Director Marissa Velez signs with Group Thrpy for US representation
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An award-winning filmmaker, Velez’s narratives are imbued with a textural recollection, exploring themes of identity, community, and connection through her storytelling.
Creative production company Group Thrpy welcomed director Marissa Velez to their growing roster of talent. An award-winning filmmaker, Velez’s narratives are imbued with a textural recollection, exploring themes of identity, community, and connection through her storytelling.
Born in Miami to Puerto Rican parents, Velez draws inspiration from both her family and her Caribbean roots, with much of her childhood spent drawing or shooting music videos of her siblings on her parents’ VHS Camcorder. She earned her undergraduate degree in Art History from the University of Georgia and her graduate degree in Art Direction and Graphic Design from The Portfolio Center. Velez spent several years in Europe after graduation, studying its cultures and gaining fluency in six languages, before settling in Brooklyn.
She got her start in the advertising industry as an in-house creative director with brands such as Diane von Furstenberg, Kate Spade, Oscar la Renta, and rag & bone. Throughout her time with these brands, she advocated for the moving image, leading to her producing and creative directing some of the brands’ first film campaigns. Velez is best known for creative directing the rag & bone films Hair, Why Can’t We Get Along, Time of Day, and A Last Supper.
Her debut projects with Group Thrpy for Boca Raton Tourism out of King & Partners and TEP Pharma from AREA 23 see the up-and-coming director embodying the company’s ethos of creative collaboration. Velez directed the video portion of the two campaigns alongside Group Thrpy’s co-founder and director Harrison Boyce, who helmed the print elements for both.
As a director, her films have received Webbys, Clios, and One Show Awards. Eydie, her short film shot on 16mm, follows a young woman as she goes out one night to a social club in the heart of Brooklyn, hoping to connect to her Caribbean roots. Velez is currently in development of a feature film based on her family in Puerto Rico and on a narrative television series based on the ex-CEO of Chanel, Maureen Chiquet, and her revolutionary career as a fashion executive in Paris.
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“I immediately felt that Group Thrpy was family, like home,” said Velez. “I not only feel inspired by Shelby and Harrison’s integrity and commitment, but they are also incredible creative collaborators that share my vision. Their production model is the wave of the future and it’s what will keep artistry alive. I know that this evolution in my career will bring with it some wonderful collaborations and success, through the support I receive from them. I couldn’t be more excited to explore this energetic and artistic match, and create a future with them.”
“Marissa is a true talent, exemplifying fearless creativity,” said Shelby Ross, Co-Founder & Managing Partner. “With her background as a brand creative director, we are extending our reach into that forum and actively going after that type of work with her. She is a perfect fit for Group Thrpy, with her work fitting so beautifully within the microcosm of the collective, elegant, beautiful, and subtly subversive. Already, we’ve seen her level of professionalism and eye for detail in pre-production, on set, and through post. She’s a joy to work with and we look forward to providing excellent opportunities for her skills to shine.”
