Case Study
From Diana Pombo to Lady D
One rain-studio music video became years of creative collaboration, and a front-row seat to an artist finding her identity.
- Client
- Diana Pombo / Lady D
- Industry
- Music & Entertainment
- Year
- 2021 to 2024
Some of the best projects start with a phone call.
In 2021 I got one from Diana Pombo's mother, who also manages her, or as Diana calls her, her momager. She was looking for someone to make a music video for Diana's song "I Won't Hide."
We connected immediately.
A week or two later Diana and her family came to my studio. We talked through the song, the vision, and how to build something visually strong enough to stand next to Diana's performance and her choreography.
The idea came down to something I had never filmed before. A rain studio.
The first film
I Won't Hide
We found a studio built for filming in controlled rain, and designed the performance around Diana's choreography, the water, hard light, umbrellas, and slow motion.
Diana is a remarkable performer. Once the cameras rolled, it came together quickly.
At the time I was experimenting with an Atomos Ninja V and recording external ProRes. Between the rain, her movement, and the emotion in the song, the footage looked cinematic straight out of camera.
But there was one more piece we wanted.
Watch the film
The location
Finding the piano
The concept called for a sequence of Diana performing at a grand piano. We did not have a piano location.
I had recently finished a Bar Mitzvah film for a family in Miami Beach with a beautiful grand piano in their home. I reached out, explained what we were making, and asked whether they would let us film there. They graciously said yes.
So we brought Diana, her mom, and the team to Miami Beach and shot the piano sequences there.
That contrast, the intimate piano performance against the choreography in the rain, gave "I Won't Hide" two very different visual worlds that ended up needing each other.
The finished film became an important early marker in Diana's development as a recording artist.
A detour
The project that came out of the project
One of my favorite things about production is how one project quietly creates another.
Diana's friend Dallen was with us during the piano shoot. He is a colorful, multi-talented creative.
While we were filming I got a call about an upcoming commercial for a fitness product called SitFit. The production urgently needed an eccentric on-camera personality who could pull off a British accent. I asked if anybody knew someone.
Dallen basically said, "I think I can do that."
We recorded an impromptu audition right there. I sent it over. He got the job.
That became an entirely separate production involving horses, scrolls, trumpets, comedy, and a jingle written by my friend Gad Elbaz. It is one of those small, strange examples of how interconnected the creative world becomes. You can watch the SitFit Chair commercial here.
The second film
Wait
Then Diana and her mom called again.
This time they wanted something completely different. The song had a fun, retro energy, and the idea grew into a vintage diner and a small story about an old boyfriend.
We found a diner in Palm Beach and started building the world. Diana and her team developed the choreography and brought fantastic wardrobe and props.
We built a story in which Diana walks into the diner and discovers her former boyfriend working there. He wants another chance. She has moved on.
What followed was part music video, part choreography piece, and part miniature movie.
Watch the film
The world
Building a vintage world
We wanted the world outside the diner to feel just as intentional.
Through another production relationship I connected with my friend Sean and rented a beautiful 1950s-era car for the shoot.
Suddenly we had everything. The diner, the wardrobe, the choreography, the characters, the vintage car, and the story.
I still remember standing there during that production and feeling my creative gears turning. It was one of those shoots where I was not simply thinking about getting coverage or checking shots off a list. Every setup suggested another idea. It felt like we were making a little movie.
To this day it remains one of my favorite music video productions I have directed. The finished video was received incredibly well, and people loved the vintage world we created around Diana.
The relationship
From one project to a creative partnership
The relationship did not end with those two videos.
Over the years Diana and her family continued coming back for additional productions, including another project filmed in her school's theater, smaller shoots, and other creative work.
Somewhere along the way it stopped feeling like a normal client relationship. I got to know the family. We talked about music, artists, audio production, and the industry, and I shared advice and connections where I could.
And I had the privilege of watching Diana keep developing, both as a performer and as an artist.
Eventually I watched Diana Pombo evolve into Lady D.
And that is probably my favorite part of this case study. Not a particular camera. Not the ProRes footage. Not even the rain studio or the vintage car. The relationship.
What began with a phone call from a mom looking for someone to make her daughter's music video became years of creativity, trust, and friendship. I have watched Diana blossom as an artist, develop her musical identity, and keep pursuing more ambitious creative work, and I have been fortunate enough to be there for a small part of that journey.
What stayed
More than a music video
There are projects I remember because of the images we created. There are others I remember because of the people I met while creating them.
This became both.
I am incredibly grateful Diana's mom made that first phone call, and even more grateful for everything that came from it. That is one of the things I love most about this business. You never really know where one project might lead.
Diana Pombo, known as Lady D, is a Colombian-American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model. She first caught national attention on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation and later World of Dance. You can watch I Won't Hide and Wait in full, or see more of my music video production work.
Full Gallery
