Fashion & Beauty Talents Shine in a Glamorous Category by Anthony Vagnoni 5 April, 2010
Directors and editors make the images that fashion brands use to lure consumers around the world. Here's a quick look at the backgrounds of a few notable talents, along with our sponsor showcase.
We asked our sponsor companies to tell us a little about some of their fashion and beauty directors and, in the case of Company X, editors. Capsule bios follow, revealing their backgrounds, their influences, their clients and their work. Scroll down for our Fashion & Beauty showreel.
Cyril Guyot was born and raised in France. After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, he pursued a career in filmmaking both in the US and in Europe, living between Paris and New York. He’s directed art videos, music videos and commercials for clients including Michael Kors, Hewlett Packard, Lancôme, Tylenol, Estee Lauder and MTV, among others. Guyot’s films include “Tom Ford is Missing,” (2005), a film about the designer’s departure from the Gucci house. It features a bevy of famous models, who are interrogated regarding the mysterious disappearance of the famous designer. It became an immediate success and allowed Guyot to work with other high-end fashion designers. That same year he signed with Bandits for exclusive French and international commercial representation. His other film, “Hidden and Domestic Curiosities,” made in partnership with designer Yves Saint Laurent and FLY Magazine, explores a woman’s most intimate desires and her need to escape her daily domestic world. The film was featured and screened exclusively in the third collector edition of the FLY DVD, released in the Fall of 2007. Parallel to his work on art videos and corporate films for fashion designers, Guyot continued his advertising career with two commercials, one for Tommy Hilfiger in the US and a campaign for Margaret Astor cosmetics in Europe. He also began to break into the Asian cosmetics market at the end of 2008. Last year, Dolce & Gabbana entrusted Guyot with their image for two campaigns, one for D&G Time, their watch collection, the other an internet launch for the D&G designed Sony Ericsson phone. Guyot is a multi-disciplined talent whose work includes editing, animation, graphic design, photography and illustration. His work has been described as “Images of Guy Bourdin meets the dream state of David Lynch.”
A California native, David Cameron of The Artists’ Company attended the Fashion Institute in Los Angeles and began his career in New York as an assistant to acclaimed artist/designer Michael Vollbracht. In 1985 Cameron launched his own line of innovative and luxurious sportswear that created an immediate buzz with the fashion press, retailers such as Barneys, Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue and private clients that included Tina Chow and Paloma Picasso. At the age of 24, he received the inaugural CFDA Perry Ellis Award for New Talent. In 1987 Absolut Vodka commissioned him to design their first fashion-inspired advertising. The now-famous image of model Rachel Williams wearing Cameron’s silver minidress emblazoned with the Absolut logo debuted to an avalanche of publicity and became an iconic image for the brand. Cameron changed his focus from fashion to film in the early 1990s. He began by directing promotional videos for designers Michael Kors and Anne Klein and Conde Nast’s GQ. Award-winning music videos followed for artists including Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton and Suzanne Vega (MVPA’s 1997 Video of the Year). He naturally segued into advertising work at The Artists Company, establishing a reputation as one of the leading beauty and fashion directors. His prestigious clients include Revlon, Olay, Garnier, Covergirl, Avon, Neutrogena and Lubriderm. He’s directed campaigns featuring some of the world’s most beautiful women, including Halle Berry, Mischa Barton, Rachel Weisz, Andi MacDowell, Julianne Moore, Courtney Cox, Diane Lane and Reese Witherspoon. His clients outside the beauty arena include amongst many others Ikea, Verizon, Walmart, Toyota, Ethan Allen, Kmart, JC Penney and Pfizer. An accomplished editorial fashion photographer, he resides in California with his wife and children.
With a prowess for framing fashion and beauty spots, Margee Challa is known for creating work that charmingly conveys the subtle, simple moments in life. She captivates her audience with relatable characters in believable moments, creating a sense of inclusion. Drawing from an acting background Challa connects with the talent on set, nurturing their performance, and keeping the talent focused and at ease. Recent commercial campaigns include Nivea, Garnier, Johnson & Johnson, and Hush Puppies which exhibit Challa’s style and storytelling. She began her career in an editor’s role at Nocturnal, and her commercial directing career began with a series of spots for DKNY, which eventually led to repeat projects working with agencies such as Deutsch, TBWA\Chiat\Day and Lowe, among others. Creative directors and agency producers alike laud Challa, and nearly all of them are repeat collaborators—a precedent that began with her debut work for DKNY. Her ascent as a commercial director is a natural progression of her diverse background, which includes acting, visual arts, editing, and music video directing. Before serving as lifestyle and beauty director of Good Films (working with Executive Producer Ian Hunter), Challa tapped academia for inspiration, taking an exotic sabbatical as a field assistant studying Capuchin monkeys in the jungles of northern Argentina. Now with Collective, she’s well-equipped to soar even further.
Japanese American photographer and film director, Karina Taira was born in San Francisco. She picked up a camera when she was six years old shooting the things she loved around her, her friends, family, horses, everything. At 15 she was shooting documentary and conceptual art projects and portraits as personal work. She started her professional career at age 19, while still attending the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and traveled between Tokyo and Los Angeles. After moving to New York she was awarded the Diesel perfume campaign, which then brought her to Europe. This is turn, lead to major editorial and advertising work in Paris, Milan, Tokyo, and London. Represented by Bandits in Europe and Asia, she specializes in beauty, luxury and skin with an organic touch, keeping a sensual, feminine approach to her work. She loves to show beautiful women with a feminine and strong mood. Her images have led her to having a contract with Life magazine, shooting all of the celebrities for their covers. Taira has also been busy shooting commercials for everything from perfume brands to automobiles all over the world. At the present time she divides her time between Paris and the rest of the world, traveling from project to project and dancing the tango in Buenos Aires in the moments between. Her next big dream is to move into features, as she is currently writing her first script.
Steven Murashige’s understanding of the aesthetics and mechanics of graphic design is matched only by his ability to find elegant solutions for complex digital executions. Following his graduation from the prestigious Art Center College of Design, he immediately established himself as a cutting edge music video director. His early reel caught the eye of The Artists Company’s founder Roberto Cecchini, who engaged him with great expectations. Murashige’s music video career exploded with notable videos for artists including Sugar Ray, Incubus, the Ataris, Rage Against the Machine and Jem. His work came to the attention of visionary ECD Dave Peterson at Minneapolis agency Peterson Milla Hooks, who felt his artistic sensibility would be an inspired match for his newly rebranded Target client. Their collaboration resulted in a stream of highly successful campaigns for the now iconic brand. While their partnership happily monopolized Murashige’s time for the first few years of his commercial career, he found time to direct equally successful campaigns and spots for Budweiser, Bacardi, Olay, Verizon, Vanguard Investments, Sears and McDonald’s. Murashige directs a popular acting workshop with one of Los Angeles’ best-known acting coaches, to add casting and performance strength to his design pedigree. He is an accomplished painter and resides in his native Los Angeles.
Gregory Maya of The Artists Company leapt to the national advertising spotlight with his first directing assignment, an emotional campaign for The Fresh Air Fund featuring their remarkable summer camp program for disadvantaged New York City children. The spot won top honors at the annual AICP Show and revealed the hallmarks of what was to become Maya’s recognizable style. His work is distinguished by insightful casting, meticulous art direction and a gift for drawing empathetic human portraits and performances which reach through the lens. He’s responsible for many memorable campaigns in the US, delivering powerful messages for major advertisers and brands such as Pantene, ExxonMobil, International Paper, Walmart, Dove, AT & T, Target and Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the most recent campaign for retail chain T J Maxx. His facility with talent and his steadfast dedication to the disciplines of art and design result in uncommonly beautiful spots with strong and authentic emotional appeal. His compassion and ability to understand his clients’ core values are his great strength. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
Born in Antwerp, Belgium, Rebecca Blake came to the United States at a young age, and her European roots are evident in her work. She combines her love of modern architecture, fashion and futurist technology with her knowledge of history and classical traditions to create a visual style that goes beyond time and place. Starting out as a still photographer her unique vision soon had her in demand with such clients as Estee Lauder, Revlon, Avon, Clairol, Elizabeth Arden, Germaine Monteil, Yves St. Laurent, Hanes, Kohler, Nikon, Polaroid, Fuji, Seagram’s, Michelob, Piaget, Rothschild Champagne, Warner Bros, Twentieth Century Fox, and Columbia Pictures. Having honed her craft in fashion and beauty photography, Blake has since focused on commercials and music-videos, including campaigns for L’Oreal, Pantene, Shiseido, Citroen, Victoria’s Secret, Luxottica Eyewear, Max Factor, Vidal Sassoon, Volkswagen, Garnier, ALO’ Telecom, Guess and Nautica. Among the actors, models, artists and musicians Blake has photographed and filmed are Angelina Jolie, Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Halle Berry, Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, John Travolta, Faye Dunaway, John Malkovich, Kevin Kline, Jessica Lange, Lauren Hutton, Kim Bassinger, Brooke Shields, Paulina Porizkova, Christie Brinkley, Jane Seymour, U2, Vanessa Williams, Prince, Sheila E, Grace Jones, Duran Duran, Daryl Hall, Pattie La Belle, Carmen Electra, Debbie Harry, George Benson, Julian Lennon, Sheena Easton, Michael Bolton, Babyface, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, and the list goes on. Blake, whose Rebecca Blake Films is part of the Chicago-based STORY, currently divides her time between commercials and photography work, and is in development on her first feature film.
After graduating from the University of the Sorbonne in Paris with a Masters in Communication, Ndaya began her professional career as a film editor working mainly on national television programs for French networks. Her initial forays into directing were corporate films for clients such as L’Oreal, Kenzo and Shu Uemura before moving on to directing advertising campaigns and honing her specialty in beauty products and cosmetics. Ndaya has since directed campaigns for such clients as Colgate/Palmolive, P&G, Thierry Mugler, Danone, Wella, Rowenta, Ponds and Jacques Dessange, among others. She creates sensual and delicate imagery for her beauty clients, and has a unique ability to connect her audiences with the subtle performances and natural settings that frame her talent. She’s especially adept at casting naturally beautiful men and women, which allows the consumer to simultaneously identify with the product while aspiring to the lifestyles portrayed. In addition to her beauty work, Ndaya holds a special place in her heart for working with young children and mothers. She speaks and works in English, French and Spanish and splits her time between Paris and Barcelona, although she works all over the world. Ndaya is exclusively represented in the US market by Carbo Films.
Equal parts director, artist and visual poet, Erick Ifergan’s work has been sought out by major fashion houses and rewarded by advertising festivals around the world. The last few years have been an incredibly productive and successful period of his career, as he’s created imagery for clients such as Dior, Armani, L’Oreal, Davidoff, Cavalli, Hugo Boss, Sony, Nintendo and Apple. Such assignments often see him collaborating with American and European actors and celebrities. Ifergan, who is represented in the US by Notorious 24:7, lives and breathes the sensual world of fashion and beauty, but approaches it with his unique discipline. A true craftsman and a true filmmaker, he works passionately to create the most memorable idea for every client.
Barney Miller, co-founder of Company X Edit, is known as a premiere post production talent, cutting award-winning commercials and music videos for close to 20 years. Miller is the editorial vision behind fashion and beauty spots for Olay, Avon, Aveeno and Eternal Magic Perfume, as well as brands including Bud Light, VW, Quaker, American Express, Coca-Cola, Sprite, McDonald's and AT&T. Along the way, Miller has collaborated with such directors as Stephane Sednaoui, Marcus Nispel, Jonas Akerland, Pam Thomas, Nick Lewin, Mark Pellington, Lloyd Stein, Caitlin Felton, Philip Andelman and Bob Giraldi. He’s well versed in beauty, storytelling and real people, and specializes in incorporating sound with visuals, even doing his own sound design. (Here he draws on his formative years as a professional musician who opened for popular acts ranging from The Clash to Chaka Khan.) His musical background also attributes to his status as a music video editor, with credits for Hilary Duff, Lenny Kravitz, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fat Boy Slim, Willie Nelson and Elvis Costello among others. As a commercial editor, Miller has garnered industry honors including Best Editing finalists at the London International Awards (Olay); two-time AICE finalist (NCAA & Dr. Pepper); and a Chip Shop Award (Olay PSA). His editing career and diverse creative background have established him as an emerging director as well, helming music videos, commercials, short films and various animation projects through the years. For Miller, taking the director’s chair began as a labor of love, but has since culminated with his latest venture, DETOX, a brand-new hybrid production boutique which officially launched in April 2010.
Director Sarah Pirozek of Dame Work was raised in London and, after studying at St Martin’s College of Art and Design, began her creative life as an experimental filmmaker. While she loves ‘pretty,’ she also loves ‘real,’ and she’s managed to combine both in her documentary work—shooting ‘pretty real’ content, while doing ‘real pretty’ for the beauty business. Her music video work has lead to collaborations with talents such as Bjork, Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen, the Beastie Boys, SHAQ, Sonic Youth, D'rea De Matteo, Spike Jonze, Beck, Sade, Tribe Called Quest, Bokeem Woodbine, Roman Coppola, the White Stripes, Aimee Mann, Goldie Hawn and Queen Latifah. In her beauty work, she’s worked with such DPs as Marco Mazzei, Marc Reshovsky and Pat Darrin, and loves the challenge of reinventing how to show the product in a fresh and engaging way. Working on diverse projects, Pirozek re energizes her creativity and feeds her eye. During a three month period she studied with the Actors’ Studio in New York, traveled to Papua New Guinea to shoot for National Geographic, then back to the States to shoot projects for Vaseline,Olay and Clairol. Her commercial, web and documentary clients include Saatchi, DKNY, JWT, Leo Burnett, Bloomingdale’s, GSD&M, Sive Y&R, Deutsch, Dentsu, Suissa Miller, Euro RSCG, McCann, Proctor & Gamble, Publicis, The Smithsonian Museum, Toshiba, Herbal Essences, Head & Shoulders, People Magazine, MTV, HBO, VH1, Sundance, AMC, Lifetime, TNT and PBS. She has a keen sense of the 'next thing,' and an appetite and love for beauty in all its forms.
A native of Holland, Mikon van Gastel is a New York-based Director and co-founder of AVSO (A Very Small Office). As a director, van Gastel has worked extensively in both film and advertising designing title sequences for feature films, theatrical trailers and directing commercial campaigns for such brands as Target, Clinique, L’Oreal, Olay, and Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. His most recent collaboration with Target and Peterson Milla Hooks resulted in two iconic fashion campaigns for the retail giant: “Frugalista” and “Liberty of London.” While the “Frugalista” campaign utilizes trompe l’oeil to present products, Liberty of London is full of fanciful scenes shot on lush locations with oversized props. The spots in each campaign are vastly different in style, serving as both a verification of van Gastel’s versatility and AVSO’s ability to attract and maintain clients. He taps his graphic design experience to blend framed film with high-end visual effects, all while creating a relaxed atmosphere on set to get the best performances out of the talent and crew. His talents are such that both Avon and Neutrogena have trusted van Gastel with their first forays into hair-care. As a creative director, he applies his expertise in design, new media and architecture, along with an openness to embrace new collaborations and emerging technologies, on a variety of projects in areas such as broadcast and experience design, always willing to push the envelope while bringing out the most beautiful elements of his client’s product or brand.
A California native, 
With a prowess for framing fashion and beauty spots, 
Japanese American photographer and film director, 
Born in Antwerp, Belgium, 
After graduating from the University of the Sorbonne in Paris with a Masters in Communication, 
Equal parts director, artist and visual poet, 
Director 
A native of Holland, 
Chapter 1: Bandits' Directorial...
