My style fuses visceral realism with modern, innovative storytelling. I prioritize a genuine connection with actors and crew to evoke raw emotion on set. I am highly comfortable working in a ‘run and gun’ style when the project calls for it, and I lean toward an analog sensibility: film grain, vintage lenses, and a process that allows the talent to breathe. After overcoming a cancer diagnosis, my approach has naturally gravitated toward slowing down the work, letting scenes breathe at the exact rhythm of the protagonists. Rigorous preparation, respect on set, and a touch of controlled chaos are my constants.

Brand commercials with emotional weight and music videos. I feel most at home blending industrial grain, human drama, and cinematic tones for global brands and artists with a strong identity. Branded content that blurs the line between advertising and indie filmmaking.

Nico Poalillo is a multidisciplinary director with over a decade of experience spanning creative direction, cinematography, and production. Born in San Diego to Colombian and Italian parents, he was creatively shaped in Detroit, a city whose industrial aesthetic continues to define his work. Before transitioning to the director’s chair, he served as a creative at some of the world’s most respected agencies, including Publicis Groupe, McCann Worldgroup, Doner, Conscious Minds, and Leo Burnett. This dual agency-and-production background gives him a unique ability to seamlessly align the interests of the client, agency, and production house.

He studied communication and creative design at the University of Michigan, and global business at Harvard Business School. His commercial portfolio includes campaigns for brands such as Cadillac, Marvel, Pepsi, Chevy, Nike, Ford, Logitech, Audi, Heineken, Vodafone, Stance, Swiss Army, Opendoor, and Dodge. In the music video world, he has collaborated with Linkin Park, The Goo Goo Dolls, The Aces, Anderson East, Bad Omens, and Deafheaven, earning critical acclaim for pieces like Bad Omens’ ‘Impose,’ Anderson East’s ‘Girlfriend,’ and The Aces’ ‘Volcanic Love.’

He is currently represented by Pulse Films (part of Vice Commercials and Branded Entertainment) in the US, and by SixTwentySix and Las Bandas for music videos in the US and the UK. One of the greatest challenges of his career was confronting and overcoming a cancer diagnosis—an experience that profoundly refined his narrative sensibility and his approach to directing.