Production company Durable Goods has signed director Katharina Baron for her first U.S. commercial representation. She has directed and produced award-winning commercial and branded campaigns for such clients as Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Swarovski and Condé Nast. With a wide range of experience across fashion, beauty, lifestyle and automotive, Baron’s directing is informed by avant garde European sensibilities and a global perspective gleaned from her work across major international markets spanning London, Dubai, Shanghai and Milan, among numerous others.
Los Angeles-based Baron graduated from CELSA Sorbonne and FU Berlin with an MBA. Storytelling has been a throughline in her career, though it has seen a variety of manifestations, with her first professional gig as a fashion and television journalist reporting on the most prestigious and exclusive international events and interviewing leaders in fashion including Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour. She organically transitioned into video work for the brands she was reporting on, producing and directing fashion films and branded content for a wide range of clients. This led to work on documentaries for French TV, later shifting to fashion, automotive and lifestyle genres. Her background as an actress, producer, creative director and director provides a holistic perspective on the production process, resulting in work that connects true human emotion with core brand goals. Upcoming work includes a project for Vogue and a conscious beauty brand.
Rebecca Wray, executive producer of the Venice, Calif.-based Durable Goods, said of Baron, “Not only is she a fabulous director with a highly curated art sensibility, she is exactly what brands need now. She is a global creative, she speaks five languages and can present a cohesive message for brands across all continents. She has run her own tech companies, she has created brand strategies across multiple platforms, she comes as a true creative asset to the clients, helping them define their messaging.”
Baron added, “Rebecca and the entire team at Durable Goods are so dedicated to creating and maintaining a collaborative creative atmosphere, so it really feels like family for me as a director. Her vision for fostering community within the industry has been inspiring to witness, especially during these times of physical isolation.”
