The Directors: Maya Margolina

Maya has a wealth of experience in the fashion and beauty industry creating content films for Victoria Secrets, Allure Magazine, beauty platform Glossier and fashion platform MCM. She has worked with a host of prominent figures in the beauty and fashion world including Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Paloma Elsesser, Adut Akech and Christine Quinn.

Maya started out as a music supervisor and started to create music videos for friends, which then led to being head hunted by Glossier to lead the video department. She then moved to Condé Nast where she created new content series with fashion and beauty luminaries for Vogue.com and Allure.com.

Citing her influences as Pedro Almodóvar, Maya has always been a big fan of magical realism and surrealism and is currently writing a feature film, a dark comedy about coming of age as young, wily women in New York.

Name: Maya Margolina

Location: NYC

Repped by/in: HAMLET 

Awards: WEBBY, Tribeca Best Cinematography, Best Actress (as producer on feature film ‘Materna’)

LBB> If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?

Maya> Yes, and it depends. I directed a few Mercedes-Benz commercials that have this more forward thinking, fashion POV. I’ve worked in fashion and beauty for the majority of my life, but I wanted to make sure I understood the automotive aspect and what elements of fashion they wanted to align with. I think if you can creatively and emotionally understand the brand, you’re set. 

When I was doing creative direction for Glossier and Condé Nast, I worked quite closely with Emily Weiss and Michelle Lee, respectively to understand strategy; so that I could pitch editorial and branded concepts that I knew would do well while keeping with the integrity of our brand.

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

Maya> I try to create this holistic picture of its entirety in my head, like a collage with a guiding principle. I also have this giant whiteboard in my studio, sometimes I like to make a giant word and image collage like a ‘Beautiful Mind’ conspiracy board. 

I like to write and image research as much as I can on my own, but I have a big group of collaborators who are artists, cinematographers, movement directors, that I’ll go to for help with specifics as well.

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

Maya> I recently shot a campaign for Fenty Beauty. There were a lot of complex camera moves, a 360 camera and transitions that depended on robot arm precision; as well as capturing really beautiful macro shots of eye makeup. In that case it was so important for me to connect with my camera team, do movement direction tests on my own and really connect with the creative director to make sure we could achieve the complexity of what we needed.

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?

Maya> I’m often hired to work with celebrity women, which is great [Shania voice] let’s go girls! But I’d like the ad creatives out there to know that I enjoy working with all genders. I can be masculine too, It’s perfectly legal to hire me to work with male talent.

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Maya> Just this month, I shot a Coach campaign, and we got this idea of a giant drone rig - where we attached a purse to the rig and it would deliver it to this TikTok celebrity, then fly away for this surreal reveal iconic moment. These drones are huge, like helicopters with 200mph winds coming off of them. Our talent was super nervous to get close, as was I! I took a moment away, meditated, and pep-talked our talent out of the anxiety - you have to remember you’re human, and so is talent, and crew, and lead with good energy whenever possible. 

LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?

Maya> Of course, I wish there were more official pathways open to them as well. The numbers are something ridiculous like only 19% of all commercial directors are women/femme-presenting in 2023. Diversity is better for the entire eco-system of art and commerce, without different voices it’s a singing into an echo chamber situation. 

LBB> How do you feel the pandemic is going to influence the way you work into the longer term? Have you picked up new habits that you feel will stick around for a long time? 

Maya> I was working on a feature film with FKA TWIGS, where we were creating the score together; it was starring her as well. It was called ‘Brighton Beach’, where I spent a lot of time growing up as a soviet immigrant. It was really near and dear to my heart, and the pandemic just fumbled it. It taught me that you can’t attach yourself to any particular outcome, you just make it work because you love it, try for unfaltering hope, and…do Michael Imperioli’s guided meditation sessions on zoom.

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work (e.g. virtual production, interactive storytelling, AI/data-driven visuals etc)?

Maya> At the moment I’m working on a Midjourney and Chat GPT fashion film that’s based on a Mugler runway show. I love experimenting with new tech; I’m a nerd, I get excited about the opportunity to learn. Paul Trillo is someone I really respect in the space, and he has these great Midjourney and AI tutorials.