David Ellis
Photographer and Content Director
VISUAL MATTER
David is not a traditional creative. At 13, he asked his teacher, “Can I just tell you the answers rather than write them down?” That moment shaped how he saw the world. Growing up in Bristol, he found self-expression challenging in school except on the playing field and in the art classroom. Dyslexia wasn’t a limitation; it became the foundation of how he thinks, works, and creates.
Words weren’t always his strength, but visual storytelling was. That instinct has taken him across industries - music, sports, film, gaming, and global brand campaigns.
He’s photographed and worked with icons like LeBron James, Amy Winehouse, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Idris Elba, Vivienne Westwood, and Usain Bolt, with editorial work featured in Vogue, GQ, The Sunday Times Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, and more.
He’d like to think he's a calm, composed professional, but when he got the call commissioning me to photograph Sir David Attenborough for the cover of The Times Magazine, that idea went straight out the window. He squealed down the phone like a kid who just found out they were getting a puppy, pacing the room in a mild state of delirium.Of course he quickly learnt Sir David was just as legendary as he’d always imagined.
Some Key Projects & Achievements:
Hublot x DJ Snake Big Bang Campaign – Led art direction and photography, developing eight creative concepts for a striking global rollout across print, web, and social media.
Adidas Global Football – Worked with their creative directors on a 27-stage content production strategy that became a brand blueprint for large-scale storytelling.
JD Bootroom Podcast & Experiential Activation – Produced JD Sports’ first FIFA team podcast, achieving 10M+ views, while delivering a two-story experiential playground at Europe’s largest gaming events.
He uses his experience to help brands sharpen their creative vision through photography, creative direction, and scalable content strategies. No egos. No formulas. Just powerful, tailored storytelling. And he loves every second of it.
