Cadence Films has brought Baltimore-born director Mitch Ryan aboard its talent roster for commercials and music videos. This marks his first-ever spotmaking representation globally.
Known for his colorful, otherworldly music videos for Grammy-winning Latin music superstar Rosalía–which have accumulated hundreds of millions of views–Ryan also joins Cadence with a skill for contemporary, high-polish campaigns for brands like Collina Strada and Glossier.
“The moment we met Mitch, we knew we wanted to work together. As an artist, he brings a rare sensitivity, openness, and honesty to his films. As a person, his presence and charm are disarming, on and off set, and it shows in the immediate connection he creates between himself and his characters and collaborators,” said Lorenzo Ragionieri, co-founder of Cadence Films.
Ryan, who is based in New York and Paris, brings a cinematic eye and a playfully surreal, emotive sense of storytelling to his work. His ability to apply style without detracting from the authenticity of his subjects was what first led to what has been a long-time collaboration with Rosalía, with whom his most notable videos are the upbeat, dance single, “Despechá,” which captures the brown-eyed beauty frolicking on a beach, and “Hentai,” which portrays Rosalía in a bucolic expanse, riding a slow-moving mechanical bull.
This same sense shines brightly on his eccentric, dynamic campaign for luxury fashion brand Collina Strada, which depicts the angular movements of dancers wearing the brand’s innovative clothing, and his newest global Nike Kids campaign, which spotlights parents and their kids sharing athletic firsts together.
“Mitch’s voice is unflinchingly real, and balances subtle, poignant notes with energetic, fun, often humorous beats. Mitch is the real deal, which is what immediately drew Nike to his work, and we were thrilled to kick off our collaboration with a global kids campaign for them,” said Ragionieri.
Currently, in addition to directing commercial projects with global brands and advertising agencies, Ryan is working on a long-form, genre-bending chronicle of Rosalía’s tour.
