Angela Kohler’s Direction Shines in Bella’s Campaign for CoinTracker

The leaders from full-service production studio Bella are very proud to detail director Angela Kohler’s latest commercial work: a full set of premium TV and photographic assets for global digital agency DEPT and their clients at CoinTracker. The campaign’s photo assets – as well as :15 and :06 spots entitled “Inspired Climber,” “Eccentric Cowboy,” and “Millennial Dad” – are currently rolling out on YouTube and social media.

Conceived by DEPT’s creative team including associate creative director Jahfre Colbert and associate design director Crystal Torres, the 'Free Yourself' cross-media campaign aims to creatively address the world’s highly original cryptocurrency users. To produce colourful, cinematic user profiles of a mountain-climbing technophile, a tea- and poetry-loving cowboy, and a very Zen millennial dad, the agency commissioned Bella, which in turn enlisted Angela, who is based in LA.

“With ‘Free Yourself,’ we’re not just championing an easier crypto tax solution — we’re shaping a brand that celebrates genuine liberation, giving people more time to focus on what truly matters,” said CoinTracker’s head of growth Thomas Sweeney. “By showcasing the diverse, authentic passions of our community, we’re underlining the peace of mind that comes from having a trusted partner handle crypto’s complexities. We’re thrilled with how DEPT and Bella brought that vision to life so thoughtfully and artfully.”

The crew assembled by Angela and Bella’s executive producer David Perry and supervising producer Amanda Dillingham was small and nimble. Notably, it also included production designer Jasmine Garnet, Wardrobe stylist Sunshine Madsen, and gaffer Lincoln Webb. Based on extensive pre-production and planning, they were able to shoot all three spots during a single day in January on stage at LA’s Cherry Soda Studios.

“Angela and our art and wardrobe team worked really hard to honour and elevate the agency’s vision,” Amanda explained. “Jasmine was tireless in finding the perfect set pieces and props, and agency producer Annie Zaruba also worked very hard behind the scenes. Everyone was in constant communication to sort approvals and keep everything moving forward.”

Playing to the unique tastes of the campaign’s audience, the painstaking art direction included creating bespoke elements like a HODL-branded belt buckle.

Passionate about showcasing the quirky personalities of the campaign’s characters, the director intentionally leaned into simplicity in the way each story is presented. “While each of these scenes is a simple story, each also contains a lot of visual information,” she pointed out. “To allow the effortlessness of CoinTracker to shine through, we maintained a level of stillness and subtle movement. It was fun to exercise that control, let the scenes speak for themselves, and not overpower the visuals with transitions and tricks.”

Angela also detailed her choice of the Sony FX3 for principal photography, paired with NiSi Athena Prime lenses. “These choices created a cinematic yet agile look that complements the project’s colour-lit stage aesthetic,” she added. “The FX3 has a high dynamic range, and is compact, which helped us be nimble in a fast-paced production environment. Shooting in 4K XAVC-I gave us great colour, since every scene is so vibrant and features stylized lighting.”

“For this brilliant campaign from our friends at DEPT, we were honoured to provide such a savvy production experience that fit exactly what the creative called for,” said David. “It’s always a great day when you can bring together the right people and deliver high-quality work that brings your clients’ creative visions to life.”