Believe Media has signed photographer and director Paola Kudacki for commercial and music video representation worldwide. The move adds to the substantial and diverse roster of women filmmakers on the Believe roster and is the most recent step toward building a new company base on the East Coast.
Perhaps best known best for her portraiture, Kudacki’s recent cover photo for Alicia Keyes’ new album, “Here,” sparked the #NOMAKEUP movement. Kudacki has shot numerous covers and portraits for Time, with memorable projects including its “100 Most Influential People” and “Great Performances” issues. Her images have served as the centerpieces for ad campaigns for brands like Puma, CoverGirl, YSL Skincare, L’Oréal, Revlon, Michael Kors, and H&M.
“Paola is a very hands-on director who’s not afraid to jump in and be physically in the directing process,” said Liz Silver, Believe co-founder and executive producer. “She brings an innovative and progressive approach to her filmmaking, allowing for dynamic and impactful performances from her subjects.”
The new Pantene spots out of Grey NY, in which mixed martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey declares “Don’t hate me because I’m strong,” showcase Kudacki’s skill at coaxing her subjects to deliver a performance without forfeiting spontaneity and genuineness. Other recent work in this vein includes spots for Puma starring Cara Delevingne and two dancers from the New York City Ballet, Olivia Boisson, and Mimi Staker. Kudacki’s music video for Mary Komasa, “Oh Lord,” shot entirely on iPhone, debuted on nowness.com earlier this fall. Kudacki’s commercial and music video work was produced by her still photo agency, CLM (which continues to handle her for still photography). Believe marks her first commercial/music video production house affiliation.
“My desire to direct comes from a need to incorporate sound and stories to add a new dimension to my images,” said Kudacki. “I’m passionate about people. Even in my portraiture and beauty and fashion photography, I connect to my subjects and direct them with fictional stories to create the final image. Believe has a great understanding of where I want to go as a director, and they support my creativity. They’re also experts at narrative storytelling, and that support will be crucial as I develop my career further.”
Believe EP Jannie McInnes said, “Paola’s work is vibrant and modern, and with her passion for human storytelling comes depth and complexity. We always see something new in our favorite icons when she works with them.”
Kudacki is based in Brooklyn and was raised in Argentina. A graduate of Panamericana School of Art and Design in Buenos Aires, she had a diverse creative career, spanning ballet, styling and art direction, before finding her way to photography and film direction. Her list of subjects includes some of the biggest names in Hollywood, such as Angelina Jolie, Robert Redford, Amy Adams, Hugh Jackman, Tina Fey, Naomi Watts, Christoph Waltz, Anne Hathaway, and Julianne Moore, to name a few. On the music scene, Kudacki has photographed some of the industry’s most influential artists, including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Kendrick Lamar and Elton John.
Her signing comes on the heels of a major geographic shift in the Believe power base, as Silver and her fellow EP and Co-Founder, Luke Thornton, recently moved from L.A. to New York City. “We wanted to be closer to our clients in the beauty and fashion business, and living in New York makes it easier to be active in our growing business in London as well as to oversee our shoots all over the world,” explained Thornton.
In this era of Freeing the Bid, it’s worth noting that Believe’s global roster now includes eight women directors. Since its inception in 2000, Believe has consistently represented a diverse range of female filmmakers–typified by one of its most enduring talents, Floria Sigismondi–widely known for their work in music videos as well as commercials.
Other recent company moves include the promotion of long-time line producer Marc Bernadout to executive producer in Los Angeles; relocating EP Mark O’Sullivan to London, where he can oversee U.S. productions shooting in Europe; and bringing on Mary Knox and Shauna Seresin at Minerva Content as global heads of marketing and branding as well as for East Coast representation.
