John Ignatius

Known for some of the best adverts of the 80's and 90's, from Budweiser to Barclaycard, Coca-Cola to Citron, "Iggy" put his magic touch on some of the world's most memorable TV commercials. Having arrived in the UK from Bangalore, India with only a few pounds to his name, Iggy got a basic job loading vans at Sammy's, a camera rental company in London (which would later become Panavision). Staying late into the night, he would watch the technicians work and through patience he learned to rebuild 35mm and other film cameras. A Disney shoot required a technician on set, Sammy's were short of personnel and Iggy was sent to cover, launching an unlikely but remarkable career. Climbing his way through the camera department Iggy made it to focus puller, working on films such as The Shining, American Werewolf in London, Escape to Victory, TV adverts and pop videos, including Live Aid. A decade later as a Camera Operator the move to Cinematographer was difficult without a show real. Nevertheless, with Pinewood Studios donating studio time, Panavision providing equipment and many old friends pulling together, a hot chocolate advert written by his wife Sue was brought to life and a show real was born. Iggy immediately secured six Fiat car commercials and spent the next 15 years travelling the globe creating some phenomenal television adverts in countries throughout the world. The move to feature films was always going to be difficult and saw him move into TV drama in an attempt to cross into films. Iggy formed a strong bond with director John Henderson and together they made some memorable TV and film, helping many others launch careers along the way.