Whiskey Bear has added Brian Pineda, a director and photographer with over 15 years of experience in travel and lifestyle work, to its roster of diverse creatives.
“Brian’s a thoughtful collaborator and a fantastic storyteller. He has the natural ability to take even the simplest scene and make it emotional for audiences,” said Whiskey Bear founder and executive producer Ben Murphy. “His foundation in photography informs a directorial style defined by expressive performances, striking composition, and beautifully crafted light. Our goal is to further elevate and champion Brian’s exceptional talent, delivering bold, stand-out campaigns that resonate with clients.”
Pineda related, “I love the work that Whiskey Bear is doing and the way they do everything is next level. They have that great balance of having a new vision for the industry but with depth of experience, which comes through in how they engage with people and what they produce. That’s an essential part of why we came together.”
Pineda’s career encompasses lifestyle and travel work with directorial credits that include Conde Nast Traveler and L’Oreal, as well as photography for clients such as Holiday Inn and The Travel Channel. He has collaborated as a director and/or photographer with varied agencies, including Ogilvy, McCann and Droga5. Pineda’s journey into directing started with a spontaneous decision to hit “record” on a travel-based photo shoot. This sparked his diversification into directing, where teaching himself editing became an instinctive extension of his storytelling and helped shape his distinctive cinematic voice.
“When working as a photographer, you often only have a few minutes to really capture the scene or the person’s essence and story,” commented Pineda. “The same can be true in directing–to connect and observe, but also make people feel comfortable in any environment so that everything works in concert. My goal is to root everything in the authentic and convey it with a cinematic aesthetic.”
His ability to connect and an ever-present curiosity about the world have translated into a body of commercial work for Ancestry, Celebrity Cruises, The Coca Cola Company, and Japan National Tourism, among other brands. His interest in presenting spectacular imagery integrated with portraits of lives lived passionately is deeply felt in his work with noted celebrity chefs Eric Ripert (for Japan National Tourism and Gaggaenu), Daniel Boulud (Celebrity Cruises) and Esther Choi (Cafe Modern Glass/GE).
Pineda had been freelancing prior to joining Whiskey Bear. Earlier he was repped in the U.S. market by Great Guns.
