Dad dancing saves the day

This tender tale about a little girl overcoming exclusion and insecurities with the help of her pop’s smooth salsa moves is beautifully acted and directed by Stacy Pascal Gaspard.

Production company Paxeros launched its inaugural Women of Colour Commercial Directing Program (WCCDP), in order to support marginalised voices in advertising. When building a roster of their own directors, they saw the gap in opportunities afforded to POC creatives. 

“We realised the odds were stacked against women of colour, and as an ethos-driven company, it was our job to help create more opportunities in this space,” notes Paxeros Co-founder Chelsea Bo.

After receiving more than one hundred applications, a judging panel of industry professionals awarded Gaspard, and her Suburu spec spot Isadora, the winner of the program. 

With the aid of WCCDP’s mentorship and sponsorship, the finalised spot was released on Father’s Day and follows the father and daughter's tradition of mood-boosting salsa dances lit by the glow of their Subaru headlights. 

Gaspard comments, “The program allowed me to make a commercial that was deeply personal. Many Black and Brown communities don’t highlight the support of father figures when it comes to the arts, but my dad was one of the first to invest in my Hollywood dreams. When you’re a young artist, that act of support means everything. To cast a little girl who looked me at that age, dancing salsa… highlighting that representation was so important to me.”