Andrew Hill to Head up Branded Content at St Luke’s Apostle Studios

Andrew Hill, producer of The Apprentice US and two-time Gold Lion and Grand Prix Winner at Cannes, returns to his alma mater St Luke’s to head up branded content at its multi-media production arm, Apostle Studios. As director of branded content, he will drive forward Apostle’s mission to deliver compelling and culturally relevant content that’s fully aligned with the brand’s ambitions. He will work alongside Chloe London, St Luke’s head of moving image. London has been at St Luke’s for 10 years and was promoted to head of moving image six years ago.

Since its inception in 2015, Apostle Studios has grown its capabilities beyond AV to encompass areas such as CGI, AR, visual identity, 3D modelling and interactive. Andrew brings with him 25 years of experience in TV production, which offers brands a “brief to screen” process which maximises control of the creative output and IP.

He also brings a wealth of experience through long-standing relationships with broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Netflix, Amazon & Channel 4 that have enabled him to build a deep understanding of content that meets the needs of broadcasters, as well as brand audiences. Andrew will work across St Luke’s existing clients as well as bringing the new offering to standalone clients. 

One of the original co-owners of St Luke’s, Andrew joined in 1997, as a strategist before moving into TV production. Andrew was headhunted by Elizabth Murdoch (who was a client at the time) to set up Shine in the UK with responsibility for developing branded content for blue-chip clients. He went on to launch Shine’s branded content business in Los Angeles before returning to the UK in 2004 to launch his own production house, Grand Central Entertainment.

Andrew has worked with over 150 broadcasters and produced more than 1000 hours of branded content, including the highly acclaimed Nissan/Playstation collaboration GT Academy, which ran for eight seasons and was broadcast in 150 countries. It has since been developed into a Hollywood film, Gran Turismo, which was released last summer. He was the development producer of The Apprentice in the US and has developed and produced multiple series for the Home Office (Beat: Life on the Street), Vodafone (TBA and The Vodafone Live Music Awards) and Waitrose (Market Kitchen with Tom Parker Bowles).

Andrew is currently an advisor to New York-based Soho Muse, a social media network for creative industries, and OneVault, a blockchain-based start-up.

Ed Palmer, MD, St Luke’s said, “We’re delighted to have a true polymath like Andrew at Apostle. The depth of his understanding of brands, creative agencies and branded content is unparalleled in the industry.”

Andrew Hill, director of branded content, Apostle Studio said, “It’s great to return to the coal face of the creative industries and particularly to St Luke’s. I’m looking forward to bringing the skills I’ve developed working with broadcasters and streamers to help brands really engage their audiences through exciting content.”

St Luke’s launched Apostle in 2016 to manage briefs for brands requiring fast turnaround, agile management without compromising on quality, and has produced work for brands including Ocado, Tyrrells, Old Mout Cider, Beavertown and Very.  Andrew Hill’s appointment also sees a refresh to the Apostle logo and brand elements including a new website will be rolled out in the next few weeks.