Dispatches from Dreamland: Faria Joins B-REEL

Having just joined B-REEL’s LA office as its new digital EP, below Jacinte Faria talks to shots’ acting US editor Simon Wakelin about her new role, the Swedish working mentality and life on the West Coast.

“I tired of all of the roles I had at the agency level before discovering my love of working in production,” explains Jacinte Faria on venturing away from agency life. A graduate in New Media at Ryerson, Faria began work at Toronto-based agency TAXI before moving on to produce at Soft Citizen.

“I enjoyed running the digital side of the company,” she continues. “Eva [Preger] was such a rascal, such a down and dirty hustler and Link [York] was this private school guy. They were such an effective mix.”

Faria produced the humorous Internet parody series Shit Girls Say while nestled at Soft Citizen, work directed by Graydon Sheppard that masterfully poked fun at stereotypically feminine ways of talking:

“We shot the first video in one day,” explains Faria. “[Sheppard] didn’t have much on his reel at the time, a lot of music videos but nothing concrete for us to sell him to agencies, but we received a lot of interest after the series came out.”

Soon after the success of Shit Girls Say, Faria headed west to integrated prod co ACNE in Los Angeles: “EP Fran McGivern trusted me,” she explains. “Fran really needed someone who understood the interactive world, but someone who could also produce. She was tired of people who didn’t walk the talk. The team at ACNE was quite small and nimble; we took on work and came up with ideas very, very quickly. I also got to work with some Swedes for the first time and really liked their natural and easy-going attitude.”

Swede sensation

Faria discovered the same Swede attitude at B-REEL, arriving as its digital EP after completing work for clients including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, GE and Toyota:

“What I bring to B-REEL that's a little different is experience on both the broadcast and digital side, and that definitely helps frame truly integrated projects,” she explains. “I understand from a very high level what's involved in nurturing a roster of directors but also understand the digital equation and what goes into that.”

Faria notes that her love for digital media began back in 1994 after discovering the Internet. Since then, she says, new media has been her religion. “I have always been involved in technology since then, tinkering around to create many narratively driven stories,” she says.

“What I like about B-REEL is that they don't want to work on the same projects over and over again,” she continues on her new position. “Often times you get requests to create the exact same job you've just done. B-REEL may utilise the same technologies – or maybe even create the same user interaction – but the finished work will be totally different on the narrative and a completely new approach of connecting that to the technology. I love this fresh approach to the work.”

As for adding a new digital EP, founding partner Pelle Nilsson has no doubt it will assist in building a bigger presence in the industry. “Jacinte has an amazing mix of experience both in the broadcast and digital world,” he notes. “She has fantastic taste, can geek out on stuff – but also has the ability to find the best directors out there.”

Creative collaboration

Faria pegs perceptive business partners as the answer to creating meaningful digital work in adland today:

“The best results come when you work with savvy production partners like the tribal DDB's of the world,” she feels. “Agencies with a strong digital focus trust you more because they comprehend the direction of the work from both a strategic and creative perspective.”

Faria arrives at B-REEL hot on the heels of new creative work from the company, including an intriguing Airbnb project through Mullen, San Francisco directed by Miles Jay:

Jay live tweeted 140 character shot descriptions over a four-day period, asking fans to pick a shot and make a vine. Using the #AirbnbHV hashtag more than 750 submissions arrived from the US and abroad. A hundred Vines were then selected and edited into a final short about travel, adventure and finding your place in the world and the work aired on The Sundance Channel last week.

A cool online experience for the Warner Bros film Gravity also launched in recent weeks, an interactive experience recreating the visceral feelings of panic and awe experienced floating untethered 372 miles above the earth. Meanwhile, new work for Google highlights Street View and its ongoing effort to map the most remote regions of the globe.

Digital DNA

I ask Nilsson, head of the LA offices, why his company continues to deliver such a diverse mix of progressive digital work?

“Every time we do something it's about storytelling whether it's a digital project, a commercial, a short film or an installation,” he answers. “It’s about telling a story – and to do that well you need to be authentic, and that’s deeply embedded in B-Reel’s creative DNA.”

Faria looks forward to weaving together work for B-REEL while appreciating the creative potential afoot on the West Coast. She feels LA is a great place to play in adland’s sandbox:

“There aren’t that many agencies out here but so many small, creative shops that are opening up, or big agencies opening satellites,” she posits.

“With Silicon Beach and the entertainment industry there’s plenty of interesting, challenging work to find. You really have to make this city work for you, and if you do it’s a great place to be.”

“Small ad agencies are popping up everywhere both in LA and San Francisco,” adds Nilsson on the burgeoning creative landscape. “We see many agencies looking into what's happening in the entertainment world. The connection between entertainment and advertising is really starting to happen. It’s why so many people appreciated The Beauty Inside because that's really the future of advertising. I think we’re in the perfect place right now.”