Declan Whitebloom
Music video and film director
Geography and Sociology, 1989
Award-winning director Declan Whitebloom has directed music videos for Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, One Direction, Rita Ora, and Jess Glynne, among other top musicians. Over the years, Declan has won numerous CMA, VMA, and MTV awards for his work including with Taylor Swift’s iconic We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together video. In 2022, his first feature film Stowaway premiered starring Ruby Rose.
“I’m so thankful for my time at university. St Mary’s was fundamental to my development as a person.”
Ready for action
Declan graduated from St Mary’s in 1989 with a degree in Geography and Sociology. Having grown up in Sussex, the greenness of Twickenham felt like home from the get-go for Declan. He shares that it was his first visit to campus that was the deciding factor, as St Mary’s didn’t feel like a cold, faceless place like some of the other universities he had visited.
Even though Declan had always been interested in film, at that time there was very little accessibility to film courses and he didn’t have an art background. At school Declan was good at geography, so decided to continue the subject alongside sociology at university level.
“I stayed on campus for my first year in Old House. I can strangely still remember the room, Room 223.”
At St Mary’s, Declan found the geography course really compelling, particularly the modules on human geography. He still remembers going on regular field trips, including a week in Holland. Declan also enjoyed class trips in sociology to the Old Bailey to watch a court case, as well as to a young offender’s facility in Feltham where they were able to talk to some of the people there.
Reflecting on the teaching at St Mary’s, Declan shares that classes were hands-on and that you felt very connected to people, places, and real things. He adds that the course was great in making the subject areas feel alive and not just this disconnected approach to education.
The social side of St Mary’s was also a huge part of Declan’s university experience, with campus having an active social scene and community feel from the start. This included bands coming to play at St Mary’s and opportunities for students to DJ – something that Declan took up during his time here.
“Living at St Mary’s felt safe, yet opportunity was on the doorstep.”
“When you work with Taylor Swift, and I have done four times now, people start to notice.”
After graduation, Declan considered a career in teaching before making the big decision to move to Los Angeles where his brother was living.
In LA, Declan started at the bottom and became a runner on film sets. He then graduated into the art department on various projects in film and TV such as commercials and music videos, before landing a role editing music videos including for Britney Spears and Oasis.
It was at this point that the Disney corporation approached, and Declan directed his first ever music video for Freaky Friday starring Lindsay Lohan. This snowballed into Declan directing music videos for all the Disney people from the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato, and then into people like Taylor Swift.
Since then, Declan has also directed commercials, musicals, and feature films, as well as being involved in the creation of Banksy’s Dismaland installation.
While his job might seem like a total stray from a degree in the social sciences, Declan credits St Mary’s for setting him up in his career in an unexpected way.
During his time at St Mary’s, Declan learnt important practical skills such as being able to organise yourself and follow instructions. He believes that these traits transfer directly to when you’re making a film or commercial.
Perhaps more significantly, Declan shares that studying topics like criminology, urban areas, and transport at St Mary’s was all about people, and being able to understand and work with people is something that is key in the film industry.
