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Rodeo Show signs director Vanessa Black
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Vanessa Black joins Rodeo Show, bringing her multidisciplinary filmmaking expertise and culture-driven storytelling to the company’s roster.
Rodeo Show has signed director Vanessa Black for exclusive US representation.
Known for building movements at the intersection of culture, commerce, and impact, Black has collaborated with global brands including Google, Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Vogue, Unilever, and Gap.
Beginning her career as a documentary filmmaker, authenticity remains central to Black’s commercial style. Her energetic narratives in sports, fashion, and lifestyle celebrate passion and resilience, blending visual storytelling with a sharp cultural perspective.
“We build our roster intentionally to meet the demands of our dynamic industry, no one at Rodeo Show is a one-trick pony!” says Katie Walker, executive producer and managing director at Rodeo Show. “As a multidisciplinary filmmaker, Vanessa fits perfectly with our ethos of being visionary, adaptable, and distinctive. She creates with her whole being, and her passion and dedication to the work is both joyful and contagious.”
“I am grateful to join Rodeo Show because I admire and trust Roxanne Artesona and Katie’s vision and leadership,” says Black. “Their passion for the work and the culture at Rodeo Show provides an incredible foundation for everything we will do together. We’re pushing my visual storytelling even further, elevating the work to feel fresh and innovative for today’s advertising landscape.”
Black honed her skills at USC Film School before transitioning into advertising and film, working as a director, photographer, creative director, and writer. Her filmmaking journey has included roles at The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Heath Ledger’s The Masses, and RadicalMedia, as well as editing for luxury fashion brands in New York. She has built a career balancing creative vision, budgets, and set leadership with precision.
“I love advertising, short storytelling where every second counts,” says Black. “It’s math, craft, and pure adrenaline! The collaboration across creatives, crews, and post teams is inspiring. As a director, you have to be multilingual to support every layer of talent.”
A fourth-generation San Diegan with a deep personal connection to Tijuana, Black’s work is shaped by a broad worldview. “I have a complex relationship with borders,” she explains. “My background made me hyper-aware of where cultural or psychological borders exist in our society. Film and advertising have the power to transcend these limits.”
Her mission is to create empathy and joy on a massive scale, an ambition that began when her grandmother, LaRita, took her to an anniversary screening of The Wizard of Oz, an experience that first revealed the magic of cinema’s ability to connect generations. Today, she continues that tradition with her son, Atlas, and the yellow brick road.
With Black’s addition, Rodeo Show continues to expand its roster of visionary directors committed to storytelling that resonates.
