Pro Hello: Peter Dietrich
Peter Dietrich is a highly accomplished director based between Hamburg and Barcelona. His signature work is a captivating blend of storytelling, grounded humour and seamlessly executed surreal action. He possesses an insatiable curiosity for cultures, which has led him to shoot behind the lens in various languages.
Peter is known for injecting a distinctly profiled style into each project while maintaining a visually consistent look across his diverse portfolio, expertly mixing different media and technologies to craft his final images, including meticulous CGI and subtle post-production. His innovative style and a sharp eye for casting are recognised as key elements that elevate his work.
Today, Peter shares his journey so far.
What do you do, and where are you based?
I'm currently a long-term intern at peterdietrich.tv, while also taking on a director role. I am based between Hamburg and Barcelona, and my work focuses on ads, campaigns and content. From what I've heard, my work is a seamless blend of surreal action, observational humor, and photographic composition. Let’s call it cinematic comedy.
So far, I've had the chance to team up with agency creatives around the globe. This variety of locations has allowed me to dive into various cultures, and working with like-minded people from the most diverse backgrounds is a great privilege in this job. Sleeping in on a Wednesday after a night out is another one. That said, I’m a rather hard-working lad overall.
What recent campaigns might we know you from, and what was your input on these campaigns?
Let me mention fun campaigns for Carrefour out of Publicis Groupe, a project for the energy provider DEI with DDB, and an Asian campaign for Momo, a mobile money app.
Carrefour won an Effie Award in Belgium recently. I know an Effie Award is not about creativity, but this one proves that humour and storytelling is effective. I assume this is currently quite essential.
Momo's 'Melon' has been selected as Top 6 Best TV of the week on BestAdsonTV, and has also been featured in Shots. The ad has been part of a campaign consisting of five films which have all been well received by the audience.
On all the projects I've directed before, I had as much input as I could. As we all know, it's a usually a complex process, involving even more complex relationships between agency, client, production -- and a simple-minded director like me.
How did you first get into the industry, and how did you realise what you wanted to do?
My very first project was a music video for my own band. I came up with the script and directed it, and the project was produced by a photographer at the time. This piece was aired on MTV, even though our band was completely unknown and we were not signed with a record company. The track itself was extremely edgy. That said, the feedback on the music video was highly motivating.
Another reason why I ended up as a director might be the fact that I received perhaps too much positive feedback as a child. Even for simple achievements, like silly, naive drawings of our dog.
Tell us about your journey so far.
After completing my education as a graphic designer, I cut my teeth as a creative in various Hamburg-based agencies. Right after that, I decided to work as a PA and set manager in a production house. One main reason for the change was the daily grind I struggled with at an ad agency. I guess I wasn't the only creative facing this challenge, but working in an agency was a good way to secure a reasonable income.
That said, even though I enjoyed working in production, I wanted to get my hands on creative concepts. Great ads depend mainly on clever scripts, and I felt like I could contribute to this. I'm bragging... again! Anyhow, I went back to an agency and made it to CD.
To make this back-and-forth complete, after some time, I knew I clearly wanted to be a director. I love great ads. To get there, I started to produce and direct no-budget projects. I was the typical rebel without a crew. Luckily, some friends from ad agencies soon gave me the chance to direct small projects, and we were able to pull them off with a real crew and professional producers. These first steps garnered some attention in reputable creative magazines.
What projects / campaigns that you’ve been involved in have been the most personally satisfying to work on, and why?
I’d say 'The Committee' for Pizzeti was a parody of an American mid-century investigation hearing. It was a great chance to direct something absurd and funny.
The whole Greek Bake Rolls campaign was fun, including a Western spoof 'Duel', sword-and-sandal parody 'Indescribable', and 'Frighteningly Big' for Molto. This one even made the Titanic sink again. For sure, 'The Walk' for Orange is one of my favorite projects. A story-driven and humour-oriented ad for Publicis Brussels with great brand and script. The same agency producer later put me on the Carrefour campaign I mentioned.
'Clumsy Junior' for HP was a cultural mix! A brilliant concept from BBDO India, a US-American client, produced for the Latin American market, and shot in Europe with an intercontinental crew. An adventure right up my street!
Union Investment's 'Stuck in the 80s' from Grabarz, one of the most creative German agencies, was an 80's style concept for an investment bank that was very well-received. The Payoff: We have left the 80s behind. What about your savings?
Let me mention two more projects -- they are a bit outdated, but they were essential stepping stones. Sony's 'Smoldering Rubber' was an exciting project for a gadget that blends a smartphone with a PlayStation, and OPPO's 'The Loop of Life' was a very ambitious project out of BBDO China. It was well received by the creative industry and the audiences.
What’s been your proudest achievement?
My two kids, honestly. As for my work, I've won a couple of reputable creative awards: New York Festivals, Epica, ADC, amongst others -- though never a Cannes Lion. At one point in my career, I made it to the highest ranking on Best Ads on TV. The work was selected by international creatives. In general, all reputable creative magazines have been publishing my work regularly over the years.
What do people (clients, agencies, etc.) come to you for specifically?
I guess I don't have a personal secret sauce, but I’m pretty sure I have a distinct profile. It includes a strong sense for casting, craft, storytelling and comedy. All that is spiced up and infused with an absurd and rather surreal spirit. At the same time, I’m always looking for the core idea which puts storytelling in the driving seat.
Being a countryman of Erich Fromm, Karl Marx and Dr. Frankenstein makes you think... and overthink. However, on a shoot day, I’m result-driven and efficient. The only thinking goes into pulling the project off in the best possible way.
What are your strongest opinions relating to your specific field?
Just like almost everybody else in this industry, I am overwhelmed by the influence of AI. That said, even the best and most advanced work I've seen so far references existing scripts and creativity. It seems AI can make images look like they have been shot in-camera. Let’s not debate what it takes to get the job done and how random the results can be. From what I have seen, even the best work refers to something that has existed before.
Recycling resources is good for the planet, but I guess our industry always needs new, fresh thinking to develop better content. At the same time, most of these projects seem to be pro bono, with no agency or client involved.
Clickbaits on social media often look like this: "This spec piece, produced for less than $200 USD, looks like half a million." Fair enough, but who can make a living out of this? It’s challenging to see any progress here. Well, the upside of these social media posts is that the people who work on them share their technical insights with the public. 'No ego' sounds great, but no income is probably rubbish. This even might harm the industry. Fair enough, filmmaking gets more democratic and accessible with AI, but art and creativity does not grow on the most common ground.
Anyhow, so far, it seems some of the established directors and creatives are still needed. Despite the moaning, AI is a game changer, no doubt. After sound film was invented, the audience rejected silent movies for good reason. Some movie pros survived this change in the 20s -- others did not. We all said yes to constant change when we started to work in the creative industry, so we have to deal with all kind of new developments.
Let’s think positive: AI remains a tool, I’d say.
What sort of projects really get you excited at the moment?
As daft as it sounds, all kinds of projects based on a fun script that is confirmed by the client with a realistic budget.
Who are your creative heroes, and why?
The photographic work of Nan Goldin and Jürgen Teller is still so strong. You look at the pictures and you can feel the soul of these people.
The films of the Coen Brothers -- dark humour, great characters and absurd stories.
The music videos of OK GO, full of ideas and, at the same time, pure fun.
The art of Maurizio Cattelan and Erwin Wurm. Sometimes brutal, but often intelligent, entertaining, and infused with humour.
Some local musicians like Erobique and Jaques Palminger, for example. Afro-American music -- Chance the Rapper, Screaming Jay Hawkins and Missy Elliott. Mac Miller and Rosalía are on my list as well.
Moreover, Britpop classics like Blur and Arctic Monkeys. I really love the sound of London-based Ash Walker.
Outside of the day job, what fuels your creativity?
Traveling is my most inspiring way to spend time. Barcelona, which is my second home -- the people and the spirit there is unique. The city has always been dreaming big, like many creatives do. I don’t want to advertise it though, there's already a massive amount of expats and tourists there. That said, this diversity has it’s upsides as well.
Music definitely fuels my creativity, it’s the most vivid thing ever. The only form of art that is unstoppable. Literally. If you stop it, there is nothing. Nothing to listen to, nothing to look at. Even when you are listening to vintage music, it represents pure life and living in the here and now. Music is immortal, I’d say.
