International production company Stink Films has added director Camila Zapiola to its roster for commercials and advertising content representation in the U.S., Asia, Brazil and the Czech Republic. She is a groundbreaker as an accomplished comedy director, an arena that has typically been the province of male helmers.
While Stink handles Zapiola in the mainstream general market for American work, she continues to be repped by Joinery_X for U.S. Hispanic agency jobs. Joinery_X also reps her in Spain, France, Germany, Mexico and Argentina. Production house BOLD handles her in the U.K. Prior to connecting with Stink, Zapiola maintained U.S. general market representation through Bob Industries.
Zapiola was practically born on a film set during the advertising boom of the ‘80s and began acting when she was a child. She attended the Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires, where she graduated with a degree in film direction. She went on to study interpretation at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute and graduated as an actress, an experience that informs her unique perspective in casting and directing talent.
Zapiola’s work is dark, funny, subversive, and surprising, rendering the absurdities of being human with affection and precision. She moves easily between dialogue-driven and visual comedy, creating work that is visually captivating. Whether dramatizing an open casket funeral where the deceased appears so youthful-looking that she is mistaken for her grandson’s wife (for Olay), or a confident student causing a commotion during an exam he is already certain he’ll pass (for McDonald’s), Zapiola deftly pulls nuance from each performance.
Her commercial work has received recognition at competitions including The One Show, Clios, and Cannes Lions. Recent standout projects span brands including Olay, Baileys, Tesco, McDonald’s and Citroen. Zapiola also is the Free The Work ambassador of Argentina and Uruguay.
Stink founder Daniel Bergmann said of Zapiola, “She has a unique perspective in the comedy world and her gift for working with talent is something to behold. She challenges so many of the ad world’s tired assumptions about women and comedy.”
Zapiola said she’s enthused over the prospects of becoming part of Stink’s “community of fellow filmmakers,” describing the company as “superlative in every way, creatively as well as in terms of its global reach. I’m so happy to have them in my corner.”
