Director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, which also earned him an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay; The Devil’s Backbone; Hellboy) has teamed with his long-time cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (a best cinematography Oscar winner for Pan’s Labyrinth) and two mainstays at Motion Theory–director Mathew Cullen and executive producer Javier Jimenez–to form Mirada, a creative workshop spanning multiple disciplines. The new venture is a sister shop to Motion Theory, with each able to tap into the other’s resources.
Mirada’s resources include design, animation, post, visual effects, an art department, a soundstage to facilitate traditional and virtual productions, and a full camera shop–all housed in a 25,000-square-foot studio in Marina del Rey, Calif. All four partners will be working out of Mirada, developing and overseeing original works, driving Mirada’s nimble approach to digital production, and guiding the larger creative agenda of the company. The partners see Mirada as a collaborative space where they and other filmmakers can work with artists to create and produce projects that span digital production and content for film, television, advertising, interactive and other media.
Motion Theory is now the commercial production company arm, and the directing core of the entire operation, nurturing strong visual filmmakers across multiple disciplines–and when needed, they can turn to Mirada’s artists and designers to help develop and realize their projects. Mirada is also going to be an incubator to develop up-and-coming storytelling talent, which has long been del Toro’s passion.
“We are creating a storytelling engine in the form of a company–an imaginarium, where we are free to explore the practical possibilities of transmedia without compartmentalizing our artistic process,” said del Toro. “Mirada will be an adaptive entity, constantly in transformation. We see a different model that looks beyond what the market is doing right now to where it will be in 10 years.”
Cullen related, “We’re taking a multidisciplinary approach, bringing design and cinematography to the forefront. Del Toro and Navarro have such a unique creative perspective–you see it in films like Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone and Hellboy. They embrace those great timeless narrative traditions, and Mirada will be building on that history.”
Del Toro is an accomplished director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and designer. Cullen and Jimenez have directed and produced through Motion Theory more than 300 projects together, earning multiple Grammy, Emmy and MTV awards. Navarro has shot more than 30 films.
Mirada’s management team includes: industry veterans Grady Hall (who remains a director on the Motion Theory roster) as executive creative director; John Fragomeni who serves as head of visual effects; Patrick Nugent, general manager; and Mark Allen Kurtz, executive producer.
Motion Theory continues under the aegis of co-founders Cullen and Jimenez. The Motion Theory directorial lineup includes Cullen, Hall, Jesus de Francisco, Mark Kudsi, Christopher Leone, Chris Riehl, and the recently signed collective Syyn Labs.
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More