The Work That Made Me: Daniel Uribe

Daniel grew up in the southern part of Mexico City surrounded by art and culture in his grandfather’s library. His extensive background in design and animation has led him to create films with a unique sensibility for visual storytelling that elevates the everyday.

Daniel’s short film was part of the YDA ’20 and was awarded at the Savannah Film Festival, and his music videos have gathered a UKMVA nomination and more than 90 million views. In 2017 he was awarded as one of the Shots ‘Rising Stars’, where he was selected as the next generation of artists under the age of 30 in the creative industries.

He has been writing and directing short films that aim to spark hope and positive change in our society through storytelling. In 2020 he was shortlisted at the Young Director Awards in Cannes with his short film ‘Influx’.

Daniel is a member of the Director’s Guild of America, and has collaborated with clients including Google, White Claw, Apple, Honda, Universal Music, Slack, Meta, Sony Music, Fox Sports. He is represented by Brand New School in the US and Stink Films in Mexico.

The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Daniel> Nike Joga Bonito, Brazil.

Growing up in Mexico City I played “fútbol” (soccer) almost every day with my brother. I have always been immersed in the world of sports and loved the memorable campaigns that were built around iconic players or teams. To this day, I remember when the Nike campaign for Joga Bonito started airing on YouTube. I keep coming back to the Nike Joga Bonito Brazil ad, when the Brazilian team is getting ready for a game while doing what they truly love - play. With this ad I learned that the power of a strong idea is what matters – no fancy tricks from the camera or anything like that. A strong concept, a beginning, middle, and end captured my attention. That team was special.

The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…

Daniel> Gustav Johansson's ad for Volvo - 'Vintersaga' was one of the first pieces that made me interested in this industry. I remember the opening scenes in the cold winter, and how the music and vocals introduced you to different vignettes. The editorial rhythm and sensorial feeling achieved with the abstract scenes and characters created a feeling that defined a place and its people. To see what was possible through visuals and music has stayed with me until this day. 

The creative work (film/album/game/ad/album/book/poem etc) that I keep revisiting…

Daniel> After I saw ‘Parasite’, I learned that Bong Joon-ho storyboarded most of the film himself. To see the thought process and creativity behind the storyline and the use of class separation is something that I keep going back to. I observed that the drawings he made were pretty simple, but the ideas were what mattered. The creative process to find the right blocking or camera movement. Back in Mexico City I was exposed to that clear division between families. I remember a bridge that had a fancy neighbourhood on one side and poverty on the other. When I saw this film it reminded me of the society I grew up in. I was drawn to the universal aspect of the story even if it’s a film from South Korea.

My first professional project…

Daniel> After college I directed a music video for the London based band Oh Wonder. I reached out directly to the band after college and pitched some ideas to them. I had no idea if they would reply or wanted to work with me, since I didn’t have much experience at all. But, I had ideas. After some days of waiting, I received an email from them and, to my surprise, they wanted to develop a music video. I dived in and directed my first music video for their song ‘Without You’.

This was a project I filmed in NYC with collaborators and friends. The video now has 80 million views. To think it all started with a cold email I sent. Another testament to the power of ideas and to have courage to go after your passion.

The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…

Daniel> One of my personal favourite ad’s is Megaforce’s Lacoste - ‘Crocodile Inside’. I have seen the behind the scenes many times and how they worked with the talented cinematographer Bradford Young. What I love about this spot is the visual metaphor they created. A couple’s discussion occurs as their apartment collapses, and seeing them make peace with each other as we come back to reality at the end. The orchestration between the two actors' performance, the camera movement, seamless VFX, art direction, and Édith Piaf’s song, creates an iconic ad that immerses the audience in a world of its own.

The creative project that changed my career…

Daniel> A few years ago I decided to invest my own money and create a short film where I could have full creative freedom. I gave myself a brief and started to develop a short film that would be driven by voice over, would have a visual metaphor, strong performances, and portray a powerful, poetic feeling. ‘Influx’ is about a mother who finds herself sinking into a domestic violent relationship, until an influx of emotions is awakened within her. ‘Influx’ is a poetic short film that delves into the themes of domestic violence, alcoholism, and love. It’s inspired by Leslie Morgan Steiner's TED talk: ‘Why domestic violence victims don’t leave,’ the countless stories of mothers trapped in abusive relationships, and the power of love for their children. This short film was made with close collaborators of mine including cinematographer Htat Lin Htut, producer Jonathan Melton, music composer Andrei Vonavi, and more. The short film was selected for the Cannes Young Director Award 2020 and changed my career.

The work that I’m proudest of…

Daniel> I would have to say it’s the short film ‘Influx’ because of what I learned along the way and the feeling we were able to portray visually. Telling a story about a situation like domestic violence and alcoholism is something that has to be done carefully, and everyone who worked on this film came together to tell a story that resonated.

The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…

Daniel> One of the first projects I directed at Brand New School was a film campaign for White Claw ‘REFRESHER’. This was a unique opportunity because we were able to film the campaign in black and white and to work with three distinct creators. As we developed the project, my co-director Scott Uyeshima and I explored many different ways to visualise the ideas from the script. I was excited to see how we integrated visual effects and graphics to expand the visual world of the campaign. The final result revolves around “innovation” and “reinvention”, and what it means to our three creators. I love the feeling that the camera achieved with lighting and movement, and how we applied transitions and graphics to visualise the campaign feeling.

One of the things I liked about this project was the relationship we built with the agency (VCCP) and the fact that we both wanted to find something authentic for this film. Right from the start they trusted our instinct and went down a rabbit hole with us. I love the projects where we get to craft something unique between brands and our team at Brand New School, and having the opportunity to explore visual techniques along the way to find new ways to approach an idea.