Bicoastal creative content company, Chromista has brought director Candice Vernon aboard its roster. Vernon is a filmmaker, writer, and creative director known for creating high profile celebrity, comedy, and documentary content.
Originally hailing from the island of Jamaica, Vernon grew up splitting her time between the United States and the Jamaican parish of St. Ann as well as Germany. Moving between these three very different countries gave her a uniquely diverse experience and outlook on humans as subjects, and further piqued her interest in storytelling. Vernon’s film aspirations started from a young age, starting with her learning the American dialect from episodes of I Love Lucy. Vernon’s curiosity and creativity then led her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in film and television at Temple University. She then became an executive producer at an ad agency and then a creative director at Buzzfeed, ultimately leading her to her life’s path as a director of celebrity and comedy films.
Vernon’s most notable project, The Dream Still Lives–a tribute film from Stevie Wonder and CAA–commemorated the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s passing. Over the course of that project, Vernon worked alongside acting giants Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, as well as the Obamas. Her short film Make America Great?, which she wrote and directed, screened at Cannes Short Film corner and won the audience award at both the Zero Film Festival and The National Black Film Festival. Vernon has also directed for clients such as NBA2K, Svedka Vodka, Warner Media|HBO, P&G: Cascade, Unilever: Vaseline, Spotify, Hulu, BuzzFeed, Facebook Watch, Instagram, Chico’s and The Bob Marley Foundation to name a few.
Adina Birnbaum, executive producer at Chromista, said, “We’re already incredibly grateful to have Candice on board at Chromista. Her creative spark is contagious and immediately gets everyone else on set going. The spot she directed for NBA2K was a joy from pre- to postproduction and I think that’s due to Candice’s clarity of vision, sense of humor, and ability to hone in on the quickest, best way to tell a story in the commercial space. Her sense of narrative is sharp and so is her wit. She really takes everything to the next level and we’re so excited to be a part of her creative journey.”
Vernon–who had most recently been directing independently prior to joining Chromista, said, “Comedy is not the easiest genre to break into, but I was determined to show and prove that women are not only funny in front of the camera, but we’re funny behind the scenes too. My whole career has been dedicated to breaking barriers and stereotypes, so landing NBA2K was right in step with my vision for my career path. This was not possible without the team at Chromista believing in me and the transition that I was seeking in my career. I feel so lucky to have landed with this family.”
Vernon is also the host and leader of Soho House West Hollywood’s Women In Film Club and is currently developing her debut feature film.
