Melina Matsoukas’ Dela Revolucion brings diverse voices to the forefront

Melina Matsoukas, the acclaimed director known for work such as the Beats by Dre “You Love Me” ad as well as Beyonce’s Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning “Formation” music video, has opened the doors of her own creative collective and studio, Dela Revolucion. The new company spans commercial production across spots and photography, as well as film, entertainment, art and other creative pursuits its talents hope to explore. It’s home to an eclectic mix of talents—directors, photographers and art directors—whose careers Matsoukas hopes to develop within a free-flowing creative environment. The Dela Revolucion name had already been serving as the banner for Matsoukas' own film and television studio, and last year signed a first-look deal with MGM. The expansion into commercial projects and art has redefined it into a more comprehensive creative firm that prioritizes bringing the true voices of its diverse talents to the fore. “At this point in my career, I find so much more satisfaction out of creating space for others to show and perfect their voice and bring that to the world,” Matsoukas said. “We’re not a monolithic group of people. I want to be able to nurture those voices, give guidance and support them where necessary because I feel like right now is a moment when everybody wants to check a box. I want to make sure that these directors and photographers are being hired for projects that they really have passion for and can bring something to.” For spots, Matsoukas had been represented by Prettybird, one of the industry’s top production companies and former Ad Age Production Company of the Year, also known for nurturing underrepresented talents. Dela Revolucion and Prettybird will remain “family,” Matsoukas said. They will continue to partner on productions on the commercial side, and Prettybird President Ali Brown will oversee commercials and music videos at the company. Other Dela Revolucion partners include Khaliah Neal, who oversees film and TV; and Suneeta Olympio and Tiffany Bloomfield, steering the photography division. “We’ve seen too often talented Black and BIPOC filmmakers who are new to advertising set up to fail,” Brown said. “They create something great on their own, are snatched onto a roster and then left there without any strategy in place. By combining the creative superpower that is Melina and the production experience of Prettybird, we are creating something that quiets all of those doubts and actually allows for opportunity.” As a top director who also happens to be female and a woman of color, Matsoukas is a rare figure in an industry that has long been dominated by white male talents. She was named Ad Age Creativity Awards 2021 Director of the Year for her work on Beats as well as notable spots for Nike and Amazon. Her work is known for provocative statements—the Beats spot, which earned 2021 Idea of the Year at the Creativity Awards, boldly challenged viewers’ love for Black culture, while “Formation” earned accolades for pushing the conversation on race relations and female empowerment. Read: Super Bowl director diversity once again fell short in 2022 Matsoukas has also made a name for herself in the broader entertainment world. Her directorial debut on the big screen was the 2019 film “Queen & Slim,” starring Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith. Matsoukas was also executive producer and director on Issa Rae’s “Insecure” and also helmed episodes of “Master of None.” She said she was inspired to evolve the Dela Revolucion remit following the pandemic and cultural upheaval of the past few years. “The world was blowing up, and it got me trying to find out what my place was, not just as a filmmaker, but also as an activist, as a human,” she said. “How could I create change outside of my work?” The company has already hit the ground running—quite literally. One of its directors, Sophia Nahli Allison, directed Droga5’s recent Lululemon spot promoting its first running shoe, specifically catering to women. It’s not your everyday sports ad, but filled with inventive shots from varied angles and diverse cinematographic approaches to capturing women in the throes of training. Allison is an experimental documentary filmmaker behind the Oscar-nominated “Love Song for Latasha” and one of Matsoukas’ mentees. Together, they previously worked on an HBO documentary, “Hallowed Ground.” “She had never done commercials,” Matsoukas said. “We talked about how commercials really allow you the ability to hone your craft as a filmmaker, how much freedom and fun they can provide. She gets to learn and do things that aren’t available to her in the narrative space.” That illustrates the opportunities Matsoukas hopes to bring to all the creatives at her company. “It’s a natural synergy and collaboration through many different mediums, with many different artists,” she said. Other Dela Revolucion commercial projects include work for Calvin Klein. Matsoukas directed the brand’s Spring/Summer campaign film starring Solange Knowles, Vince Staples and others, an in-house project with Global Head of Creative Cédric Murac, while Alima Lee, who hails from the fashion world, shot the latest installment. Lee had also directed a new film for Reebok by Pyer Moss. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Calvin Klein (@calvinklein) Others on the roster include Nia da Costa, director of the recent “Candyman” reboot; writer/director Edmond Hawkins, who has a background in animation and visual effects and has directed for "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," "Patriot Act" with Hasan Minhaj and more; and Sharif Hamza, the director/photographer whose credits include The New York Times, Vogue and campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Levi’s and H&M among others. On the photography side, artists include Lelanie Foster, who recently shot the first official portrait of new Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson; Kanya Iwana, who photographed Anya Taylor Joy for Diór; and new signing Miranda Barnes, a Caribbean-American photographer who made a mark with a photo project “Doubles,” capturing African-American twins. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lelanie (@lelanief) “With my directors, I want them to only do projects that speak to them,” said Matsoukas. “That's when you're able to give your best self and really bring something and elevate a project. This is part of my activism—how do I diversify my industry? How do I allow these voices to be heard?” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kanya Iwana (@kanyaiwana) Kerstin Emhoff and Paul Hunter, the producer-director duo who co-founded Prettybird back in 2008, see Dela Revolucion as an inspiring evolution of their mission. “We are so proud of Melina and so thrilled to be part of the Dela family,” Emhoff said. “When Paul and I started Prettybird, I didn’t know of any other person of color being an owner or partner in a production company in our industry. It is equally as important for us to support our creators on their creative paths as it is for us to help them develop their brands and businesses overall.” “It’s a full circle moment,” said Hunter. “Just watching Melina grow and give back to helping other filmmakers, I couldn't be more excited for her.”

Melina Matsoukas’ Dela Revolucion brings diverse voices to the forefront

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