Jessy Terrero–a Dominican-American filmmaker whose music videos for pop stars such as Maluma, Nicky Jam, Enrique Iglesias, and Jennifer Lopez have amassed over 21 billion views–has joined VANDAL for commercials and branded content in the U.S. The work will be produced via an arrangement between VANDAL and Terrero’s film company, Cinema Giants. Terrero’s work in music videos is complemented by branded, documentary and scripted projects. He directed and starred in a Cadillac campaign for the 2021 Escalade, via Spike DDB. On the feature front, he directed Freelancers starring Robert De Niro and recording artist turned actor-producer, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson; and Gun starring Jackson and Val Kilmer. Terrero also directed and produced comedian Kevin Hart’s feature debut, Soul Plane, a film that likewise marked the debut of Sofia Vergara and Mo’Nique.
VANDAL was founded by producer Heather Heller and director Francis Lawrence. Of his affiliation with the company, Terrero said, “Coming up as a music video director, I was inspired by Francis’ work, so it is exciting to expand my career in commercials with Francis and Heather, as they truly understand where I come from as a filmmaker.”
“Jessy came to prominence in the music video business at the same time that I was finding success there,” Heller said. “I was intrigued by how he parlayed his work with the most exciting artists in the Latin market into compelling episodic content for streaming platforms.” She added that Terrero is a great fit for the VANDAL roster, saying, “Jessy’s visuals are big, bold and dynamic, making him an ideal choice for branded content and commercials. From his work with celebrities to jumping on board as both an influencer himself and a director for Cadillac, Jessy is creating waves on all media platforms.”
Terrero’s film company, Cinema Giants, produces Latin urban and pop culture-oriented projects for a wide range of partners and platforms. He now primarily works as an executive producer, producer and showrunner to tell long-form stories that are both scripted and non-scripted. His most recent acclaim came with his biopic series, Nicky Jam: El Ganador, a Netflix Original Series released internationally in 2018. In 2019, Terrero debuted his feature length documentary film, Maluma: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Sere for YouTube Originals. He also created and executive produced Bravas, an original scripted series for YouTube Originals, released October 2020.
Terrero joins a VANDAL roster consisting of director Lawrence, director/screenwriter Scott Cooper, director/photographer Sharif Hamza, director Michael Haussman, director/photographer Patrick Hoelck, director/photographer Munachi Osegbu, multi-hyphenate Steve Pink, director/photographer Eugenio Recuenco, director Jesse Salto, directing duo SKNX.TV, writer/director Gene Stupnitsky, director Eli Sverdlov, and director Jean-Claude Thibaut. VANDAL is represented by head of global sales Carl Forsberg and sr. agent Justin Lasoff (Apostle) on the East Coast, Sarah Gitersonke (SGP Partners) in the Midwest, Julie Koellner (Remedy Reps) in Texas, and Deirdre Rymer Rivard (Blush Creative) and Lisa Gimenez (Lisa G & Company) on the West Coast. Tommy Labuda (Labuda Reps) handles VANDAL for music videos. Estelle Leeds reps Osegbu and SKNX on the commercial and content fronts.
