Director's Works
Wealth Simple, Sluggish Martin De Thurah
At midnight on the evening of New Year ’04-’05, Martin de Thurah - once a member of a hacking group, a watercolorist, painter, photographer - decided that he wanted to try directing his own projects in film, now was the time.
A week later, he was asked to direct a music video, and that particular video changed the trajectory of his career.
Martin de Thurah hails from Denmark where he graduated from the National Film School. In both 2014 and 2018 Martin was voted Commercials Director of the Year by the Directors Guild of America, one of the directing crafts highest accolades. 2019 brought another nomination in the same category.
Martin has won 25 D&AD Pencils including a Yellow for Direction. He has created jaw dropping work for, Facebook, Ubisoft, Thomson, Playstation, Camelot, Hennessy and many more. His most awarded piece came in the form of ‘Phelps’ for Under Armour, which picked up 11 Lions in Cannes including the Grand Prix for Craft. Martin is one of the most acclaimed Directors working today.
Los Angeles, CA, January 6, 2025 -- Award-winning director Martin de Thurah of Epoch Films helms
Wealthsimple's latest campaign,
"Sluggish,
” an animated spot following a determined slug crossing a
sidewalk, serving as a metaphor for the everyday challenges that accumulate on the path to achieving
one's goals—financial or otherwise. The slug, who also serves as the narrator, provides cheeky
commentary on his journey thus far and provides insight and wisdom to elevate the emotional stakes and
strike a universally relatable tone.
“Sluggish” highlights how Wealthsimple understands both the practicalities of tackling financial
challenges and the emotions of confronting them head-on. Director Martin de Thurah captures the slug’s
journey across the sidewalk with striking ground-level visuals that immerse audiences in his scaled-down
world. Through a brilliantly delivered, direct-to-camera monologue, the slug’s dry humor and rich
personality drive the story, transforming minor obstacles—faster creatures, cavernous sidewalk cracks,
and irksome raindrops—into relatable metaphors for life’s challenges. When faced with a “boulder” in his
path, humorously revealed as a pocket-sized rock, the slug reflects on his struggles before triumphantly
arriving on the other side.
“Hearing the slug describe a rock as if it was some kind of impossible mountain reminds us that
everything in life is in perspective,
” remarks director Martin de Thurah of Epoch Films.
“Human life is an
eternal struggle in which every challenge we overcome delivers us to the start of a new challenge. It
sounds exhausting, and sometimes it is, but it is also filled with the tantalizing light of hope. That sense of
slow progress—illusory or not—gives our lives purpose.
”
“Sluggish” marks the third time Wealthsimple’s in-house creative team has tapped de Thurah to bring its
advertising campaigns to filmic reality. The :60 cut of “Sluggish” premiered during the Golden Globe
Awards with three stand-alone :30 spots set to air during the Canadian broadcast of Super Bowl LIX.
