Daniel Levi burst onto the international spot-making scene nearly a year ago when his visual, driving "I Am Beat" spot for South African radio station Metro FM rippled across the ad world.

The commercial (see Boards, Oct. 2002) landed the 29-year-old director a spot on the 2002 Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase list, and won him the Evolution at Kinsale New Directors Award.

Less than two years into his career, the South African native has since directed compelling work for Mercedes (see Boards, Feb. 2003) and Xbox, and is set to take on London with an upcoming video for "Butterfly Caught" from Brit trip-hoppers Massive Attack.

"[Videos] are an amazing medium. I love the whole process and the creative freedom," says Levi, who studied photography before a stint as a broadcast designer, and eventually began directing with super-low budget South African videos - like $1,000 US super-low.

"I can work with whatever creative response I have to the music. This allows me to be abstract in terms of my approach, but it puts me under pressure because I work from scratch."

Though Levi is driving the promo train right now, he made his mark as a director with commercial projects - and not just any commercial projects. In addition to Metro FM, from Network.BBDO, he directed Mercedes "Cat" and Xbox "Senses". After the Massive Attack project, Levi will return to South Africa to shoot a local Volkswagen project from Ogilvy & Mather, Cape Town.

Since the success of Metro FM, Levi says he's turned work away on a weekly basis. "I don't want to sound arrogant, but my producer and I only want to take projects with cultural appeal." In that respect, he sees himself as "kind of anti-advertising. I'd rather make less money and better work."

Repped by Terraplane/Gatehouse Films (South Africa), Independent (UK), Smuggler (US), GAP Films (Germany) and 123 (France), Levi says the prodcos all support his unconventional approach. "It allows me to make advertising that's unexpected and to break down constraints, as opposed to working with them. I try to smash expectations."

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