Editor Richard Cooperman, whose high-gloss fashion/beauty work spans everything from couture to luxury automobile campaigns, has signed with /Wildchild/, the New York and L.A.-based content collective founded by Yvette Piñeyro.
A native of Toronto, Cooperman joins /Wildchild/ from jumP. Recent projects include work for Lexus, L’Oreal and Hugo Boss and Samsung.
Starting with the editing of music videos, Cooperman’s work has followed a path of visual storytelling that’s included high-end fashion and beauty work for some of the top labels and designers in the industry, including Thierry Mugler, directed by Floria Sigismondi, and Hugo Boss, directed by Jonas Åkerlund. Cooperman has also diversified into automotive advertising which has adopted the sensibilities of top fashion directors and stylists to position cars and SUVs as badges of taste and style, the ultimate in luxury accessorizing.
Indeed, Cooperman was drawn to /Wildchild/ based on its strength in the fashion arena. “I was looking for an editorial company that was strong in the genres where I like to play, and I’d become aware of them based on their fashion work,” he said.
In addition to Åkerlund and Sigismondi, Cooperman has also worked with such noted fashion and music video directors as Wilfred Brimo, Sophie Muller and Melina Matsoukas–and all on car commercials. “For me, it’s fun and challenging to combine the demands and influences of these two worlds,” he says about his automotive work, noting that the influence of fashion advertising and imagery is being felt in many areas of ad content.
His move into fashion came via the stylistically-related genre of music videos, Cooperman explained. After graduating from Ryerson University in Toronto he landed at a small production company there that specialized in videos. It’s where he started to edit, “and I loved it,” he recalled. “Sometimes you find something that you’re good at, and when you do, it never feels like work.”
Cooperman has just completed a campaign for Lexus via Team One that introduces its new NX crossover in the brand’s characteristically sexy way. Directed by Brimo, the spots depict the attributes of the new model in a fast-paced and breathless fashion.
