Production company WeThePeople Pictures, led by industry vets Jesse Ford and Susan Rued Anderson, has added Imanol Ruiz de Lara to its directorial roster and brought Tiffany Caprice aboard as executive producer-business development. Visual storyteller de Lara recently directed his first campaign with WeThePeople for The Zebra via agency Argonaut San Francisco. This marks de Lara’s first formal production house representation in the U.S. market.
Highlights of de Lara’s work include commercial films for Vogue and YSL, Moviestar, Heart Ibiza and Santander, along with fashion shorts, including his Europa II which won Best Director and Best Picture at La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival, and Essential Viewing, honored with a Promax GOLD Award for Best Directing. Whether narrative or lifestyle driven, his filmmaking style combines high-end cinematography and design elements with engaging, warm performances from actors.
“I was introduced to WeThePeople by a producer I work with in Spain,” said de Lara, who is based in Madrid. “I did The Zebra shoot with WeThePeople in April in Madrid. Their way of working with the agency, client and our team was excellent, from creative brief to finishing. It was clear we understood each other very well. I didn’t hesitate to make it official and joined the company. I’m excited about the opportunities to come.”
Caprice will lead WeThePeople’s sales team. Caprice most recently ran her own consulting practice where she partnered with Curation Entertainment, leveraging industry relationships to develop content for strategic partners such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Lionsgate’s Pilgrim Media Group, MGM and many others. She also held EP/business development positions at production companies Matter Films and Pictures In A Row, doing everything from developing and pitching content and scouting directing talent to leading a national sales team, managing social media and creating an extensive network of vendors and resources for production.
“We have always been super hands-on with projects and our directors,” said WeThePeople partner/EP Anderson, whose experience includes launching B-Reel Films in the U.S. “Jesse and I are do-ers and get it done-ers. Tiffany is a great fit for us both strategically and culturally. She will energize our team, expand our network and be an excellent resource for our clients.”
“I look forward to teaming up with Tiffany on commercials and branded content, and bringing our long-form content offering to studios,” added WeThePeople founding partner/EP Ford, who recently produced the award-winning feature-length documentary Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win, and was a founding member of Detroit creative collective The Work.
“With a name like WeThePeople it was hard not to be drawn to the company,” Caprice said. “The way they support and encourage their directors is inspiring. I’m excited to be a part of the continued growth and expansion of WeThePeople’s offerings; from traditional commercial production to full feature and episodic branded and original content. Merging entertainment with advertising is a true passion of mine.”
WeThePeople is headquartered in Detroit with an office in Los Angeles.
