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Greencard signs Ben Pier
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The LA-based director and photographer has signed with Greencard Pictures for US commercial still photography and directing projects.
Los Angeles-based director and photographer Ben Pier has signed with Greencard Pictures for US commercial still photography and directing projects.
With a background blending still-image capture, music, and permeating youth culture, Pier captures real people and moments while emphasising candor, movement, and energy.
Pier is drawn to the natural world and real people; subjects deeply invested in what they do. He defines youth culture by its spirit and energy, not necessarily age, and avoids work that feels overly stylistic, staged, or overwrought. He brings spontaneity and action to his projects, often with a subtle wink of comedy or dark humour, as evident through his editorial, branded, and music work for i-D Magazine, The New York Times, Meta, Vans, and Nike SB, as well as the music video for Ben Harper’s Before the Rain Dried.
Pier began shooting photography in high school in his native St. Louis before attending art school in Chicago, and later moving to New York City. Though photography was his first medium, Pier never saw video and film directing as a separate pursuit. His still work, cinematic from the start, often placed subjects within scenarios and built a larger narrative around a single image. His transition into directing came naturally through the punk scene, as bands he had photographed began tapping him to direct their music videos.
His interest in advertising grew from a lifelong fascination with the intersection of media, art, and culture. Growing up immersed in movies, television, records, and comic books, Pier was struck by advertising that could affect him as strongly as a favourite film scene. He was particularly drawn to the imagery in skate and snowboard magazines, where the advertising felt so embedded in the culture that the distinction between art and commerce became difficult to see.
After meeting and immediately connecting with Greencard Founder and Executive Producer Emily Kim Wiedemann, her creative feedback and perspective made the company feel like a natural next step.
“Emily and I hit it off right away, and I loved the perspective she brought to my work,” says Pier. “Her notes and edits blew me away, and everyone she has around her is incredible. I never want to stop learning, and Greencard feels like a place where I can keep doing that. It was a really natural fit and progression for me.”
“I see a lot of joy in his projects. He always celebrates people, no matter his chosen medium, and people are a big part of Greencard’s values,” adds Wiedemann. “As a well-rounded artist, his history spans photography, film, and music videos, a founding component of Greencard’s production history, and perfectly complements the quality and diversity of work we set out to achieve.”
Outside of directing, Pier is currently developing a photobook with the working title Punkhouse, built from his archive of film photography documenting New York and touring life from the early 2000s through the 2010s. Capturing a distinct period in the punk community, Pier hopes to publish the book, exhibit the work in galleries, and eventually use the project as the foundation for a film.
