Ángel Gracia (USA) is a Venezuelan-American film director. In 2010, Gracia directed his first feature film, ''

From Prada to Nada ''From Prada to Nada'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Angel Gracia, loosely based on Jane Austen's 1811 novel '' Sense and Sensibility''. The screenplay was adapted by Fina Torres, Luis Alfaro, and Craig Fernandez to be a L ...

'', which starred Alexa Vega, Camilla Belle,

Wilmer Valderrama Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama ( , ; born January 30, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and television personality. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), Agustín Madrigal in '' Encanto'', and as Carlo ...

and

Adriana Barraza Adriana Barraza González (born 5 March 1956) is a Mexican actress, acting teacher, and director. In 1999 director Alejandro González Iñárritu cast her as the mother of Gael García Bernal's character in '' Amores perros'', which was nomin ...

. The film was nominated for NCLR's Alma Awards 2011 Best Picture and won two Alma Awards and two

Imagen Awards The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry." To be considered for an Imagen Award, a media piece or person ...

, including Favorite Movie Actress and supporting actress.

Early career

His career started when he won a

Student Academy Awards The Student Academy Awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in an annual competition for college and university filmmakers. Description The awards were originally named the Student Film Awards and were first ...

for his experimental short "The Three Cornered Hat," a flamenco short film. The following year he won an Emmy for his music video "If I Were Alone" for singer song writer John Bauer. Shortly thereafter, he won MTV's first-ever music video contest for Madonna’s " True Blue" single, which went to win an Emmy and became one of the network's most requested videos. This video caught the attention of

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

which offered him a contract to direct in-house music videos; which led to a collaboration with hit artist

Snap! Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of line-up changes over the years, including American singers, songwriters and rappers Thea Austin, Turbo B ...

making 6 of their music videos, including the ground breaking 3D and Motion Controlled video for their hit single "The World in my Hand", which led the giant label BMG

Ariola Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...

to move him to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to direct videos for some of Europe's top artists, including

Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family ...

's award-winning music video for their single "

Out from the Deep "Out from the Deep" is a 1994 song created by the German electronic band Enigma. This single is the fourth and last single released from the band's second album, ''The Cross of Changes''. The single cover art is a simplified version of ''The Cros ...

", one of the first video fully integrating live action with computer graphics animation. Today, his work includes jobs for globally-known powerhouses like

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

, Mercedes,

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, VW, Dodge, MasterCard, Coors,

ING Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...

Schweppes Schweppes (, ) is a beverage brand that originated in the Republic of Geneva; it is made, bottled and distributed worldwide by multiple international conglomerates, depending on licensing and region, that manufacture and sell soft drinks. Schw ...

Snickers Snickers is a chocolate bar made by the American company Mars, Incorporated, consisting of nougat topped with caramel and peanuts that is encased in milk chocolate. The annual global sales of Snickers was over $3 billion . In the United ...

and FIAT, and celebrities such as

Shaquille O’Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

, soccer legends Kaká and Fabio Capello, as well as actors including

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (; ; born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Known for her roles in films of several genres, particularly those in the Spanish language, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British ...

Val Kilmer Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with ''Top Secret!'' (1984) and ''Real Genius'' (1985), as well as the military action film ...

Terry Crews Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former American footballer. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/ CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris'', which aired from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Terry Jeffords ...

Sofia Vergara Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and has ...

Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, ...

Eugenio Derbez Eugenio González Derbez (; born September 2, 1961) is a Mexican actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films and television series including '' The Book of Life, The Angry Birds Movie 2 and The Secret Life of Pets.'' In the 2010s, he ap ...

Jose Feliciano Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

and

Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in ...

Career

Angel was a partner at Ridley Scott and Associates during 5 years with his company "La Division @ RSA." His vast experience in advertising earned him numerous national and international awards, including several "Lions" for Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. In 1998 he directed a TV movie for BMG / Ariola's European division entitled 5NY "The Spirit", based on the real life of a group of young musicians signed to the label with designed to promote their record release. It was the first reality based TV movie about musicians in the industry. In 2001 he signed with Ridley Scott's RSA Films to direct commercials worldwide. He works as a director of TV commercials and online video content through different production companies around the world.

Work

1986 — " True Blue" – Madonna (MTV Music Video Contest) 1987 –

for his experimental short "The Three Cornered Hat" 1990 — ''The Disturbance'' (Feature Film) inematographer 1994 — "

" –

(Music Video) 1997 — "Kaleidoscope Skies" –

Jam & Spoon Jam & Spoon were a German electronic music duo formed in 1991 in Frankfurt. The group consisted of composers and producers Rolf Ellmer (a.k.a. Jam El Mar, classically trained composer) and Markus Löffel (a.k.a. Mark Spoon, DJ). They also worke ...

(Music Video) 2007 — "Moonlight" – Alex Luna (Music Video) 2011 — ''

'' (Feature Film) 2015 – "Table Manners" – (TV pilot)

Awards and nominations

Alma Awards The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and accurate portrayals of Latinos ...

* Winner, Best Actress ''From Prada to Nada'' (2011) * Winner Supporting Actress ''From Prada to Nada'' (2011) *Nominated, Best Picture "From Prada to Nada" (2011)

* Winner, Experimental ''The Three Cornered Hat'' (1986)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gracia, Angel Living people Venezuelan film directors Year of birth missing (living people)