Tom Ford took over as Gucci’s Creative director in 1994. Ten years later the storied label’s annual sales rose from $230 million per year, to $3 billion. After a decade at Gucci, Ford took a risk and started his own fashion line, the Tom Ford Brand–now a fashion powerhouse.
But Ford made perhaps his greatest creative leap in 2009 when he directed his first feature film, A Single Man. Based on the book by Christopher Isherwood, Ford felt a kinship with material, but struggled to make it into a movie.
“I had such respect for Christopher Isherwood and for the book A Single Man, I was trying to be quite literal with it which didn't work because it was an interior monologue.
And and I was having dinner with Don Bacardi one night who actually said to me don't worry about it. That's a book. Chris wrote it. It's a book. It'll forever be a book. You have to make a movie make the movie you think it should be.”
The film cemented Ford’s place in Hollywood, and his much anticipated follow up, Nocturnal Animals, was was recently released to wide critical acclaim and actress Amy Adams is in contention to win an Oscar this year for her performance in the film.
Ford says, “People often ask me how did you go from working in fashion to directing a film. The process is actually surprisingly similar. In that you have to have something to say.“
WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovator Awards
Curiosity, authenticity, and a deep commitment to the craft. These are some of the defining characteristics of the WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovators–an outstanding group of individuals recognized for setting new ground in their fields. Seven trailblazing talents, all of whom are featured in the magazine’s November issue, were honored among more than 200 guests for their groundbreaking accomplishments in their respective disciplines on November 2nd at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Selected by WSJ. Magazine editors, the honorees were: Melinda Gates (Philanthropy); Ai Weiwei (Art); Tom Ford (Film); The Weeknd (Music); Daniel Humm and Will Guidara (Food)); Es Devlin (Design) and Snøhetta’s Craig Dykers and Kjetil Thorsen (Architecture).
For the second year in a row, MediaStorm has used its multidisciplinary approach to create films that shine a light on the legacies and innovations of each individual. These films showcase some of MediaStorm’s greatest strengths: an ability to develop a captivating story under tight constraints; combining beautiful cinematography and motion graphics to add unparalleled finesse; and working in close partnership with a client to get results.
These videos have been a critical part of WSJ’s strategy to drive it's audience to its site and to assert itself as the place of significance for the informed citizen.
In keeping with our mission to develop stories that matter, we are thrilled to play a role in recognizing the WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovators.
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Shorter versions of these films premiered at the WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovator Awards on November 2nd at the Museum of Modern Art. The digital versions premiered on wsj.com and mediastorm.com on November 3 and have been a critical component of helping WSJ drive audeinces to its site.
About WSJ. Magazine
With five global editions spanning 62 countries, WSJ. Magazine—which publishes 12 issues a year—is The Wall Street Journal's luxury-lifestyle publication dedicated to the power and passions of the Journal's readership.
WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards films by MediaStorm
This year’s WSJ. Magazine 2018 Entertainment Innovator: John Legend became the first black man in history to become an “EGOT”–a winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award.
WSJ. Magazine 2018 Design Innovator: Ruth E. Carter, is an Academy Award nominee who has designed memorable costumes in film for over 30 years. Since her early iconic work with Spike Lee in films like Do the Right Thing, to her most recent work on the groundbreaking Ryan Coogler film …
WSJ. Magazine 2018 TV Innovator: Phoebe-Waller Bridge is honored for her role creating exciting and unexpected shows that center around women.
WSJ. Magazine 2017 Entertainment Innovator: Reese Witherspoon creates stories with women as heroes of their own journeys. In creating these films, she hopes to be part of a sea change in which women’s experiences are reflected on screen.
WSJ. Magazine 2017 Technology Innovator: Musical.ly, is an app that tweens use to create videos lip syncing to their favorite songs. It now has upwards of 90 million registered users, making it one of the world’s most popular apps.
Es Devlin has spent 20 years investigating some of the most important stagecraft of the last two decades. From Wagner to Beyonce, Devlin has created stage design that expands upon the core ideas of each performance regardless of genre.
After almost two decades in fashion, Tom Ford made the bold move into an entirely different creative career; Filmmaking. Ford has used his singular style and extensive knowledge of film to become one of the most talked about directors in Hollywood.
With a focus on highly targeted campaigns backed by data tracking, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with Melinda as co-chair, has established itself as the most powerful philanthropic organization in the world.
Thomas Heatherwick’s studio is located in London, just below a budget hotel. The space is littered with the tools of making. In this studio, and with these tools, some of the most spectacular designs of the last 20 years have been made.
Karl Ove Knausgaard is the celebrated author of a massive six-volume autobiography. But Knausgaard remains confused by the attention. This is a portrait of a man who has achieved massive success yet still considers himself unworthy.
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