Ewurakua fits the heart of this brief: stories about people giving and receiving support, told with warmth and dignity rather than pity. Her reel lives in that space, with a family-support story for Children's Aid, a giving story for IKEA and an emotional piece for Dignity Memorial, alongside work for AT&T and the Ad Council. She has directed talent like Issa Rae and Janelle Monáe, and her work has earned a Clio and a top-three spot in Shots New Director of the Year. Start with Children's Aid, the closest on her reel to the warm, dignified family story this script tells.
Ramiro fits the performance side of this brief. His approach is cinematic and character-driven, built on natural, unforced performances, and he has directed children, which matters when a dad-and-daughter story rests on a kid reading as real. He has done this for Coca-Cola, McDonald's and NBCUniversal, with recognition at Cannes Lions and the Clios. Merge also shoots photography in-house, for Stella Artois, Visit Florida, New Era and YSL, so the stills can come from the same team on the same days.
Sofia brings the emotional side of this brief. She directs and shoots her own work, and her films live in intimate moments between real people, where feeling comes through gesture and small behavior rather than dialogue, the way a father and daughter really connect. Her campaigns for Hilton, Bose and Klar pair beautiful cinematography with that authenticity. She came to film through dance and theatre. Merge also shoots photography in-house, for Stella Artois, Visit Florida, New Era and YSL, so the stills can come from the same team on the same days.
Kevin fits the heart of this brief: warm, family-centered storytelling. His reel is built on it, with family pieces for WhatsApp and Lee Jeans, a care story for Wellstar, a community moment for Dairy Queen and cause work for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Start with the WhatsApp and Lee Jeans spots. They are the closest on his reel to a dad-and-daughter story, and they show how he handles family on screen with warmth rather than sentiment.
Daniel brings a real-people instinct to a scripted story. His work centers on intimate, true-to-life stories, and he gives cast concrete tasks on set so they stop playing to the camera, which is how a dad and daughter read as a real family. His reel includes a financial-advice spot for Regions Bank, close in subject to asking for help with bills, and his Excedrin work won three Cannes Bronze Lions. He came up as a stills photographer and a DP, so he works fast and lean on location.
Simon brings the scripted, talent-driven side of this brief. Alongside more than 200 commercials, he directs actors in features and series for Netflix, HBO and Paramount+, including Law & Order: Organized Crime, which is the craft a dad-and-daughter script rests on. His reel leans into family and real-life moments, from a Mother's Day story for Liverpool and a wedding for Valspar to people-first pieces for McDonald's and Volkswagen. Start with Liverpool and Valspar, the closest on his reel to the warm family story this script tells.
Bob is a great match to both of this brief's asks: he directs and photographs, and family stories like this one are his home ground. A father of four daughters, he knows the small moments between a dad and his daughter, and his work stays intimate and honest without tipping into sentiment. He has made it for Google.org, The Home Depot and several health systems, and he is an Emmy-nominated DP.
Blink is a strong partner for this project because their model is built for this kind of shoot: lean, documentary-minded crews that keep real families relaxed on camera, so a dad and daughter feel like themselves rather than part of a production. Bob works with them closely, so the spot and the stills come from one team on the same days. With a network of more than 22,000 crew and creatives, they can staff locally wherever the shoot lands and take on the full production around him.
Dante answers both halves of this brief: he directs and he shoots stills, so the spot and the photography can come from one eye on the same days. His work is real-people storytelling, emotional and documentary, for Comcast, Under Armour and Sperry, with thirteen years across narrative and commercial.
Andy Hayman · Sean Quinn · Enrique Mendoza (stills) · bowstring.tv
Bowstring is a strong partner for this project because they are local and built for exactly this kind of shoot. Based in Conshohocken, just outside Philadelphia, they can scout and crew across PPL territory with a team that already knows Pennsylvania. They are a vertically integrated studio with a full-time, in-house team making story-first work since 2001, so one setup yields the hero film, cutdowns, stills and social, and more of the budget ends up on screen. They have thousands of hours shooting real people in healthcare and higher-education settings, from patient stories for Stanford Medicine to testimonial campaigns, the same honest, real-homes register this script asks for.
Andy Hayman, Bowstring's EVP, brings more than three decades of award-winning commercial and content work built on real connection between brands and people, plus a natural flair for humor. Sean Quinn, one of Bowstring's founders, has been directing for over twenty years and is the executive producer on every Bowstring project, so his imprint is on the whole process. Founder Enrique Mendoza shoots the stills himself, and his selection for this project is candid families at home in warm fall light, so the portrait and WRAP day stays with the same team.
