Los York has added Mikayla Gamble to its directorial roster for commercials in the U.S. This marks her first career production house representation.
Based in L.A., director and photographer Gamble crafts stories that explore the complexities, nuances, and narratives belonging to people of color. “Mikayla has an amazing eye and a multifaceted ability as a creator to craft authentic stories. Her strong point of view comes across in every piece of work,” said Los York EP Leticia Gurjao.
Gamble’s work is anchored in a strong sense of identity, filtered seamlessly through different voices, stories, and themes. Her 2019 short Testing explores Blackness and identity, amplified through the words of poet Amiri Baraka’s “Somebody Blew Up America.” In Mosaic, filmed in 2018, Gamble illuminates the relationship between art and happiness through a series of intimate interviews through four unique perspectives.
Gamble shared, “Growing up in a military family, I’ve had to adjust, acclimate and figure out how to engage with all kinds of different people in many different environments, in a very short amount of time. This necessity has turned into an ability to adapt my work to a diverse range of audiences, without losing the integrity of who I am as an artist and filmmaker.”
Los York founder/CEO Seth Epstein said, “When I saw Mikayla’s work, I was completely stunned that she was 22 years old. Her voice is clear and strong. She’s got this innate talent and artistry it seems she was put on this earth to express. And she fits the Los York mold: she’s a cross disciplined, hybrid creative who will do whatever it takes to create beautiful, elevated work.”
Gamble’s introduction into the filmmaking world was characteristically Gen Z. Initially motivated by a desire to become a YouTuber in high school, she found herself more fascinated with the world behind the lens. She drew early inspiration from photographers and directors like Chi Modu, Philip Lorca-diCorcia, Kahlil Joseph and Jonas Lindstroem.
Gamble is the third filmmaker under 23 years old to join Los York’s directorial lineup. For her first project at Los York, Gamble is currently co-directing and editing a mini-documentary on the Compton Cowboys in collaboration with Santa Barbara magazine.
James Earl Jones, Lauded Actor and Voice of Darth Vader, Dies At 93
James Earl Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen — eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, "The Lion King" and Darth Vader — has died. He was 93.
His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning at home in New York's Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.
The pioneering Jones, who was one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama and worked deep into his 80s, won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor.
He cut an elegant figure late in life, with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious work habit. In 2015, he arrived at rehearsals for a Broadway run of "The Gin Game" having already memorized the play and with notebooks filled with comments from the creative team. He said he was always in service of the work.
"The need to storytell has always been with us," he told The Associated Press then. "I think it first happened around campfires when the man came home and told his family he got the bear, the bear didn't get him."
Jones created such memorable film roles as the reclusive writer coaxed back into the spotlight in "Field of Dreams," the boxer Jack Johnson in the stage and screen hit "The Great White Hope," the writer Alex Haley in "Roots: The Next Generation" and a South African minister in "Cry, the Beloved Country."
He was also a sought-after voice actor, expressing the villainy of Darth Vader ("No, I am your father," commonly misremembered as "Luke, I am your father"), as... Read More