giddy up
Hey. I'm Emmett Ferra, Washington, DC-based Creative Director and Executive Producer threading brand, experience, and film into a single authored practice.
The Studio // For the last eight years I've co-run PAKKE Productions & Design, an integrated creative studio that holds the creative pen on brand identity, campaigns, and authored experiences. Through PAKKE, we've produced for Coca-Cola, Patagonia, and CBS News, and led creative direction across a retainer book of tech and lifestyle clients — Option3 Ventures, The Influencer Collective, and Veracity — where I set concept and visual direction, directed embedded teams of up to five, and presented through every review round.
The Film // Running parallel to the studio work: film. Most recently as Executive Producer on Closure (TIFF 2025 premiere, Summer 2026 theatrical release, starring Michael Kelly and Mena Suvari) and Such a Vivid Imagination (UK distribution). Through IKIGAI International, the producer-first film finance and production company I co-founded, I lead development, packaging, and distribution strategy across the slate — including an in-progress Lionsgate First-Look project. I sit in cuts with directors and give notes that shape the final film. The capital is earned; the creative participation is the point.
The Cultural Work // Alongside agency and film, I build cultural venues and programs. I named, branded, and creatively directed The Cheshire — a DC cultural venue that operated at full capacity for two years, hosting brand activations, gallery exhibitions, a sustainable fashion retail tenant, an international footwear brand, and an in-house production studio. I co-founded District Dreamers Film Festival, which sold out four consecutive days in its inaugural year, Streetsense-sponsored in Year One, DC government-sponsored in Year Two, with a 2025 Tribeca-selected filmmaker slate. I also concepted Baby Bear, a DC-grant-funded pandemic-era digital performance series that delivered lighting and cameras to artists' homes and directed via Zoom so artists and collaborators kept working when the industry stopped.
The POV // The through-line is simple: brand, space, and narrative reinforce each other when one person is authoring all three. Most shops split those disciplines across teams — brand on one floor, experience design on another, film in a partner vendor across town. My career has been a deliberate refusal of that split. The work I'm proudest of — The Cheshire, District Dreamers, Coca-Cola × Gallaudet, the Patagonia × Honeyflower dinner series — only existed because one person was holding identity, environment, and programming at the same time.
The Origin Story // Before the creative work, I spent seven years in sales and business development — logistics at C.H. Robinson, solar at SolarCity ($2.7M delivered), IoT at Attune, advocacy tech at Capitol Canary. It's an unfashionable résumé line in the creative world, and also the reason I can read a P&L as closely as a mood board and write a pitch deck as tightly as a shot list. The best work I make lives at that seam — creative ambition grounded in operator discipline. I came up between corporate America and the creative industry, and I've stayed there on purpose.
Press + Availability // Work recognized by The Washington Post, NPR, and The Chicago Tribune.
Currently open to Creative Director and Executive Producer roles with production companies, studios, creative agencies, and experiential firms building authored brand, cultural, and narrative work.
Collaborator List // Along the way, I've gotten to stand next to a seriously good group of people and brands:
Coca-Cola · Patagonia · CBS News · Streetsense · Lionsgate (First-Look, in progress) · Method Media · TIFF · Gallaudet University · Honeyflower Foods · Option3 Ventures · Arca · Phone2Action · Veracity — and every stubborn, talented filmmaker I've been fortunate to share a cut room with.
Areas of Expertise //
Creative Direction — Brand, Experience & Film
Executive Producing + Film Packaging
Brand Identity + Visual System Design
Environmental + Experiential Design
Integrated Campaign Development
Festival + Venue Creative Direction
Curatorial + Cultural Programming
Narrative + Pitch Development
Sponsor + Partnership Activation
Integrated Production Oversight
Cross-Disciplinary Team Leadership
Client Stewardship + C-Suite Partnership
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