Fashion & Beauty Director Eden Tyler Launches LOOKER

Director Eden Tyler, who’s directed fashion and beauty projects for a who’s who of global brands in the US and abroad, has teamed with up a stellar roster of directors and integrated production resources to launch LOOKER.  Based in New York and Los Angeles, LOOKER debuts as the need for beauty, fashion, celebrity and lifestyle content for brands continues to evolve and grow.

Prior to co-founding LOOKER, Tyler was with Original Films and Great Guns and is known for his beauty, real people and storytelling work for Johnson & Johnson’s Clean & Clear, Neutrogena, Unilever’s Ponds and many other brands.  His particular expertise with dialogue and his sense of both natural and set lighting as both a veteran photographer and DP has lent itself to a diverse reel and helped position him as LOOKER’s top Creative Director.

Joining Tyler are the veteran Fashion & Beauty Directors Jonathan Lennard – a Paris and Los Angeles based director known best for hair and lifestyle shoots global – and avant-garde visual and musical impresario Charlie Wan.  Lennard was most recently with Tempesta and Wanda in Paris, while Wan was represented by Charlex.

“We’re opening with a roster that balances experienced Fashion & Beauty image-makers with a new generation of directorial talent that’s designed to push the boundaries of the genre across the widening content needs of clients,” Tyler explains.  This roster includes rising star DP/Director talents Andrew Kuykendall and Sean Hagwell. 

As each director brings a unique body of work to the team, it is apparent from the very start that LOOKER is on a mission and will play by its own new rules: “We’re dead set on blasting through the stereotypes and old formulaic fare that’s come to dominate the category in recent years,” says Tyler. “The team reflects that commitment and every director shares this vision with us.” 

As for the ongoing changes that have rocked the fashion and beauty scene – such as the introduction of longer-format web-only narratives and the move towards more natural depictions of beauty, Tyler says this is par for the course. “We’ve seen a shift in the category and content, as the definition of what is beauty, or how it’s portrayed in society, has changed,” adds Tyler, “and that’s a great thing. But even when a brand or movement leans to the more real and natural side of this issue, it still takes talent, precision and a sharp eye for the details and the nuances to be able to truly deliver on the clarity of the message. Authentically capturing everything from natural ‘real’ beauty to glossy or slick beauty – or great looking skin to amazing looking hair – this is what LOOKER is going to be about.”

The LOOKER roster comprises an award-winning line-up of fashion, beauty, celebrity and lifestyle directors, each with a very distinctive style.  Lennard, for example, is known for his work with stylized beauty and storytelling, as well as for his chops with dialogue and gorgeous hair. His recent work includes commercials for Garnier Skincare, Tresemme, Dove Hair, Lux Skin, Lakme and Ponds skincare including spots with Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai. Wan’s work reflects a more ethereal tone, with high concept fashion and gorgeous beauty footage.

On the up-and-coming side, Kuykendall’s talent leans towards a fun, energetic and youthful vibe that shows in his stylized visuals. And Hagwell, who lives in Nashville and is surrounded by its music scene, shines with celebrity and behind-the-scenes work that reflects a natural, photojournalistic approach with celebrities like Robin Williams, Lady Gaga, Guillermo Diaz, Chord Overstreet, Hot Chelle Rae and many others.

“It’s easy to go to established names for ‘traditional’ treatments that deliver on safe themes: but safe imagery and formulas are too prevalent in this genre,” Lennard comments. “Moving past broadcast spots and into more dynamic content requires someone to be bold; someone has to be the provocateur and not be afraid to put that ‘third treatment’ on the table. That’s going to be LOOKER.”

Positioning itself to be a key integrated production partner for agencies and brands, LOOKER offers clients a strong foundation in production and post production capabilities via its relationships with MAKE – which offers stellar integrated production – and The Station, for “all-in,” one-stop post production.  MAKE and The Station are no strangers to working together and have an impressive, award-winning track record over the past few months, including work that’s been recognized with a 2014 Gold Pencil from The One Show, a 2014 Silver Cannes Lion and a 2014 ADWEEK Watch Award - all in the Branded Entertainment categories. 

“No two projects are the same anymore, and working with clients to deliver multiple assets on a single budget is not a trend, it’s the expectation,” says Drew Stein, LOOKER Co-Founder and Partner and EP at The Station. “LOOKER can execute from start to finish and deliver this kind of creative and production value at the highest levels, and these are the kinds of content solutions that clients demand today. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Eden, who we’ve successfully supported on past productions. We’re confident his incredible talent, as a director, a creative director and a mentor, will drive LOOKER’s success.”