Invisible Collective has added multi-hyphenate Marvin Lemus to its growing roster for commercials and branded work. The award-winning director, co-creator, co-showrunner, and executive producer of Netflix’s Peabody Award-nominated hit series Gentified, Lemus brings a well-honed comedic voice and vast short-form experience to Invisible Collective which is headed by founders Mel Jones, Justin Polk, and Stephen Love and managing director Tracie Norfleet.
Since 2019, Invisible Collective has been championing underrepresented, diverse and overlooked talent while creating dynamic work that accurately represents and reflects the American and global population. The manifesto is a draw for fellow-minded, future-looking creators such as Lemus, who said, “It was a no-brainer to me to partner with Invisible because they aren’t waiting on the bench to be called to move the needle. Invisible knows who they are and what their existence means in this space.”
Lemus added, “As a filmmaker, I’ve been able to build a career by unapologetically telling stories that reflect who I am and where I come from, and they are betting on filmmakers who reflect the world we live in. That’s an easy mission to get behind but almost more importantly I wanted to partner with filmmakers that know how to elevate and push boundaries artistically while balancing the intersection of identities we bring to the table without putting us in neat little boxes.”
Lemus has never fit into a neat little box. A Mexican and Guatemalan-American born in Bakersfield, California, Lemus has turned out work in digital comedy ranging from the wildly successful campaign for the feature film Dear White People, which received over 8 million views to viral videos for brands such as Vogue, Time, Anheuser-Busch, MLB and Nissan.
Over the years, Lemus has proven his auspicious knack for taking the seed of an idea and making it grow to new heights. After premiering his half-hour digital show Gentified at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, the series was adapted and produced by MACRO Studios and America Ferrera, then picked up by Netflix for two seasons.
Lemus’ reel is brimming with close to 200 productions which he has written, produced, directed, edited, and/or acted in, having got his start while studying at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade. There Lemus met the other founding members of the award-winning sketch group, THE KIDS TABLE (TKT.) Over the course of three years, TKT’s social content and topical satires gained momentum, and Lemus’ success with low-budget videos quickly led to crafting digital content starring actors including Tessa Thompson, Olivia Munn and Lil’ Rel Howery.
Lemus is an alum of the Sony Diverse Director’s Program, Disney/ABC Directors Fellowship, and Film Independent’s Project: Involve.
Lemus’ first production with the Invisible team was a Telly Award-winning 60-second spot created for the Washington Department of Health. The comedic ad geared toward the LatinX market encouraged individuals to trust their inner voice of reason and get vaccinated. Prior to joining Invisible Collective, Lemus had been repped by The Corner Shop in the advertising arena.
Always keen to experiment, Lemus is interested in exploring moodier, dramedy-leaning narratives in the future. As he continues to play at the intersection of art and commerce with the support of Invisible, while simultaneously developing his first feature film, above all Lemus is steadfast on creating work that is real and authentic.
“I’m excited to create content targeted to the Latine market that doesn’t rely solely on featuring any pinatas, low-riders, or salsa music. And Invisible Collective understands why without having to ask. That’s pretty freaking dope.”
Lemus is represented by UTA for film and TV.
