Agüita: “A House Where Intention Leads”
For Veronica Leon and Yamel Thomspson, it was the opportunity to build a new table rather than ask for a seat at an existing one that inspired their decision to co-found production company, Agüita, in 2020.
Leading with intention and refusing to ask for permission, the woman and immigrant-owned production house has quickly garnered a reputation for thinking fearlessly, evolving from its music video beginnings into an established production company working across music, art, and commercials.
Both from a producing background, Yamel and Veronica originally met in Austin, Texas, almost eight years prior to starting Agüita. “At the time, I was working on long-form documentaries, and Vero was producing indie films,” Yamel recalls. “I reached out to her for help on a documentary I was shooting in Cuba, and when she came onboard, it was instant chemistry. We just clicked both as collaborators and as friends.”
“That first project was like a spark – we realised right away how well we got along and how complementary our strengths were,” Veronica adds. Years later, Veronica was based in LA, heading up production at Zoe Saldaña’s media company, leading and overseeing seven different series simultaneously – an experience she describes as “great practice” for juggling her responsibilities at Agüita today. After inviting Yamel to creative-produce on a branded series, she shares that the “experience of working together across different formats is what set the foundation for Agüita.”
From the outset, Agüita set out to do something differently. Instead of following the framework set by legacy production companies, Veronica and Yamel sought to “reimagine” the very nature of production.
“We wanted to reimagine how production could exist in a way that resonates with our reality: two young female immigrants who are serious about work, want to make, impact, and shift culture, and want to have fun in doing so,” says Yamel. “So the principle from day one was to create a house where intention leads, where taste leads and where new voices have the same weight as the established ones.
“For us, it wasn’t about making noise; it was about building something that lasts, something that actually pushes the image forward. I like to see it as a visual analogy: we’re not asking for a seat at the table, we’re building the table, and proving that a new model can stand on equal ground with anyone.”
Veronica says that from day one, the principles were clear: ownership, authenticity, and creating space for voices like their own.
Above, Lisa ft Tyla - 'When I'm With You'
A Sensitivity to Culture, Community, and Storytelling
With Veronica coming from Venezuela and Yamel from Mexico, the pair’s Latin identity is infused into every aspect of Agüita, moulding its DNA and shaping its creative spirit. “Our shared Latin culture is the secret weapon of Agüita,” says Veronica. “We have the same values and the same culture, and it’s all embedded in the DNA of the company.”
Its presence is tangible, heard in the reggaeton and salsa music played on set, and felt through Yamel and Veronica’s resilient yet sensitive approach to each project they work on.
“In Latin America, creativity has always thrived under conditions of resilience: you learn to do a lot with a little, you learn to innovate fast, and you learn the power of collective effort,” explains Yamel.
Veronica shares a similar experience, adding, “I come from a country that was voted happiest when we were at a particularly difficult and depressing moment in our political history; I remember reading that and being taken aback.
“But our cultures have always excelled at doing a lot with very little, and I’m not only proud of that fact but it’s part of what makes us great producers. The best producers take obstacles and turn them into opportunities; the challenges are part of the journey. And that’s something that you train for your whole life living in Latin-America and that Agüita is especially skilled at.”
When it came to the task of building the company’s roster, it was important to identify talent that could flourish within Agüita’s walls that was comfortable at its newly created table. “We didn’t just want to be another production company; we wanted to create a house where emerging directors could grow, where global brands could trust the work, and where the process of production itself felt intentional, warm, and elevated,” says Yamel.
Above, UGG, 'Extreme'
Agüita’s directors and capabilities have grown hand in hand. Starting out specialising in music videos, Yamel shares that the company made its mark by always looking at a brief as more than just a video. “For me, the foundation of how we made our mark wasn’t only about making cool videos; it was about intention. From day one, we have approached each project as if it had to do both: stand out aesthetically and also reflect something deeper about the artist or the brand we were working with.
“I attribute that to both Vero's background in narrative long form and my background in documentary and art history: I’ve always been obsessed with storytelling and with understanding context. Even in music videos, which are sometimes perceived as ephemeral, we were asking bigger questions – How does this piece live in culture? How does it shape the way an artist and the work of our director are remembered?”
Moving into the commercial world was a challenge to “expand without losing our DNA”, says Yamel. Agüita had to learn to adapt to working with larger teams, more stakeholders, and higher budgets for branded work without losing the standard of craft, storytelling and “cultural resonance” it had become known for in the music world.
“One of the ways we’ve adapted is by positioning ourselves not just as a production partner but as cultural translators,” Yamel explains. “We understand what an agency and brand want to communicate, but we also understand how to frame it so it feels authentic, current, and visually elevated.
“Internally, we’ve also scaled our operations to meet the demands of the commercial world: building systems, refining our roster, and creating the infrastructure to deliver at a global standard. But what hasn’t changed is the warmth and intentionality we bring to set. Whether it’s a music video or a commercial campaign, Agüita is still about creating an environment where directors can thrive and teams feel energised. That consistency, I think, is what allows us to move fluidly between the worlds of art, music, and advertising.”
A Statement of Intent
Speaking to Yamel and Veronica, the sense of pride for what they’ve built with Agüita is contagious. From being nominated for Best Production Company at the 2025 Berlin Music Video Awards, to producing global campaigns for the likes of UGG and Don Julio most recently, the company is going from strength to strength.
Above, Don Julio, 'Frio'
But for Yamel and Veronica, their pride goes beyond the work and the awards; it’s for the culture they’ve created, proving that what they’ve created can stand on the same pedestal as other, more established companies. “It means that we’ve built a real contender; that we can deliver what legacy companies have been doing for decades,” says Veronica. “Ultimately, what Yam and I have built together – what started with just the two of us wanting to make good work and to represent something different than what we kept seeing or who we kept working for – has turned into something much bigger.
“Building a company that breaks through the noise at a time where there is content in every corner of the internet, an entity that is not only culturally relevant but culturally inclusive and reflective of our roots and who we are and where we come from. It’s a huge deal to us.”
Yamel continues, “We’ve been able to prove that you don’t have to replicate the old industry structures in order to succeed – you can do things differently, more inclusively, more intentionally, and still play on the same global stage as the legacy companies.”
“Ultimately,” Yamel concludes, “we see Agüita not just as a company but as a larger platform and even a statement. We’re here to prove that the future of this industry belongs to more voices, more colours, more genders, new structures, and a different kind of power. And we’re not waiting for permission.
“Agüita came from the need to break the cycle. Our core has always been taste, intention, and space – for new voices and for real cultural weight. We’re not asking for permission; we’re proving a new model can compete with the biggest names and win.”
