Production company Rattling Stick has signed director and writer Vanessa Beletic for commercials in the U.S. and U.K.–her first spot representation after an extensive independent career spanning 15 years of writing, producing and directing. Beletic has crafted award-winning music videos and projects for brands like Levi’s, Theory, Estee Lauder and Samsung.
Rattling Stick director/co-founder Ringan Ledwidge said, “With Vanessa, there’s just no shortage of what any brand, and advertising as a whole, needs to keep pushing forward–a clear, distinct voice, vision and passion that fuels who she is. As a filmmaker, Vanessa has never needed the system to clear a path for her, she just did it, so it’s an absolute honor that she chose Rattling Stick to take it to the next level and see how far we can go together.”
Spending her early childhood in Haiti, Beletic lived in Guatemala before moving to the U.S. with her family at 13 years old. There she studied dance and education at New York City’s Hunter College and launched herself into an esteemed career as a professional dancer. It was in Los Angeles working with acclaimed commercial and music video directors on projects for Michael Jackson, Prince and Justin Timberlake that Beletic decided to pursue her life-long passion for filmmaking. She followed an instinct to merge lifestyle content and advertising, tapping into a new breed of branded storytelling. Beletic quickly became a pioneer in that world as a writer and director, pitching some of the first branded content shows to Nike and Sephora. In 2006, she became a key creative in the development of one of the earliest digital lifestyle networks.
Beletic’s background in fashion and dance guides her work and lends it kinetic energy. As a director, she loves producing work that is dynamic and high impact yet grounded in reality, with characters that defy the odds-–by way of magic, perseverance, or straight up hustle. She cites Herb Ritts, Spike Jonze, Alfred Hitchcock, and the ‘80s era of iconic music videos as major sources of influence on her work.
In addition to pursuing new commercial opportunities with Rattling Stick, Beletic enjoys working on feature films, music videos, and short films. She directed the recent “Ooh LA LA” music video for rap duo Run The Jewels, which was nominated for the 2020 MVPA, UKMVA, and the 2021 Libera awards. Currently in development on a feature-length thriller, Beletic is also a mentor to several young female filmmakers of color as part of her advocacy for the advancement of Black women’s voices in film and media.
