Production company Institute has added director and photographer Blaise Cepis to its roster. Cepis marks Institute’s fourth dual signing to both its commercial directing and photography rosters, alongside Lauren Greenfield, Ray Neutron, and Thandiwe Muriu, cementing Institute’s multi-platform production expertise in delivering creative collaboration for clients.
Cepis is known for creating bright, absurd, subtly opulent, and surreal visuals in his work, which celebrates the exaggerated human condition and the unique traits that make people unforgettable. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, he built his career as an art director at ad agencies including JWT, Mother, Sid Lee, and Orchard Creative, working on campaigns for brands such as Cadillac, Red Bull, PepsiCo, Absolut, and Smirnoff. He then spent nearly a decade making a name for himself as a freelance director and photographer, blending his advertising experience and background in fine art and design to create wholly original work. As a director/photographer, he has worked with brand clients including Calvin Klein, Adidas, Puma, Velveeta, Bombas, Chevrolet, Remy Martin, Impossible Foods, The New Yorker, NBC, and Vice. Prior to joining Institute, Cepis had been repped by artist management firm agency/production company DMB.
“Institute’s roster is brimming with exceptional, heavy-hitting talent, and I’m honored to join the ranks,” said Cepis. “As a director, being able to rally the team around an idea while earning the trust of our collaborators is my ultimate goal. Having the support of such an amazing team, with all of their experience and presence, feels great. I’m excited to get started.”
“Blaise is deeply, naturally talented,” said Tori Palmatier, managing director at Institute. “His ability to fuse design, eye-popping visuals, and energetic storytelling across film and photography encapsulates the unique visual voice we look for in an Institute artist and collaborator. He’s also just an incredibly funny and wonderful human!”
