When Gladiator exploded onto screens in 2000, it carved itself into cinematic history. It stuck with audiences, and is still seen as one of the most influential films of the 21st century. But 24 years on, Gladiator II had a different challenge. It had to feel like a must-see moment for a whole new generation, while also tapping into the nostalgia and love for the original.

Paramount wanted to build excitement, get people into cinemas for opening weekend, and keep them coming back. They wanted to create something unmissable in modern London, something with the scale of Ancient Rome.

We started with the simple historical discovery that the Romans were among the first advertisers. They painted ads for olive oil, wine—even fermented fish—on the walls of their cities. That discovery triggered the question: what would today’s brands look like if they were transported back to Ancient Rome?

Our idea was to create a modern-day arena where Paramount could partner with some of the UK’s biggest brands, giving them the chance to reimagine themselves for 211 AD. We needed a location with scale, presence, and cultural importance. Piccadilly Circus was the obvious choice.

We pitched it to Paramount, who loved it. So, we had an idea, a location and a client ready to go. Now all we needed was brands…

Rallying the brands

What followed was a whirlwind of idea generation, calls, last-minute pitches and several ‘this is never going to happen’ moments.

To pull this off, we needed big, instantly recognisable brands to join us. We weren’t pitching to one brand at a time—we were liaising with multiple agencies, some of them competitors, each with their own priorities, budgets and timelines.

This meant navigating complex layers of approvals with weeks, not months, to make it happen. As our artwork echoed the iconic Piccadilly Lights patchwork design, we knew that a brand dropping out would put the whole project at risk. The challenge was as much diplomatic as it was creative.

Bringing the arena to life

Once the brands were locked in—Lego, Samsung, Trainline, TK Maxx—the next challenge was visual. We needed them to feel like part of the same Roman world, while keeping their identities intact. We tried a few different treatments (fresco didn’t seem cohesive, mosaic wasn’t bold enough) before landing on the bas-relief look that felt grand enough for Piccadilly and helped bring everything together visually. We ‘carved’ each panel in stone, focussing on the details that would make them distinct for the individual brands – the right style of sunglasses and socks for TK Maxximus, the unmistakable Lego silhouette. Finally, we added some – important, if not quite authentic – pops of brand colour.

The power of collaboration 

This collaboration was extraordinary. It brought together agencies across different holding groups, something you usually only see in big-budget TV ad break takeovers. But this time, it was OOH’s turn to make a statement. We created an ad break of our own, one that could only happen on Ocean’s iconic Piccadilly Circus.

Everyone involved was genuinely excited to bring the vision to life. We had regular calls and kept the communication clear and open, which meant we could solve problems quickly and keep everything moving forward. It was one of those rare projects where everyone was aligned on their ambition and working towards the same goal, and that made a huge difference. It was a real lesson in tenacity and in trusting the people around you to push through and deliver something great.

A memorable experience

Looking back now, I hope this campaign inspires more projects where teams genuinely work together without ego, focusing on making the best work possible. It’s not just about coming up with the biggest or boldest ideas, it’s about that spirit of collaboration and shared purpose. And most importantly, the campaign delivered. Gladiator II opened to incredible box office results, a success that showed just how powerful this kind of work can be.

If I had to pick what I’m most proud of, it’s the fact that so many people came together to create something truly special in such a short space of time. The attention to detail, the creativity, and the determination of everyone involved – that’s what made this campaign what it was. A huge thank you to Wavemaker, Ocean Outdoor, Mindshare, GroupM OOH, Starcom, and Cheil for helping to bring this to life.