- Nicholas Braun made his commercial directorial debut co-directing "The Restaurant," the centerpiece film of Shinola's first full brand platform campaign.
- The campaign, "On Shinola Time," relaunches the Runwell, the original watch that started Shinola's watch business in 2013.
- London agency GentleForces created the campaign and co-directed alongside Braun, marking its first U.S. client win.
- Photographer Brian Karlsson shot the campaign's companion still images.
Nicholas Braun has stepped behind the camera for his commercial directorial debut, co-directing “The Restaurant,” the centerpiece film of Shinola’s first full brand platform campaign, “On Shinola Time”.
Relaunching the 2013 Runwell, the flagship watch that anchored Shinola’s watchmaking business, the campaign was developed alongside London-based creative agency GentleForces, which co-directed with Braun and secured its first major U.S. client win in the process.
Photographer Brian Karlsson shot the companion still images for the campaign, which follows Braun through an anxious, tension-filled date night before he ultimately confronts the source of his stress: his wristwatch.
This collaboration represents a significant step for Shinola, though it is not the brand’s first time working with celebrity talent.
While the Detroit-based company has historically built its identity around local manufacturing, they have previously collaborated with Luke Wilson and Alice Cooper and recently featured Molly Shannon in their Gilda Radner “Great American Series” launch earlier this month.
For Braun, the directorial credit marks a deeper creative evolution following his on-camera work fronting Bonobos’ “Still the Best Seat in Town” chino campaign and modeling for the Rimowa Original Backpack launch, both in February 2026.
Nicholas Braun’s busy run also includes his role as Officer Tim Derry in the Amazon MGM feature film The Sheep Detectives, which hit theaters in May 2026, following his Off-Broadway stage debut in Gruesome Playground Injuries at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in late 2025.
Much like DJ and producer Chase B stepping into a Creative Director role at Lids in March 2026, or Harrison Ford co-developing a limited-edition single malt Scotch with Glenmorangie in May 2026, Braun’s behind-the-scenes work highlights how modern brands are increasingly trading standard endorsements for genuine creative equity.
Takeaways
Nicholas Braun’s co-directing credit marks a clear shift toward creative equity over passive celebrity endorsement. Modern audiences are tired of traditional, hollow “billboard” ads, and this deal shows brands are now willing to hand over the creative keys to gain genuine, talent-driven authenticity.
Braun’s jump from “guy who wears the watch” to actual director fits a pattern of brands treating talent as creative partners instead of billboards.
And for GentleForces, landing Shinola as a debut U.S. client is a real coup. proof an indie London shop can win American accounts on strategy over scale.
Does directing the ad make Braun’s involvement feel more authentic than a typical celebrity endorsement? Could this open the door to more filmmaking work for Braun beyond acting?
