HOLLYWOOD — Dark Light Pictures (www.darklightpictures.com), which specializes in the creation of advertising for both television and the theatre, has appointed Gabriel Mena to the newly-created position of director of development. He brings with him a background in film and TV development, and will lead a new effort to grow Dark Light’s roster of directors, with an emphasis on building a cadre of young filmmakers. Mena will also direct a marketing effort in support of the new talent.
Mena says that he is setting out to discover directors with a keen sense of storytelling, and plans to use Dark Light Pictures’ experience and relationships to help them build strong careers in advertising. “As the traditional model continues to shift and adjust, one constant remains the ability to tell an engaging, empathetic narrative… resourcefully,” he noted. “The steadily diminishing consumer attention span makes it vital to convey a message with an insightful and innovative voice that will not only grab, but will also hold the ever-wandering eyes. “
Prior to joining Dark Light, Mena was head of development at Miami-based independent outfit Hispafilms Corporation, where he produced the Tribeca feature-length documentary, Celia the Queen, about salsa legend Celia Cruz.