Keith McCarthy

Based in London

Keith McCarthy

Keith is a director with a screenwriter's instincts and a stuntman's soul.
Trained as a writer, he possesses an almost supernatural feel for narrative architecture—he knows how to sculpt a script, amplify a beat, or distill an idea to its purest emotional truth. He brings that same surgical precision to set, where it fuses with arresting imagery, fearless tonal swings, and a razor-sharp instinct for performance. Especially comedy. Especially when it refuses to cooperate.
His work exists where character, comedy, and visual virtuosity converge. Campaigns for Nike, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Subaru, VW, and Channel 4 all bear his DNA: sly, cinematic, emotionally potent.
His gift for collaborating with real people—not just trained performers—has enabled him to coax genuine moments from the likes of Beckham, Messi, De Bruyne, Pogba, and Lukaku. Another natural forte.
Keith has also earned recognition for action-infused storytelling. High-voltage sequences, kinetic movement, physical language. Pursuits. Stunts. Grand set pieces. Never spectacle for its own sake—always anchored in character and momentum.
As technology advances, so does his craft. Keith fluidly weaves cutting-edge hybrid AI workflows into traditional VFX pipelines, deploying whatever tools best serve the narrative. Whether practical effects or generative AI, motion capture or machine learning—if it deepens the emotional resonance, it belongs in his arsenal.
In his own words: "A great script can take any form. Sometimes it's hidden beneath layers of rewrites. Sometimes it arrives pristine. Either way, I'm an emotion addict. I crave thrills, shivers, or gut laughs. Anything that moves people rather than markets to them. I live for the story."
Keith's work has earned acclaim from BAFTA, D&AD, British Arrows, and Cannes Lions. But more crucially, it's made audiences laugh, weep, and occasionally tumble from their seats. Preferably all in the same sequence. With a stunt involved.