’re the people who can make us fly or fall when we jump off the edge. They’re the reason I’m confident, and I want them to know I’ll protect them from anything. We’re like two kids holding hands, eating ice cream in an ’80s TV show. Naive, but fully committed.

Let’s also not forget the ‘affair trio’: a brilliant DoP, editor, and production designer. They’re the silent relationships that make the marriage work.

If you gain the creatives’ trust, they’ll defend your vision when you’re not in the room, and that’s 90% of the job. The best collaborations feel like co-parenting a very loud, expensive baby that also has a brand logo.

And yes, the spot belongs to everyone. Staying within budget and schedule isn’t a favour; it’s part of the art. If you can’t do that, you’ve turned your craft into a hobby.

LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about?

Guimo> Work where there’s a reason to place the camera exactly where it is.

I love stories that move with texture, emotion, and humour (but not necessarily comedy). I’m drawn to tension, to beauty that feels slightly off, like a smile you’re not sure you should trust.

I’m addicted to narrative spots. Stories that flirt with film language yet still sell something.

I love surreal humour, slightly absurd realism, and anything with texture. Sweet crumbs, dust motes in the light. Beauty that feels wrong but true.

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter?

Guimo> That I only do comedy or ‘stylised’ stuff. Sure, I like humour and visual precision, but I’m driven by story, rhythm, tone, and emotion. Every piece, even the funny ones, needs a heartbeat. Style is just how I tune it.

LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant, and how has that been?

Guimo> Yes. It's like speed-dating with spreadsheets. The good ones understand the delicate dance between ambition and budget. The bad ones think a desert can be replaced with a beige floor and a ‘desert LUT’. (Spoiler: it can’t).

But honestly, I respect the job. The spot belongs to everyone! Agency, brand, and crew. Working within limits isn’t a constraint; it’s part of the art. If you can’t stay on time and on budget, you’re not being rebellious, you’re just turning your craft into a hobby.

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across during production – and how did you solve it?

Guimo> We were about to shoot a ‘Dune’-inspired spot for HBO when the client’s client (yes, the client of the client) banned us from using sand…20 minutes before the shoot.

It was called ‘Dune’ – a spot to promote the release of the movie ‘Dune’.

‘Dune’, bro.

LBB> How do you balance being collaborative with the agency and protecting the idea?

Guimo> By remembering the same thing I asked myself when I wrote the treatment: ‘Why are we here for?’.

If that answer is clear, there’s no fight. And if there is, I’ll just shoot both versions and prove myself right in the edit room.(And if I wasn’t right, that version never happened).

LBB> What are your thoughts on opening the production world to a more diverse pool of talent?

Guimo> It’s not just important; it’s survival.

Advertising thrives on new perspectives, and if we keep recycling the same ones, we’ll all be making the same car commercial forever. (Or a lazy prompt in a chat will).

I always try to have new people on set. Diversity makes the frame richer and the stories less predictable.

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology, and how do you use it in your work?

Guimo> I see tech like I see actors: great when it serves the story, unbearable when it wants to be the story.

I’ve experimented with AI and interactive formats not as gimmicks, but as narrative tools.

Virtual production is incredible for mood-building, but I still believe in accidents, in-camera imperfections, and the smell of real locations. You can’t prompt that.