About
About
About
About
About
Ash Bolland
Ashleigh Lockhart Bolland is a New Zealand filmmaker, director, visual artist, photographer, musician and skateboarder. He is known for commercial film, branded campaigns, artist-led commissions and narrative work.
Early life
Bolland was born on 1 July 1976 in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand, and grew up in several locations across the North Island, including Manawatū, Feilding, Palmerston North and Whanganui. His parents separated when he was five years old, and he was primarily raised by his mother and grandparents.
He began skateboarding at the age of 12, which led him into music and local creative communities. He played in bands as a drummer and vocalist, and began producing music videos, posters and visual material for these bands. His music received regular airplay on local television music programming, including Dog TV.
Bolland has cited the film Akira as a formative influence after seeing it on VHS during a skateboarding trip to Wellington. He left school at the age of 16 due to domestic circumstances and moved to Whanganui, focusing on music and visual work. During this period, he supported himself through the sale of band tapes.
Career
In 1998, Bolland moved to Auckland with a portfolio primarily composed of band-related artwork. From the age of 18, he art-directed campaigns with leading creative studios in Auckland. In 1999, he joined Rialto Films in a creative role, where he designed and produced film posters while also developing short film projects independently.
In the early 2000s, Bolland directed music videos for New Zealand electronic and dub acts, including Salmonella Dub and Shapeshifter. In 2004, his video for Nu Steppa by Salmonella Dub won Best Electronic Music Video at the Juice TV Awards. The following year, his video for Shapeshifter’s Long White Cloud received the same award.
In 2001, Bolland co-founded Ümeric, an independent creative studio, with artist and producer Von Dekker. He later relocated to Sydney, Australia, where Ümeric became the base for his directing work across advertising, short-form film and artist-led projects.
Bolland worked closely with MTV for several years, directing idents and short films broadcast internationally. A project for MTV HD gained international attention and led to discussions with producer Roy Lee regarding a potential remake of The Swarm. His short film Simple Plan: This Song Saved My Life (2012), created for the MTV EXIT Foundation, received multiple international awards and was produced as part of a global campaign addressing human trafficking and exploitation.
Bolland is credited on feature and short-form film projects including Burn (2011) and The East (2013).
In 2016, Bolland worked directly with Nintendo on the launch of the Nintendo Switch, contributing to the visual tone and direction of the platform’s advertising. He directed the brand’s first Nintendo Switch television commercial, filmed in Vancouver, which became one of the company’s most successful advertising campaigns. The campaign achieved over 200 million views across broadcast and online platforms and was referenced on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. His work helped establish a visual template that continued to influence subsequent Nintendo Switch advertising.
Later that year, Bolland also directed Nintendo’s first-ever Super Bowl television commercial, marking the company’s debut appearance during the Super Bowl broadcast. The advertisement was ranked fourth in an industry analysis of new Super Bowl commercials, placing ahead of campaigns from several major international brands. The campaign’s use of music by Imagine Dragons contributed to the band’s increased international exposure following the broadcast. The commercial was again featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where Fallon referenced watching the advertisement repeatedly.
In 2017, Bolland was invited by the Sydney Opera House to create a film for Vivid Sydney. The resulting work, Audio Creatures, was projected on the sails of the Opera House and featured original music composed by Amon Tobin.
Alongside these projects, Bolland has directed commercial work for brands including Sony, HSBC, Vodafone, Hyundai, KFC, Nike, and IMAX, including the first 65mm digital commercial produced for IMAX. While his work spans large-scale international campaigns and smaller independent projects, his practice remains artist-led and focused on storytelling through performance, rhythm and visual language.
Style and approach
Bolland has not primarily regarded himself as a director, instead viewing his filmography, music, photography and visual work as expressions of a unified creative practice. His work is visually driven and director-led, often emphasising performance, timing and rhythm.
His background as a musician and skateboarder has influenced his approach to movement and pacing, and he is known for working closely with creatives, brands, actors and performers to create a collaborative and supportive production environment. While his projects span commercial and artistic contexts, his practice remains focused on storytelling driven by human emotion, physicality and drama rather than purely conceptual outcomes.
Influences
Bolland has cited a wide range of influences across film, music, art and popular culture. In cinema, he has referenced filmmakers including Katsuhiro Otomo, Spike Jonze, Harmony Korine, Terrence Malick, John Cassavetes, Werner Herzog, Robert Altman, Dennis Hopper, Héctor Babenco, and John Huston, as well as films such as Akira, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Alien, Blade Runner, RoboCop, Badlands, Days of Heaven, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Pixote, Stroszek, Fat City, and A Woman Under the Influence.
His visual sensibilities have also been influenced by figures such as Adam Jones of Tool (for the integration of music, imagery and physical performance), the narrative voice of Charles Bukowski, and the graphic and experiential language of skateboarding, album artwork and game design.
Musically, Bolland has cited influences including Bob Marley, Amon Tobin, Aphex Twin, Black Sabbath, Björk, MF DOOM, Slayer, Janis Joplin, Beastie Boys, Shihad, Helmet, Unsane, Suicidal Tendencies, Bad Brains, and underground punk and electronic scenes. Music continues to inform his sense of rhythm, timing and performance in film.
He has also referenced video games as an influence on pacing, immersion and world-building, particularly Call of Duty: DMZ and ICO, describing games as an extension of contemporary cinematic language.
Personal life
Bolland continues to skateboard, primarily riding vert and bowls, and remains active in music and personal creative projects. He is the father of two children.
Awards
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Four'N Twenty - Original Fans
BWM Dentsu Melbourne
Best Ads on TV 2019
Nintendo Switch - Play Together
Anywhere Anytime
YouTube Ad Leaderboard - 13 Mil Views 2018
SOH: Vivid - Audio Creatures
Bronze Best Live Event
AEAF Awards 2017
Nintendo Switch - SuperBowl
YouTube - 36 Million Views
Jimmy Fallon showcase
Imagine Dragons track goes Viral
2016
KFC - Finger Lickin' Good
Ogilvy Australia
Best Ads on TV 2016
UBET - For The Thrill Of It
The Monkeys
Best Ads on TV 2015
Hyundai A-League - What is Beautiful?
BMF
Best Ads on TV 2014
Vodafone - Kidults
Ogilvy Australia
Best Ads on TV 2013
Vodafone - Kidults
Gold
Adstar Awards 2013
Hyundai i40 - Its Wild Out There
Innocean Australia
Best Ads on TV 2013
MTV Exit - Simple Plan
Gold
ACS Awards 2014
MTV Exit - Simple Plan
Bronze Lion
Cannes Lion Awards 2013
MTV Exit - Simple Plan
Silver
ACS Awards 2013
MTV Exit - Simple Plan
Gold World Medal
New York Festival - Film & TV Awards 2013
MTV Exit - Simple Plan
18 Feet & Rising Sydney
Best Ads on TV 2013
HSBC - Serious Play
J Walter Thompson London
Best Ads on TV 2013
HSBC - Serious Play
Bronze Lion
Cannes Lions 2013
HSBC - Serious Play
Silver - Campaign
Big Awards UK 2013
HSBC - Serious Play
Bronze
ASC Award 2013
HSBC - Serious Play
Campaign Live Top 10 2013
HSBC - Serious Play
2 x Finalist
Spikes Asia 2013
Coke Zero - Just Add Zero
Silver
ACS Awards 2013
Foxtel - Seeing Is Believing
Gold - TV VFX
Mobius Award 2012
Foxtel - Seeing Is Believing
Bronze World Medal - VFX
New York Festivals 2012
Foxtel - Seeing Is Believing
Gold
Adfest Lotus Awards 2012
Foxtel - Seeing Is Believing
Silver
Adstar Awards 2012
Foxtel - Seeing Is Believing
Silver - VFX
BADC Awards 2012
Foxtel - Seeing Is Believing
Gold - Editing
BADC Awards 2012
Foxtel - Seeing Is Believing
Clemenger BBDO
Best Ads on TV 2012
Burn - Never Extinguish
Silver - Long Form Film
One Show 2012
Burn - Never Extinguish
Publicis Milan
Best Ads on TV 2012
Burn - Never Extinguish
Vimeo Staff Pick 2012
Burn - Never Extinguish
Top 100 Short Films
St Kilda Film Festival 2012
Burn - Never Extinguish
Featured Film
Byron Bay Intl. Film Festival 2012
Burn - Never Extinguish
Bronze - Direction
Epica Awards 2011
Burn - Never Extinguish
Silver - Direction
London International Awards 2011
Burn - Never Extinguish
Gold - Direction
Eurobest 2011
Burn - Never Extinguish
Bronze - Direction
Clio Awards 2011
MTV HD - Genetically Modified
Vimeo Staff Pick 2011
MTV HD - Genetically Modified
Gold - New Director
Shots Awards 2011
VIVA - Young at Heart
Vimeo Staff Pick 2011
VIVA - Young at Heart
Gold
ADC Europe 2011
VIVA - Young at Heart
Bronze
ADC Germany 2011
VIVA - Young at Heart
Gold
PromaxBDA Europe 2011
VIVA - Young at Heart
Design Award
Red Dot 2011
VIVA - Young at Heart
Client Award
W&V Magazine Germany 2011
VIVA - Young at Heart
VIMEO’S Pick of the Week
VIVA - Young at Heart
Shot's Pick of the Week
HBO - Unexpected
HBO Asia, Singapore
Best Ads on TV 2012
Swatch & MTV - Playground
MTV International/London
Best Ads on TV 2010
MTV Australia - Organic
Gold - Campaign Design
PromaxBDA Worldwide 2009
MTV Australia - Organic
Gold - Art Direction & Design
PromaxBDA Worldwide 2009
MTV Australia - Organic
Silver - Network Package Design
PromaxBDA Worldwide 2009
MTV Australia - Organic
Gold - Print Consumer Image
PromaxBDA Worldwide 2009
MTV Australia - Organic
Gold - Logo
PromaxBDA Worldwide 2009
MTV Australia - Organic
Gold - Styleguide
PromaxBDA Worldwide 2009
MTV Australia - Organic
Gold - Best Print Ad
PromaxBDA Australia & NZ 2008
MTV Australia - Organic
Silver - Best On Air Branding Design
PromaxBDA Australia & NZ 2008
MTV Australia - Organic
Silver - Best 3D Animation Design
PromaxBDA Australia & NZ 2008
Christchurch Arts Festival
Bronze - Broadcast
Best Design Awards NZ 2007
Shapeshifter - Long White Cloud
Best Electronic Music Video
Juice TV Awards NZ 2005
Salmonella Dub - Nu Steppa
Best Electronic Music Video
Juice TV Awards NZ 2004
Edwin Visual Council
Art Directors Club NY
NY ADC Merit Award 2003
Books
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KL Design Week 09 Book
KL Design Week 2009
AGIdeas 07 Book
AGIdeas 2007
Semi Permanent NZ 07 Book
Semi Permanent NZ 2007
Tres Logos
Die Gestalten Verlag 2006
Crackpot Calender
Die Gestalten Verlag 2006
Illusive: Contemporary Illustration
And Its Context
Die Gestalten Verlag 2005
Designed To Help
iLovedust & Die Gestalten Verlag 2005
OFFF 05 Book
OFFF Design Conference 2005
Curvy2
Yen Media International 2005
Curvy
Yen Media International 2004
Re.Think.Design.Construct
How Design Books 2004
Point.Structure
A Design For Freedom Project 2003
Style is the Message
123 KLAN 2003
World Wide Designers 2007
L’Edition Populaire 2003
Permanent
Design is Kinky 2002
Great Graphics on a Budget
Dixonbaxi 2002
Magazines
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Creative Review
Cover & Interview
Burn - Never Extinguish
Campaign Brief
Cover & Interview
Burn - Never Extinguish
3D World - Issue 126
MTV Australia - Organic Rebrand
Stash - Issue 62
MSN - Butterflies
Stash - Issue 49
MTV Australia - Organic Rebrand
Stash - Issue 38
Nike - Yi Jian &
Royal Elastics - Feilfri
Urbis - Issue 39
Umeric Interview
NZ Herald
Umeric Interview
Kokoku Hihyo - Issue 318
Wieden + Kennedy Special
Nike - Yi Jian
Desktop - Issue 226
Cover & Umeric Interview
Stash - Issue 22
MTV AVMAS Show Package
Creative - Aug/Sept
Cover & Umeric Interview
Pulp - Issue 47
Translate Event & Umeric Interview
Cyclic Defrost - Issue 13
Cover & Umeric Interview
Yen Magazine - Issue 10
Miso Poster
Computer Arts Projects - Issue 65
Ash Bolland Interview
Pulp - Issue 34
Ash Bolland Interview & Illustration
Desktop - Issue 184
Design Debrief: Arielbooks Website
Pulp - Issue 29
Neo Plastech Graphic
Pulp - Issue 28
Phojekt v 123 Klan Interview
Internet Au - Issue 76
Ash Bolland Interview
Talks
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Sydney Apple Store
Creative Talk
Foundation
Australia Infront
Kl Design Week Conference
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Semi Permanent Conference
Auckland, New Zealand
Agideas Conference
Melbourne, Australia
Rprsnt Conference
Sydney, Australia.
CBNet Talk
Tokyo, Japan
OFFF Conference
Barcelona, Spain
Digit Conference
Sydney, Australia
Sparc Conference
Hamilton, New Zealand