Spotlight On: Women Commercial Directors

Happy International Women’s Day to all of the incrus Content, including our clients,
Happy International Women’s Day to all of the incredible and inspiring women of Anonymous Content, including our clients, colleagues and friends! Today, we are proud to spotlight the women of our commercial directing roster and their disruptive work. Read on for more about each of these women and to view their reels.
Happy International Women’s Day to all of the incredible and inspiring 

ALYSSA MCCLELLAND is an award-winning director and writer whose darkly comedic sensibility, exemplies a unique perspective in telling stories that are fundamentally optimistic through her crafting of performances within distinctive, stylized worlds. Her natural insight into human nature coupled with her eye for finding the comedic potential in the everyday set her apart and make up her versatile approach to directing. She has helmed campaigns for a host of major brands such as Google, Apple, Air New Zealand, Samsung, Netflix and Vodafone and her commercial work has been honored at the D&AD and London International Awards, among others, and she was awarded the InStyle Magazine Woman Of Style Award scholarship for her work as a filmmaker.

Alyssa directed, wrote and starred in the two seasons of cult-hit web series “One Step Closer To Home,” which won several awards and gained a large following on acclaimed website Funny or Die. Her short film Nic and Shauna was a finalist in Tropfest, the largest short film festival in the world.Alyssa’s short film, Second Best has had great success on the international film festival circuit, winning many awards including the Oscar-qualifying Dendy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2018 Sydney Film Festival, as well as the award for Best Direction in an Australian Short Film at Flickerfest International Short Film Festival 2018 and the Best Short Film award at the Milano Film Festival 2018. She is currently in production on season 4 of Netflix’s hit series “Sex Education” and will direct the first block of the streamer’s upcoming young adult drama “The F**k it Bucket.” VIEW HER REEL

 

AUTUMN DE WILDE documents the ever-changing cultural zeitgeist. Each of her projects is an intimate collaboration between her and her subjects. Through her commercials, films, music videos, print campaign and key art photography, she has defined the visual identity of some of entertainment’s greatest talents.

In 2020, de Wilde made her feature directorial debut, with Emma., Working Title’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, starring Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, The Witch) in the title role. With Emma., de Wilde ignited her distinct style of visual storytelling, combining her talent for directing physical comedy with her keen eye for emotional cinematic tapestry to deliver a richly-realized reimagination of the beloved novel. Emma. was longlisted for Best Picture at the BAFTAs and Vogue named her to their list of Women Directors Who Deserve an Oscar Nomination in 2021.

In her branded work, de Wilde effortlessly blurs the line between art and advertising. She combines her contemporary pop style with a distinctly cinematic feel, which can be seen in her commercials for clients including Prada, Martini; Uniqlo, and Facebook and her latest the joyful celebration of individuality “Just Because” for Diet Coke, Droga5 London’s first work for the brand. The spot was named #6 on Campaign Magazine’s Ads of the Year, and won a Gold and two Silvers at the 2021 Ciclope, Shots EMEA and Kinsale Shark Awards, respectively.

She has been instrumental in exploring new ground in the visual identity of an ever-expanding pool of well-known actors, musicians and artists including Beck, Elliott Smith, The White Stripes, Childish Gambino, Lena Dunham, Jenny Lewis, Kirsten Dunst, Zooey Deschanel. Her music videos include the first four singles for Florence + The Machine’s latest album Dance Fever.

In addition to her work as a creator of visual identities and images, de Wilde has authored several books: Elliott Smith, an in-depth look at the late artist through her photographs and recorded conversations; Under Great White Northern Lights, documenting The White Stripes in Canada during their finaltour; and Beck, a chronicle of her 16-year friendship and creative partnership with musician Beck Hansen. Her photography has graced the covers of fashion and lifestyle magazines, L’Uomo Vogue, BlackBook, New York Magazine, Flare, PAPER, Stylist, FILTER and L’Officiel Italia. For 12 years , she has documented Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the design team behind the couture fashion brand Rodarte. VIEW HER REEL

 

CARA STRICKER is a director, photographer and music producer whose award-winning work has been showcased at film festivals, music and art venues around the globe. The Australian-born Stricker has collaborated with world-renowned brands and artists including Chanel, Gucci, Missoni, Alexander Wang, A$AP Rocky, Cara Delevingne, Kirsten Dunst, and Gap, among many others, and has directed music videos for artists such as Chloe X Halle, Kelsey Lu, and Kadja Bonet.

Her photography and film projects have been featured in publications including Nowness, Fader, Interview Magazine, Dazed, Vogue US, i-D, The New York Times, Vice, MTV and Rolling Stone. She also works in the narrative space; her short film MAVERICK, starring Abbey Lee and Rhys Coiro, which she wrote and directed, premiered on Nowness.

Stricker is passionate about championing women’s art. In 2016, she launched the collective PET, a platform for women filmmakers, musicians and artists focused on bringing the most compelling and unique voices to the foreground. PET focuses on nurturing the collaborative space for passionate female creative professionals, releasing film, music, art, showcase curated events and exhibitions. VIEW HER REEL

 

DEE REES  is an Academy Award-nominated writer who made her commercial directing debut in 2018 with two Oscars spots: The 60-second short film The Box for Walmart and the star-studded spot “Make It Yours” for Samsung, in which Rees also cameoed. On the same night, Rees made awards history with her feature drama Mudbound, whose four Academy Award nominations included Best Adapted Screenplay (for co-writers Rees and Virgil Williams), making her the first African American Woman ever to be nominated for Writing.

An alumna of New York University’s graduate film program and a 2008 Sundance Screenwriting & Directing Lab Fellow, Rees’s first feature Pariah premiered at Sundance in 2011 and won Excellence in Cinematography Award for the festival’s U.S. Dramatic competition. Pariah went on to be honored with the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards; the Gotham Award for Best Breakthrough Director; and Outstanding Film –Limited Release at the GLAAD Media Awards. Rees’s other work includes HBO film Bessie about the life of singer Bessie Smith, which won four Primetime Emmys, including the award for Outstanding Television Movie. She has also written and directed TV episodes for Fox’s smash-hit “Empire” and ABC’s miniseries “When We Rise,” about the history of the modern gay rights movement.

Rees recently wrapped two episodes of the upcoming AppleTV+ series “Masters of the Air” and is currently in production on the eight-part series adaptation of Alexis Schaitkin’s psychological drama novel Saint X, executive produced by Anonymous Content, for Hulu. VIEW HER REEL

 

ELENA PETITTI DI RORETO builds layered imaginative narratives for commercials and fashion films. Taking inspiration from art and photography, her work is characterized by a strong attention to aesthetics: details, light and composition.

Based in London, she has worked with worldwide brands including Hennessy, Harley-Davidson, Bottega Veneta, Valentino, Hugo Boss, Vogue Italia and i-D. In the relatively short time Elena’s been directing, her work has already won several awards, including Best New Italian Film at the Fashion Film Festival Milano in 2018 and 2016. VIEW HER REEL

Based in London, she has worked with worldwide brands including Hennessy, Harley-Davidson, Bottega Veneta, Valentino, Hugo Boss, Vogue Italia and i-D. In the relatively short time Elena’s been directing,

KATE & LAURA MULLEAVY are visionary creatives who, having mastered the world of fashion, brought their unique aesthetic to visual arts. The sisters made their feature film debut  with the hypnotic drama Woodshock, starring Kirsten Dunst, just months after presenting their spring couture collection for their own fashion label, Rodarte, during Paris Haute Couture Week. Though their background is in fashion, the two are no strangers to film, having designed the ballet costumes for Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan,” for which they were nominated for a Broadcast Film Critics Award. Naturally, they also designed the costumes for the artistically divergent Woodshock.

In 2005, Kate and Laura founded the Rodarte, a conceptual and innovative luxury brand known for its artistic mixture of high couture, modern femininity and California influences. In 2011, Rodarte first solo show opened at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, and today, their works are featured in the permanent collections of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. VIEW THEIR REEL

 

NADIA LEE COHEN is a photographer, filmmaker and self-portrait artist whose work is heavily inspired by cinema, Americana and Britain particularly in in the 1960’s and 70’s — her photographs and films are veritable visions of saturated, surreal dreamscapes. Drawing upon the duality of the female form, Nadia locks our optics upon the twisted paradise that lurks within her mind, exploring the paradoxical standoff between strength and fragility within womankind.Her commercial work includes spots for Netflix, Chobani, Miu Miu, GCDS, Sonic, MAC Cosmetics and 23andMe. She has been interviewed by Vogue, Elle and LOVE magazine, and her work featured in Paper, i-D, Vice, New York Magazine, Hunger and many others.

Most recently, she released her two books, Hello My Name Is, which sees her transform herself into 33 different characters, inspired by name badges belonging to unknown individuals; and Women — a hyper-surrealist, deeply moving pop iconography of 100 extra unordinary portraits. VIEW HER REEL

 

OLIVIA WILDE made her feature-film directorial debut with the raucous, uproarious comedy Booksmart, which was one of the best-reviewed films of 2019 with 97% “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. Named one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch, Wilde’s highly anticipated follow-up feature, Don’t Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, was released in 2022. In 2020, she directed the branded short “Wake Up” starring Margaret Qualley for HP. The film, which explores human connections and our relationship with technology, debuted alongside the Sundance Film Festival, was shortlisted for the Tribeca X Award, and won Olivia Best New Director at the AICP Awards. Wilde also previously directed the music videos for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes’ “No Love Like Yours” and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dark Necessities.”

Wilde is a board member of the organization “Artists for Peace and Justice,” which supports communities in Haiti through programs in education, health care, and dignity through the performing arts. VIEW HER REEL

 

PATTY JENKINS is an award-winning writer and director best known for directing Warner Bros. Pictures and DCs’ 2017 blockbuster Wonder Woman and 2020 follow up Wonder Woman 1984 and her debut Oscar-winning feature Monster. Additionally, Jenkins is responsible her creative work helming the pilot and series finale of AMC’s hit show “The Killing,” garnering her the 2012 DGA Award for Best Director of the Year along with a Primetime Emmy nomination. After the success of her debut feature, Jenkins went on to direct many commercials and TV programs. In addition to her award-winning work on the pilot and finale of “The Killing,” she directed episodes of Fox’s “Arrested Development” and HBO’s “Entourage,” and the pilot episodes of ABC’s “Betrayal” and “Exposed.”
In 2017, Jenkins became the first woman in history to helm a live action film with a budget over $100 million, and the first woman to direct a major superhero film with her global and critical hit Wonder Woman. The film opened to rave reviews and became one of Rotten Tomatoes’ highest-rated superhero films of all time. Additionally, it smashed box office records, becoming the highest-grossing film of the summer and third-highest-grossing film of the year domestically, and the highest-grossing live-action film directed solo by a woman – domestic and worldwide. To date, Wonder Woman has grossed more than $822.1 million at the global box office. VIEW HER REEL