Production company Little Minx has brought director/photographer Carlos “Kaito” Araujo aboard its roster for representation spanning commercials and content. This marks Kaito’s first representation in the spotmaking space.
At the age of 19, Kaito moved to Los Angeles to begin his career working as a director and photographer for Sean “Diddy” Combs at Combs Enterprises. Kaito has since captured assorted iconic moments with Combs–most notably photographing him for Vanity Fair’s September cover—as well as other celebrities including Drake, Jay-Z, Tiffany Haddish, Madonna, Justin Bieber and DJ Khaled. Kaito has contributed to brand campaigns for Spotify, Ciroc and Activision’s Call of Duty, and his work has been featured in Vogue, GQ, People, Billboard and Complex, among others.
Additionally, Kaito has been busy on the commercial front, recently directing the anthem spot for Frito-Lay’s #joyFULLYBlack campaign. Created in partnership with REVOLT, the campaign was produced by a 100% Black creative team. This year, Kaito was also tapped as the director and photographer for TikTok’s Culture Drivers campaign, which celebrates the best brand and creator partnerships on TikTok.
“Kaito is an incredibly talented young man,” said Helen Hollien, Little Minx executive producer. “His eye is unrivaled; I’ve never seen someone like him in my 30 years. We’ve already shot our first spot together for the Frito-Lay #joyFULLYBlack campaign and his potential is clear. He represents a new generation of artists breaking into our industry, spreading new ideas in everything he does. From my own experience, clients will find him creative, imaginative, inspiring and thoughtful.”
Kaito shared, “It’s a blessing for me to join the Little Minx roster alongside other talented, innovative creatives within the commercial space. I look forward to collaborating with more brandsand capturing cutting edge stories that connect with their audience.”
“This is a thank you to Zach Hilder, ECD at 72andSunny, for introducing us to Kaito,” said Rhea Scott, president of Little Minx. “Zach knows we celebrate young talent, fresh perspectives and above all diverse voices who enlighten and captivate. I have a really good feeling about Kaito; he is meticulous, precise, eager for perfection, and also just mellow. I think he will go far.”
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More