Even as MTV has stepped back from traditional broadcasting, the music video remains a powerful creative medium—shaping artist identity, driving narrative innovation, and influencing global visual culture. In today’s digital-first landscape, where platforms like YouTube and TikTok dominate discovery, music videos continue to evolve as both an art form and a strategic tool for artists. This panel will explore why they still matter, how their purpose has shifted, and what the future holds for visual storytelling in music.
Join three of Ireland’s distinctive directors—Eilís Doherty, Seán Patrick Mullan, and Louise Gaffney—as they share insights into their creative processes, industry experiences, and the evolving language of music video.
Eilís Doherty has been a resident director at Tiny Ark since 2019. She has created work for major brands including Airbnb, Anthropic, Jameson, Hennessy, Tourism Ireland, Volkswagen and Shopify, with her work taking her across Europe and North America. One of Ireland’s most exciting directors, her work is defined by a fun, punchy, and confident aesthetic. She is a frequent collaborator with CMAT, and has received multiple awards from the Institute of Creative Advertising & Design and the Emerging Director Awards.
Seán Patrick Mullan is a filmmaker from Derry whose work is rooted in cinematic, emotionally charged storytelling, with a strong connection to place and landscape. He recently directed Kingfishr’s “The Blade,” a striking new video starring Anthony Boyle, and the project also marked the debut of his new production banner, Studio Cloncha. Mullan’s background in documentary and short-form filmmaking, including his short Inhale, informs a style that is intimate, poetic, and grounded in the north-west.
Louise Gaffney is a multidisciplinary filmmaker, editor, and motion graphics designer whose music video work is noted for its lo-fi, hand-crafted aesthetic and frequent use of animation. Over the years she has worked with artists including Bell X1, Wyvern Lingo, Conor Walsh, Meltybrains?, Anna Mieke, and Niamh Bury, building a distinctive body of work that bridges music, visual art, and experimental film. Her practice spans directing, cinematography, editing, and design, giving her work a singular visual authorship.
MC’d by Derek O’Connor (RTÉ Culture).
Perfect for filmmakers, musicians, creatives, and anyone fascinated by the intersection of music and film, this panel offers a behind-the-scenes look at the craft of music video creation and the ideas shaping its future.
Funded by Shared Island, Civic Society Fund
