Advertising career

DEFERT is a Paris creative studio founded by art director and director Thomas Defert.

We build campaigns and art installations for houses with something real to protect: heritage, craft, and the passion that keeps them alive. Our job is to make that passion visible, in work that feels less like advertising and more like something worth keeping. It's shaped by a decade inside Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and BETC before DEFERT opened its own doors.

    • Grand Prix Stratégie du Craft 2025 : Gold

    • Grand Prix Stratégie du Luxe 2025 : Gold

    • Montreux Festival 2022 : Gold Film Craft

    • Shots : Top100 2022

    • D&AD 2022 : Wood Pencil Film Craft

    • Cannes Lions 2020/21 : 3 Shortlits (2 in Film - 1 in Film Craft)

    • Art Director’s club 2021 : 3 Silver (Music - Digital - Copywriting)

    • D&AD 2021 : 3 Shortlists (Writing For Advertising - Direct Digital - Animation)

    • One Show 2021 : 4 Merits (Online film - Under 50K Budget - Website E-commerce - Brand Voice)

    • Gerety Awards 2021 : Silver in Entertainment

    • CPS Awards 2021 : Bronze

    • Clio 2022 : Shortlist

    • Effie 2020 : Silver - Automotive

    • Eurobest 2020 : Shortlist - Healthcare - Fundraising

    • OneShow 2021 : Merit : Branded Content

    • Clio 2019 : Bronze in Digital/Mobile

    • Epica 2019 : Bronze in Online & Mobile Services

    • One Show 2020 : Bronze in Interactive & Online : Websites

    • Creative Review : Top 10 best ads of 2019 (link)

  • Netflix

    Louis Vuitton

    Evian

    Lacoste

    Google

    Grey Goose

    Samsung

    Coke

    Rochebobois

Documentary practice

In addition to his advertising career, Thomas Defert is the co-author and co-director of The Last Horizon, a 90-minute documentary that delves into the intertwined lives of three family members in a Senegalese fishing village, exploring their relationships, struggles, and shared legacy as they face the changing tides of politics and the challenges of passing down their traditions. 

The Last Horizon is produced by the French production company ELDA PRODUCTION and is supported by CNC, EUROPE MEDIA CREATIVE, and PROCIREP.

The Last Horizon website

Photography

Thomas also has a strong passion for photography, a passion that began during his early days as an assistant to the renowned still life photographer Bart Oomes in Amsterdam. Since 2024, Thomas has had the privilege of having his work sponsored by the famous German photographic institution Leica.

Photography