Tom Emmerson’s Gator Run clips for New Balance feel like a proper left turn: a heritage runner, rewilded into something fashion-first and a little unhinged. The campaign reintroduces the 1982 Gator Run as a “feral” lifestyle hybrid: low-profile, layered, minimal, but built on real performance DNA. Tom directed, created and photographed the work with his trademark off-the-wall humour, leaning into high-fashion editorial craft (lighting, set, styling) while keeping the storytelling weird, sharp, and unmistakably New Balance.
And importantly: It’s human-made. Zero AI, no harmed alligators, just hands-on execution using craft and nuance. The result is quirky, bizarre, and deceptively polished positioning New Balance beyond “dad shoe” familiarity and into more adventurous, trend-forward territory without losing the brand’s core identity.
A quote from Tom: “Egg, shoes, and alligators brought to life through hundreds of hours of meticulous CGI artistry. No AI – just digital artists. This work was complemented by a stills shoot with real alligators on set, grounding the CGI in reality and ensuring an exceptional level of realism.”
