CANADA has signed director Iris Kim for U.S. representation through its Los Angeles office. The global commercial production company, named one of Ad Age’s A-List top ten production companies, adds Kim to its U.S. roster as her work continues to build across commercials, music videos, short films, and comedy-driven content.
Kim has directed work for global brands including MAC, L’Oréal, Vinted, Liquid I.V., WNBA, Nike, Google, and Waymo. Her music video credits include projects for Interscope Records, Universal Music, Giant Music, and Republic Records, including Deb Never’s arcade, Madison Beer’s Bittersweet, and Zack Villere’s issy.
She has also written and directed narrative shorts, including baby fat, a character study of a young woman adrift in her mid-twenties, as well as a series of vignettes for comedian Jake Shane.
“Iris is a wonderful, spirited artist with a real appreciation for the beauty and absurdity of life,” said CANADA Managing Executive Producer Charlotte Woodhead, who runs the company’s L.A. office. “Her work is bright and stylish, and at the same time wickedly observant of the imperfections and quirkiness of small towns and ordinary people. She helps elevate brand messaging, making it real, relatable, and aspirational. We’re thrilled to have her join our CANADA team in the U.S.”
Kim said CANADA has long been on her radar because of the company’s distinct visual identity and refusal to chase convention. “For me, CANADA has always been such a rare production company,” Kim said. “They’ve been on my mind since 2017, after I saw their music video of Tame Impala’s The Less I Know the Better. They’re from Spain, they have an edge, they know who they are, and they’re never trying to fit in. When Charlotte reached out to me, it was like the stars were aligning.”
Kim’s work is defined by abundant use of color, humor, and fashion, often filtered through a 1990s romantic-comedy sensibility with a sharper, rawer edge. She cites Celine Song as one of her favorite directors and points to The Devil Wears Prada as a favorite film.
“She captures the unspoken,” Kim said of Song. “The use of color and fashion and the humor blends so beautifully, and that’s how I see the world. I don’t think the world is overly dramatic and sad; I think it’s always a little bit of everything. And color, I mean, we need more of it.”
Fashion plays a central role in Kim’s storytelling. For her, wardrobe is not simply visual texture, but part of the emotional architecture of a film.
“There’s always a narrative in fashion,” Kim said. “It’s all about how clothes make a person feel. They can be powerful, sexy, and cool. I love capturing that.”
Kim also describes herself as both extroverted and introverted, a combination that shapes how she observes people and builds worlds through film.
“I’m observant,” she said. “I like watching human nature, watching people do their thing, which lends itself to directing. Through film, I’m basically making my own world based on the observations I’ve made about life and then adding two layers of drama if I’m allowed.”
For CANADA, Kim brings a voice that aligns with the company’s reputation for stylish, idiosyncratic, and culturally aware work. Her signing also expands the L.A. office’s roster with a director whose sensibility moves easily between fashion, music, comedy, and brand storytelling.
Reel 360 News wishes Iris the best of luck at CANADA.
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