Reviews

It was a case of being drawn to Bruce through the sheer passion he has for his work. First he connects with you through the infectious love he has what he does, before his blend of incredible talent mixed with his pure passion made it impossible not to want to work more with him. Bruce painted a picture of his vision and then let his work take me on a brilliant journey with him that when it came to life on the screen was both a very rewarding and humbling experience.

Any reservations were quickly appeased upon first meeting him and then it was further confirmed we had made the right decision when we saw the first results of his work.

Bruce shoots with soul. In a time when content is king and there is a lot of it out there, Bruce’s work shines through its consistency of personality and performance.

Apart from making me look good, it made me realise that you don’t need Hollywood blockbuster budgets, the only purchase you really need to make is to buy into Bruce’s vision and let him do his thing.

Apart from the incredible results, it was the chance to work with someone who passionately cares about his work. No stone is left unturned in the search for the most compelling story possible.

You need to meet Bruce. Not over email, not over the phone, but in person. Let him walk you through his vision. Just listen and you will find what you’re looking for.

You can’t put a price on a smile combined with pure passion. It’s how Bruce does business. It’s refreshing and I recommend you see it for yourself.

— Sven Gloor, Senior Manager Global Rugby Strategy & Planning | HSBC HOLDINGS PLC HGHQ

One of the biggest reasons MDF was interested in Zoom Fiji was we wanted a company that had a different mind-set. That was not the traditional production company.

The biggest concern was availability and whether Zoom Fiji would share the same vision as MDF and these niche destinations (which was put to rest after the first meeting).

It was the mindset and their approach to the job of developing a destination video. Zoom did not go in with a set mind on what they wanted to do, they were very inclusive with the regions on developing the process and the vision of the videos. A big sell was the fantastic work that Zoom Fiji had done with the Sevens From Heaven video.

I enjoyed being able to discuss freely and exchange ideas about the project. It was through these discussions that helped refine and build a better idea of what we wanted to do.

It cannot be overstated the importance of having people that can go to a region and be able to work with people in those regions. To bring out their vision, story and communicate that. In that aspect ZoomFiji were a cut above, MDF were confident of giving Zoom Fiji a brief and them executing it with the regions…The level and standard of work is second to none!

Their ability to take a vision and infuse it with life is nothing short of remarkable, and it also helps that these are some of the nicest bunch of people to work with.

— Troy Simpson, Business Advisor | MDF

Bruce has a unique skill in creating an environment where people feel comfortable being themselves in front of the camera he is behind. Bruce’s integrity and trust that he builds with all people in his films is fantastic and is something he works extremely hard at to maximise the power of the story he is trying to share. I had very few reservations having watched previous work which was not only to a high standard but illustrated an empathy towards the athletes who were also diverse and in a number of cases reluctant or shy in front of camera but Bruce and his team were able to bring their characters and personalities out in a natural manner which was extremely important to me.

Bruce and his team researched us prior to agreeing to the project and the ability to provide assurances that the athletes would not be compromised or feel intruded upon whilst filming was the crucial part to making me comfortable on the project.

As a team we were very happy with the film “The Pioneers” and the story that was produced and is a true reflection of the people, personalities and journey that we were on. It was also a lot of fun on and off camera with Bruce and his team who became part of our team for the time they were with us.

What i liked most was Bruce and his team’s empathy and friendly approach to dealing with all of us and recognising that each athlete needed different things and approaches to make them comfortable. Bruce is also extremely creative on how the story needs to be told.

Bruce and his team can be completely trusted within the environment they are introduced to and always respect and recognised what is required at that moment and if need be blur into the background.

Absolute pleasure to work with Bruce and his team and hopefully we can finish the journey all the way to 2020.

— Mike Friday, Head Coach | USA Rugby

I wasn’t looking for Bruce; I bumped into him. It was something of a sliding doors moment – in a lift at a rugby sevens media event in Hong Kong.

We (Hill+Knowlton) were relatively new to the World Rugby Sevens Series in early 2016 but one thing we did know – on behalf of HSBC, our client – was that we wanted to find a way of telling the world this amazing story of how the Fijian Rugby Sevens team had, against all the odds, moved from habitual entertainers to stand out world beaters under the watchful eye of new coach Ben Ryan.

Immediately we made a connection and it became very obvious, very quickly that we should be working together. Despite us being based in London and working for an international bank and Bruce working in Suva for himself, the 10,000+ miles didn’t hold us back; in fact it made our work better.

Fusing different cultural perspectives, ways of working and techniques – to produce Sevens From Heaven – the most unbelievable story in rugby.

— Anthony Scammell, Senior Associate Director | Hill & Knowlton Strategies (London)