Directorial duo The Vortex has joined the roster at Chromista, a creative content company with bases of operation in Los Angeles and New York. This is the first commercial representation for The Vortex, which consists of Emiliano Granado and Austin M. Kearns.
Born in Argentina, Granado relocated to the U.S. as a child and attended Amherst College before moving to NYC. As the fates would have it, his first job in advertising led him to attend courses at the International Center of Photography and to pursue photography as a hobby. Cultivating his own visual voice, Emiliano quit his day job and was quickly named to PDN’s The 30 in 2008. His clients include The New Yorker, GQ, T Magazine, Nike, Adidas, Smirnoff, Converse, Google, and Meta. Granado is the co-creator of Manual for Speed, F**ck Gatekeeping, and babyqueso.
In his youth, Kearns developed a dark comedic voice, which runs throughout his unique visual expression. Austin graduated from the School of Visual Arts, where he studied under virtuoso cinematographer Dejon Georgevich. Early in his career, Austin directed music videos for myriad artists, including comedic personality Tim Heidecker, before transitioning into cinematography.
Granado and Kearns–who came together as a directing team in 2020–deliver a sophisticated edge and irreverence. The Vortex’s recent commercial work includes films and stills for Outlier, Goldsport, Sperry, Under Armour, Puma, Arc’teryx and a film for Lowd Cannabis, which garnered a 2021 Silver Clio.
Adina Birnbaum, executive producer/new business development at Chromista, said, “The Vortex truly lives up to their moniker. Their verve, charisma, and artistry are a sight to behold, and we are looking forward to charting new territory with them.”
Granado and Kearns shared in a joint statement, “It’s an absolute dream to be working alongside the talented folks at Chromista. It’s an honor and we are so excited to start making content for clients.”
