Russell Bates is a honey bartering urban beekeeper, next are the chickens. With an innate instinct for casting and performance, comedy, timing, spontaneity, wit and perversity, Russell was always destined to work with eccentric and perverse realism in film. Expertly called upon by international brands to create superbly natural comedy performance, Russell is one of the best comedy directors working in advertising today.

Russell began his career directing music videos with Sub Pop Records (the Seattle record label famous for launching Nirvana and Soundgarden.) There he directed videos for artists including Everclear and The Lemonheads. Tapping into his flair for comedy, Russell directed his first comedic short film for the VH1 Fashion Awards – starring Ben Stiller as the male model Derek Zoolander (which Stiller later developed into a feature film).

Following the amazing response to Zoolander, Russell went on to direct a number of satirical short films for MTV and Comedy Central. His parody of Castaway, and his short about President Bush’s speechwriter Harlan McCrainey were hugely successful. These films were the start of his technique of intercutting existing footage with live action, a style that he has been called upon to recreate for
subsequent films with Queen Latifah.

Russell has worked internationally for brands such as Mars, L’Oreal, Michelob, TMobile, Tic Tac, Chevrolet, Rolling Rock and Motorola where his signature deadpan, sometimes dark humour has been put to great commercial expression both in the UK and US.

Commercials
Tide
"Apocalypse"
Betty's in the bunker.

Axe
"Hot Put" / "High Street Hurdles"
Raising interest worldwide.

L'Oreal Men Expert
"Tie A Tie" / "Lock" / "App" / "Profile" / "Tie A Tie" (YouTube takeover version)
The Expert is here to help.

Snickers
"Changing Room"
You're not you when you're hungry.

Outback Steakhouse
"Heart Of Gold" / "Variety"
He's not a strict vegetarian.

All-Bran Snack Bites
"Bruises"
Banned in Canada. For violence!

Michelob Ultra Amber
"Touch Football"
Be careful about who you tackle.

NASCAR / American Ethanol
"Go To Your Head"
There's a new player on the track.

Nutri-Grain
"Secret Ingredient"
Logical deduction, severely derailed.

Bud Light
"Mariner"
Sea captain vs. bikinis.

PGA
"Marshal" / "Divers" / "Caddy School"
You're not spending enough time thinking about golf.

T-Mobile
"The Rambler" / "Mr. Two Times"
Their talking power is unstoppable.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
"Friends"
Warning: contains cockpunch (and dancing).

Target
"Guitar/Party"
Target Dog to the rescue.

Rolling Rock
"Bowling"
A complete life philosophy.

Ladbrokes
"Tiziano at the Races"
Bellissimo.

TNA Impact
"Crash"
When wrestlers attack.

Comcast
"Monkey"
Meet Jack. He's trying to figure things out.

Tic Tac
"Get On The Bus" / "Pit Stop"
What's so strange about tiny Tic Tac men?

Zoolander
"Hostage Negotiator"
Some things a male model can't do.

Gold Bond
"The Rubbing" / "Scratching" / "Frost A Cupcake" / "It's Deep"
Legends of oversharing.

Red Lobster
"Lint Man"
1st prize, originality in use of materials.

National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
"Intercom"
Saying what we actually mean.

Chevrolet
"Wind Tunnel"
Not the best way to prepare for the big game.

Missouri Lottery: Luckytown
"Coach"
Ignorance is bliss.

Seattle Symphony
"Les Paul or Strat?" / "It Was Amazing"
The secret history of Seattle music.



Film and TV
We Need To Talk About Kitten
Not showing in a theatre near you.
A remix of Tilda Swinton's terrifying ordeal.

Queen Latifah in New Moon
From The 36th Annual People's Choice Awards.
Vampires have so many demands.

Queen Latifah in Paranormal Activity
From The 36th Annual People's Choice Awards.
There's some freaky shit going on at the neighbors' house.

Derek Zoolander, Male Model
From The VH1 Fashion Awards
The original short film that first revealed the secrets of "Ferrari" and "Blue Steel" to a breathless nation.

Harlan McCraney, Presidential Speechalist
From Comedy Central's Last Laugh
Andy Dick as the secret genius behind George W. Bush's stupidity.

Red Sox vs. MasterCard
From Comedy Central's Last Laugh
Passion has a price.

The Minor Accomplishments Of Jackie Woodman
An original series on IFC.
Life in L.A. filled with loveable depravity and the occasional serial killer.

Cut The Crap with Clam
The Most Important Film You'll Ever See.
Your introduction to Clam Lynch and his techniques for success.

Castaway Dick
From The MTV Movie Awards
Turns out Tom Hanks isn't alone on that island after all.

Bruce Testones, Fashion Photographer
From The VH1 Fashion Awards
A man, his art, and a lot of uncomfortable situations.

Dead Invisible People
From MTV's Jenny McCarthy Show
An important safety training film that has educated thousands about a previously little-known hazard all around us.

Greg Behrendt Does Not Rock
An Independent Short Film
What's important isn't what he did; it's what he didn't do.

Armagedd'NSync
From The MTV Movie Awards
Can their punctuation save Planet Earth?

VNN Style with Elsa Klensch
From The VH1 Fashion Awards
You're gonna want to put your hand in there.


Music
Lemonheads
"If I Could Talk I'd Tell You"
Atlantic Records

The Grifters
"Last Man Alive"
Sub Pop Records

Everclear
"Fire Maple Song"
Capitol Records

Sunny Day Real Estate
"In Circles"
Sub Pop Records

Sebadoh
"Skull"
Sub Pop Records

Mark Lanegan
"House A Home"
Sub Pop Records

Hazel
"Dayglo"
Sub Pop Records

The Spinanes
"Noel, Jonah, and Me"
Sub Pop Records

The Spinanes
"Sunday"
Sub Pop Records

Pond
"Spots"
Sub Pop Records