First Wave TV, headed by exec producer Justin Havlik, has signed director Rik Cordero for U.S. representation. His spots and branded content span the likes of Nike, PepsiCo, Levi Strauss & Co, Heineken, MillerCoors and LG, among others.
Cordero began his career as a music video director, collaborating with artists including Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Nas, and The Roots. Most recently, Cordero directed “Am I Wrong,” the official branded music project for Pepsi Pulse from artists Nico & Vinz. Cordero comes to First Wave from Robot Films.
Cordero’s fascination with filmmaking began early, experimenting with techniques using a household camera as a child. He later swapped a prestigious engineering education for art school, sparking a love for Adobe that would not waver. After spending four years post-graduation as a motion graphics designer, he jumped behind the camera for a no-budget feature and was immediately hooked on directing. His work gained widespread attention when he shot the viral trailer for Jay-Z’s “American Gangster” album. Since then, Cordero has collaborated with major artists from Nas to Snoop Dogg, earning a number of accolades including a 2009 BET Award and a 2013 Japan VMA Award for directing. In 2012, Cordero bridged over to the branded space, quickly earning industry recognition for his American Advertising Federation Award-winning “Where I’m From” campaign for the U.S. Marine Corps out of JWT Atlanta, and his Nike Basketball documentary, The World is Watching out of Spike DDB, that takes an authentic snapshot on the culture of NYC street ball.
