International production company Grand Large, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, has signed Japanese American director/photographer Karina Taira for U.S. representation.
Taira’s work–both photography and film–encompasses fashion/beauty as well as tabletop, with a focus on liquids and chocolate. “I have always admired Karina’s fashion and beauty sensibility and am especially struck by her exceptionally unique aesthetic,” said Steve Horton, founder/executive producer at Grand Large.
Taira, who was raised in San Francisco and now lives in Paris, launched her career as a fashion photographer first in New York and then in Paris after graduating from the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. She subsequently made her debut as a film director with a spot for French jeweler Boucheron.
Her most recent work is for Cerave, for Ogilvy in New York. Other U.S. clients have included Olay (Saatchi), Maybelline (Gotham), Boars Head (DiMassimo Goldstein, and Dove (BBDO). Taira has worked for an array of top brands, such as Evian, Microsoft, Givenchy, L’Oreal, Absolut Vodka, Nina Ricci, Evian, Tag Heuer, Courvoisier, Playstation, Dior cosmetics, and Motorola.
According to Horton, Grand Large has always been a home for directors who work with traditional beauty and fashion as well as luxury brands. “Karina puts a special spin on these categories with a brilliant way of capturing beauty, tabletop and even landscapes,” he explained. “You can see the thought and precision that goes into each shot.”
It was this sensibility that attracted Taira to Grand Large. “The company has a seamless mix of the two worlds I am from,” she said, citing photography and film, fashion and beauty, and France and the U.S. “It feels like we see eye to eye and speak the same language.”
Taira’s first short film, “I Am A Star,” which she wrote, produced, and directed, was completed earlier this year. It is the story of a woman who chases after fame and fortune only to discover it is not the route to happiness. The film is currently entered in several international film festivals.
Formerly represented stateside by Hound, Taira joins Grand Large on the heels of the company signing director/photographer Mark Seliger, known for his portraiture and celebrity work. The roster features other acclaimed directors, including Trân Anh Hùng, whose most recent feature film, “The Taste of Things,” won him the Best Director award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival; Julie Taymor, the first woman in Broadway history to win a Tony Award for Best Director (for “The Lion King”); and Gaysorn Thavat, a Cannes Gold Lion winner.
Grand Large is represented by Minerva (Shauna Seresin and Mary Knox) on the East Coast, and Sonia Reps (Sonia Blum and Ally Khajenouri) in the Midwest.
