Sam Dawking

First Assistant Director

Sam is a freelance First Assistant Director with over three decades of experience across television, film and commercials. A member of the Directors Guild of America, Sam now works predominantly in the commercials’ world, bringing the same creative instinct and discipline honed across a long career in long-form production.

Sam began his career in commercials in 1991, working under the renowned 1st AD Barry Wasserman before moving in-house at Challenge Productions (now known as Great Guns) as a runner. In 1994 Sam went freelance, moving into long-form starting on the BBC Films feature Bad Boys starring Clive Owen as a 3rd AD. Alongside years on the long-running TV series The Bill, comedy quickly became his natural home - a love that was cemented when he worked on Steve Coogan’s I’m Alan Partridge in 1997, his first big break as a 1st AD. The following decades brought some of the most celebrated British comedies of the era, including Extras, Little Britain, Episodes and Ted Lasso, to name a few. Also working on Feature films Ricky Gervais’s ‘David Brent: Life on the Road’ and Stephen Merchant’s ‘Fighting with My Family’ a WWE / FILM 4 comedy about wrestling.

Sam has focused primarily on commercials in recent years, working on some high-profile campaigns. His Uber Eats work has featured an exceptional roster of talent including Jude Law, Javier Bardem and Brian Cox - the latter earning a prestigious Emmy Award for Best TV Commercial in 2025. Other notable campaigns include Glenmorangie with Harrison Ford, three Warburtons campaigns starring Robert De Niro, Olivia Colman and Morgan Freeman, and most recently the new Nespresso campaign with Dua Lipa and George Clooney, shot on location in Mexico. Celebrating 35 years in the industry this year, Sam’s passion for the craft is as strong as ever. Known for bringing a calm, focused presence. He thrives on the creative energy and the ever-changing challenges that make every production unique.

A-List Talent worked with Robert De Niro, Johnny Depp, Harvey Keitel, Samuel L Jackson, Ben Stiller, Kevin Bacon, Harrison Ford, Javier Bardem, Willem Dafoe, George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Vince Vaughn, Judy Dench, Kate Winslet, Helena Bonham Carter, Gal Gadot, Liam Neeson, Ian McKellen, Tom Hardy, Patrick Stewart, Brian Cox, Derek Jacobi, Olivia Coleman, Hugh Bonneville, Martin Freeman, Omar Sharif, Dianna Rigg, Orlando Bloom, Clive Owen, Dominic West, Daniel Radcliffe, David Tennant, Vinnie Jones, Sting, David Bowie, George Michael, Taylor Swift, Chris Martin, Dua Lipa + various celebrity footballers including Lionel Messi.

Comedy A-Listers include Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Matt LeBlanc, Stephen Fry, Dawn French, Jenifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Ronnie Corbett, Lenny Henry, Griff Rhys Jones, Steve Coogan, Jason Sudeikis, Chris O’Dowd, Matt Lucas, Nick Frost, David Walliams, Johnathan Ross, Ant & Dec, Harry Hill, Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Stuart Lee, Matt Berry, Johnny Vegas, Catherine Tate.

Countries worked in: Thailand, Maldives, Mexico, Tunisia, Uganda, Italy, France, Spain (Barcelona, Mallorca & Tarifa), Holland, Denmark, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Ireland, Wales & Scotland.